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Learn How to Pronounce Qu'est-ce que c'est

Quick Answer: In French, the phrase Qu'est-ce que c'est is pronounced /kɛskə sɛ/.
(Listen to the audio above for the stress and intonation)

The Expert's Take

Dr. Franz Lang
"This was the very first phrase I learned in my French 101 class. The way the four words blend into a single phonetic unit through elision and liaison is the perfect introduction to why French sounds so fluid and musical compared to the staccato of English."
By Dr. Franz Lang

Meaning and Context

"Qu'est-ce que c'est" is a quintessential and indispensable interrogative phrase in the French language, serving as a fundamental building block for learners and a common utterance in everyday conversation. Literally translating to the cumbersome English construction "What is it that it is?", its functional meaning is the straightforward "What is it?" or "What is this?". This phrase is a cornerstone of basic French grammar, exemplifying the language's interrogative structure and often introduced in beginner French lessons, language learning apps, and phrasebooks. Its cultural resonance was cemented in popular music when it was prominently featured in the iconic 1977 Talking Heads song "Psycho Killer," a detail that frequently serves as a mnemonic device for English speakers. Understanding "qu'est-ce que c'est" is essential for asking questions in French, making it a critical component of achieving conversational fluency and a key term for anyone studying French vocabulary or French for beginners.

Common Mistakes and Alternative Spellings

Given its multi-word structure and phonetic flow, "qu'est-ce que c'est" is prone to several common misspellings and typographical errors, particularly among learners. The most frequent mistakes involve incorrect hyphenation, missing apostrophes, or conflation of the components. Common variants include "quest ce que cest" (omitting all punctuation), "qu'est ce que c'est" (missing the hyphen in "est-ce"), and "qu'es que c'est" (dropping the "t" and "ce"). Some may mistakenly write "que'est-ce que c'est" with an extra "e" or "qu'est-ce que ce" omitting the final "est." It is crucial to remember the correct construction: "Qu'est" (contraction of que and est), hyphen, "ce," hyphen, "que," space, "c'est" (contraction of ce and est). The phrase is always written in lowercase unless it begins a sentence, and each element must be properly connected to form the standard interrogative expression.

Example Sentences

Holding up an unusual seashell she found on the beach, the child turned to her mother and asked, "Maman, qu'est-ce que c'est?".

During the French oral exam, the teacher pointed to an image and prompted, "Décrivez cet objet.

Qu'est-ce que c'est?".

The phrase "Qu'est-ce que c'est?" echoed in my head as I tried to identify the strange noise coming from the engine.

A classic icebreaker in a beginner's French class is to point to common items around the room and have students practice asking, "Qu'est-ce que c'est?".

In the art gallery, visitors murmured "Qu'est-ce que c'est supposé représenter?" while contemplating the abstract sculpture.

The song's catchy refrain, with its repetitive "Qu'est-ce que c'est? Fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-far better," made the French phrase unforgettable to a generation of music fans.

Sources and References

I used Wiktionary and Forvo to get the standard French pronunciation of this phrase. YouGlish was helpful for hearing how it is often used by English speakers in a conversational or musical context, such as in the famous Talking Heads song.

Related Pronunciations


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