Que faire ? French infinitive questions for finding a way forward

Edited by Chris Lee · Updated 26 September 2026 · About the library

Ask Que faire ?, Par où commencer ? and Comment répondre ? in four practical exchanges, with translations and a short check on infinitive word order.

B1
12 phrases
4 situations
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In short

Que faire ? asks “What should I/we do?” in a situation where the person acting is understood. Use comment + infinitive for a method and par où + infinitive for a starting point: Comment répondre ?, Par où commencer ? The infinitive itself names no person or tense.

Yellow the idea to rememberBlue French to learn

Two people reconsidering a presentation at a worktable. — Par où commencer ? asks for a starting point. Illustration: Atelier

These exchanges take place while preparing a group presentation. Show everything first, then hide the other person’s lines and build a response. Each question names the missing action, method or starting point; the answer supplies something you can do next.

You have reached a problem

Use Que faire ? after a short explanation of the problem.

YouNotre présentation est trop longue. Que faire ?Our presentation is too long. What should we do?

Your partnerOn pourrait supprimer le dernier exemple.We could remove the last example.

YouD’accord. On gardera les deux premiers.All right. We’ll keep the first two.

You need a starting point

Keep the preposition in par où.

YouPar où commencer pour préparer l’introduction ?Where should we start to prepare the introduction?

Your partnerCommençons par une question simple.Let’s start with a simple question.

YouQue dire pour présenter le sujet ?What should we say to introduce the topic?

You need a way to reply

Comment répondre asks for a method; que répondre asks what answer to give.

YouComment répondre à cette question sans répéter l’introduction ?How can we answer this question without repeating the introduction?

Your partnerTu peux donner un autre exemple.You can give another example.

YouBonne idée. Et que répondre si personne n’est d’accord ?Good idea. And what should we say if nobody agrees?

You want to avoid a problem

Put ne pas directly before the infinitive. With an object pronoun: Comment ne pas les oublier ?

YouComment ne pas perdre le fil pendant la présentation ?How can we avoid losing our train of thought during the presentation?

Your partnerPréparons un plan très court.Let’s prepare a very short outline.

YouEt pourquoi ne pas répéter ensemble ?And why don’t we rehearse together?Pourquoi ne pas + infinitive offers a suggestion.

What does que faire mean in French?

An understood actor or an explicit subject

Question	What it specifies
Comment répondre ?	a method; the actor comes from context
Comment Nora répondra-t-elle ?	Nora as the actor; future tense
Que faire ?	the next action; the situation supplies the actor
Que devons-nous faire ?	we as the actor; devoir explicitly asks what we should do

A heading can use the same compact pattern: Comment présenter le sujet ? In conversation, add the situation if the question feels too short: Nous avons cinq minutes. Comment présenter le sujet ? The English “should” or “can” comes from that situation; it is not a separate verb hidden inside the infinitive.