Qu'était-ce (en. What was it)

/kɛtɛs/

Meaning & Definition

EnglishFrench

noun

Expression to inquire about the nature of a past event or situation.

What was that strange noise I heard last night?

Qu'était-ce, ce bruit étrange que j'ai entendu la nuit dernière ?

Interrogative formulation about a fact or thing that took place previously.

I can't remember, what was the name of that restaurant?

Je ne me souviens plus, qu'était-ce, le nom de ce restaurant ?

Used to express curiosity about a past event.

During the meeting, what was that project they were talking about?

Lors de la réunion, qu'était-ce ce projet dont ils parlaient ?

Derived from Old French, combining 'que', 'était', and 'ce'.

What was it?

Direct inquiry to know the nature of an event.

Qu'était-ce ?

What was that?

Familiar phrase to question about an event.

C'était quoi ça ?

this

A demonstrative pronoun referring to a thing.

was

Form of the verb 'être' in the imperfect tense.

était

What was the thing?

What was the thing that happened yesterday?

C'était quoi le truc qui s'est passé hier ?

What is this nonsense?

What is this nonsense they are talking about?

C'est quoi ce délire qu'ils racontent ?