Quoi de neuf ?

Informal French Expression

Quoi de neuf ?
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Meaning what’s new?
Register informal
Pronunciation French sound files [kwa d(eu) neuf]
IPA   [kwa də nÅ“f

Usage notes: Instead of asking "how are you?" all the time, change things up and ask "what’s new?" with the informal French expression quoi de neuf ?

Par exemple…

– Salut Pauline ! Quoi de neuf ?
– Je viens d’acheter une voiture. Et toi ?
  – Hi Pauline! What’s new?
– I just bought a car. How about you?
– Bonjour Fréde, quoi de neuf ?
– Bof, je vais au travail. Et toi, ça va ?
  – Hello Fréde, what’s new?
– Ugh, I’m on my way to work. How are you?
– Tiens, Étienne, quoi de neuf chez toi ?
– Rien de nouveau.
  – Hey, Étienne, what’s new with you?
– Nothing.

Variations

  • Koi29  (texting abbreviation)
  • Quoi de neuf chez toi ?
  • Quoi de neuf de ton côté ?
  • Quoi de neuf (à Paris, au travail, avec le bébé …) ?
  • Quoi de neuf, Å“uf ?
  • Quoi de nouveau ?

Reponses

If you don’t have any news to share, you have a variety of responses to choose from.

  • Rien de nouveau – literally, "Nothing’s new"
  • Rien d’exceptionnel – "Nothing out of the ordinary"
  • Rien de spécial, (la routine habituelle) – "Nothing special, (the usual routine)"
  • Rien du tout – "Nothing at all"
  • Bah, rien ! – "Ah, nothing!"
  • Pas grand-chose – "Nothing much"
  • (Rien) que du vieux – "Only old stuff"
  • (Rien) tout est vieux – "Everything is old"
  • Québec: Rien de neuf, juste du vieux – "Nothing new, just old"

Return Questions

In return, you can ask et toi ? ("and you?"), possibly followed by one of the above variations, or else something like

  • Ça va ? – "How’s it going?"
  • Qu’est-ce que tu racontes de beau ? – "What nice thing do you have to say?"
  • Tu racontes quoi ? – "What do you have to say?"

 In the News

Quoi de neuf can also be used as a headline; for example,

  • Quoi de neuf cette année ?
  • Quoi de neuf en Europe ?
  • Quoi de neuf en recherche ?
  • Quoi de neuf pour la retraite ?
    etc.

 Quoi de neuf, docteur ?

This is the French equivalent of Bugs Bunny’s classic line “What’s up, doc?” as well as the title of the French-dubbed version of the American TV series Growing Pains.

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Quoi de neuf

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1 Response

  1. Chase 2 March 2017 / 14:10

    I love using this phrase in my French classes

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