quoi

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Bourguignon[edit]

Alternative forms[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Latin quid; ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kʷid, compare *kʷis. Cognate to French quoi.

Pronoun[edit]

quoi

  1. what (oblique pronoun)
  2. (slang) aught, anything, something
    El aiveint-ti de quoi maingé ?
    Did they have enough to eat?

Adverb[edit]

quoi

  1. (colloquial) you know, like, y'know.

Usage notes[edit]

In some parts of Bourgogne, quoi is often confounded with quei, originally meaning which?. For example, it is not uncommon to hear aivoi de quei instead of aivoi de quoi ('to have enough').

See also[edit]

Further reading[edit]

French[edit]

Alternative forms[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Latin quid; ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kʷid, compare *kʷis. Cognate to English what, which differs due to changing under Grimm’s law.

Pronunciation[edit]

Pronoun[edit]

quoi

  1. (interrogative; for things) what
    1. (after a preposition)
      De quoi parle-t-il ? ― What is he talking about?
      À quoi penses-tu ? ― What are you thinking about?
      À quoi cela sert-il ? ― What is this used for?
      Avec quoi cela se mange-t-il ? ― What is this supposed to be eaten with?
      En vue de quoi fais-tu cela ? ― What are you doing this for?
    2. (attributive or direct object; colloquial)
      C’est quoi ? (attributive)
      What is this/that?
      (noncolloquial French: Qu’est-ce ? / Qu’est-ce que c’est ?)
      Il dit quoi ? (direct object)
      What does he say?
      (noncolloquial French: Que dit-il ? / Qu’est-ce qu’il dit ?)
  2. (relative; for things) what, (that) which
    1. (direct object)
      Je sais quoi faire.
      I know what to do.
      Je ne sais pas quoi faire.
      I don't know what to do.
      (more formal French: Je ne sais que faire.)
    2. (after a preposition)
      Laisse-moi te montrer ce sur quoi je travaille en ce moment.
      Let me show you what I am working on at the moment.
      (literally, “...that on which I am working...”)
      Et voilà à quoi nous avons passé notre temps.
      And that's what we've spent our time on.
      Ils ont perdu beaucoup d’argent, en conséquence de quoi ils ont dû fermer le magasin.
      They've lost a lot of money, in consequence of which they've had to close the shop.
  3. (after de and before an infinitive verb)
    1. enough (of something specific)
      Il y avait de quoi remplir trois boîtes. ― There was enough to fill three boxes.
    2. nothing
      Il n’y a pas de quoi en faire tout un plat ! ― There's nothing to make a big thing out of!
      Merci !
      —Il n’y a pas de quoi [me remercier].
      Thanks!
      —Don't mention it.
      (literally, “There is nothing [to thank me for].”)
  4. (before a subjunctive verb) whatever
    1. (direct object)
      Quoi que je fasse, rien ne changera. ― Whatever I may do, nothing will change.
    2. (subject of an impersonal verb)
      Quoi qu’il arrive, je serai là. ― Whatever may happen, I will be there.

Derived terms[edit]

Adverb[edit]

quoi

  1. (colloquial) you know, like, y'know
    Alors, ce mec m’a dit de te donner son porte-monnaie, quoi.
    So, this guy, like, told me to give you his wallet.

Phrase[edit]

quoi

  1. what? say again?
    Synonyms: comment ?, pardon ?, plaît-il ?

See also[edit]

Further reading[edit]

Latin[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Adjective[edit]

quoi

  1. dative singular masculine/feminine/neuter of quī

Pronoun[edit]

quoi

  1. dative singular masculine/feminine/neuter of quī

References[edit]

Manx[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Old Irish cía, from Proto-Celtic *kʷēs, from Proto-Indo-European *kʷis.

Pronoun[edit]

quoi

  1. (interrogative) who?

See also[edit]

Middle French[edit]

Etymology 1[edit]

Old French, from Latin quietus.

Adjective[edit]

quoi m (feminine singular quoie, masculine plural quois, feminine plural quoies)

  1. silent
  2. calm; peaceful

References[edit]

  • coi on Dictionnaire du Moyen Français (1330–1500) (in French)

Etymology 2[edit]

See quoy.

Pronoun[edit]

quoi

  1. Alternative form of quoy

Old French[edit]

Alternative forms[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Latin quietus.

Adjective[edit]

quoi m (oblique and nominative feminine singular quoie)

  1. silent
  2. calm; peaceful
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