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Informal French Expression
| Meaning | What’s bugging you? | |
| Literally | Which fly bit you? | |
| Register | informal | |
| Pronunciation |  |
[kehl moosh tah pee kay] |
| IPA | [kɛl muʃ ta pi ke] | |
Usage notes: Flies are annoying, especially when they bite, and they can also be hard to spot. So the informal French expression quelle mouche t’a piqué ? is a logical way to ask someone why they look or are acting annoyed when there’s no obvious reason for it.
Variation: Quelle mouche te pique ?
Synonymous expressions
- Qu’est-ce que tu as ?
- Qu’est-ce qui ne vas pas ?
- Qu’est-ce qui te prend ?
- Qu’est-ce qui t’arrive ?
- Qu’est-ce qu’il y a ?
- Qu’est-ce qui ne tourne pas rond ? (informal)
English equivalents
- What’s bothering you?
- What’s bugging you?
- What’s eating you?
- What’s gotten into you?
- What’s the matter with you?
- What’s up with you?
- What’s wrong with you?
- What’s your problem?
You can ask the same question of other people by using a different direct object pronoun:
| Quelle mouche l’a piqué ? | What’s bugging him? | |
| Quelle mouche l’a piquée ? | What’s bugging her? | |
| Quelle mouche vous a piqué(s) ? | What’s bugging you? | |
| Quelle mouche les a piqués ? | What’s bugging them? |
Or by putting a noun at the end:
| Quelle mouche a piqué ta sœur ? | What’s bugging your sister? | |
| Quelle mouche a piqué les élèves ? | What’s bugging the students? |
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