How do you say "What should I do?" in French?

"What should I do?" in French is "Qu'est-ce que je dois faire ?". This phrase is commonly used in France.

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How to Say ‘What should I do?’ in French

Q: What does "Qu'est-ce que je dois faire ?" mean in English?

"Qu'est-ce que je dois faire ?" means "What should I do?" in English. Usage tip: [Qu'est-ce que ... ?] is a very handy pattern for asking "what ... ?" You can reuse it with other verbs: [Qu'est-ce que vous voulez ?], [Qu'est-ce qu'il faut faire ?].

Qu'est-ce que je dois faire ?

k eh suh kuh zhuh dwah fehr

[k eh suh kuh zhuh dwah fehr]

💬 Usage Tip: [Qu'est-ce que ... ?] is a very handy pattern for asking "what ... ?" You can reuse it with other verbs: [Qu'est-ce que vous voulez ?], [Qu'est-ce qu'il faut faire ?].

Phrase Breakdown

Qu'

[k]

what

Shortened form used in questions; part of 'Qu'est-ce que' meaning 'what'.

Example

Qu'est-ce que je dois faire si la poule respire mal ?

What should I do if the hen is breathing badly?

est

[eh]

Form of 'être' meaning 'is'; part of the question pattern here.

Example

Qu'est-ce que je dois faire ce soir ?

What should I do this evening?

-ce

[suh]

this

In 'est-ce que', this is part of a fixed structure used to form questions.

Example

Qu'est-ce que je dois faire à la maison en premier ?

What should I do at home first?

que

[kuh]

that

Here it belongs to the fixed question expression 'qu'est-ce que'.

Example

Qu'est-ce que je dois faire pour le traitement ?

What should I do for the treatment?

[zhuh]

Subject pronoun meaning 'I'.

Example

Qu'est-ce que je dois faire après la visite ?

What should I do after the visit?

dois

[dwah]

must / should

From 'devoir'; expresses obligation or what one should do.

Example

Qu'est-ce que je dois faire si elle ne mange pas ?

What should I do if she doesn’t eat?

faire

[fehr]

to do

Infinitive verb meaning 'to do' or 'to make'.

Example

Qu'est-ce que je dois faire avec ce médicament ?

What should I do with this medicine?

Guides for French learners

The Best App to Learn French: An Honest ComparisonDuolingo, Babbel, Pimsleur, Busuu, italki and PrettyFluent compared for learning French: what each is best at, how you pay, and which fits your goal.French Conversation for Beginners: 5 Everyday Dialogues You'll Actually UseFive short French conversations for beginners, from greeting a neighbour to booking a restaurant, with translations, native audio and the phrases that keep them going.

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