C1 Expression Formal

quoi que

whatever

Significado

No matter what.

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Contexto cultural

The phrase 'Quoi qu'il en coûte' became a national mantra during the COVID-19 pandemic, representing the state's promise to protect the economy at any price. In Quebec, 'quoi que' is used frequently in formal debates, but in casual speech, you'll often hear 'peu importe' or 'n'importe quoi' to simplify the grammar. In Francophone Africa, high-level French often preserves classical structures like 'quoi que' in administrative and legal contexts, reflecting a formal education system. Belgian French uses 'quoi que' similarly to France, often appearing in political discourse to show a willingness to compromise or a firm stance.

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The Subjunctive Trap

Never use the indicative after 'quoi que'. It's 'quoi que tu fasses', not 'quoi que tu fais'.

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The Replacement Test

If you can replace it with 'Whatever', it's 'quoi que' (two words).

Significado

No matter what.

⚠️

The Subjunctive Trap

Never use the indicative after 'quoi que'. It's 'quoi que tu fasses', not 'quoi que tu fais'.

🎯

The Replacement Test

If you can replace it with 'Whatever', it's 'quoi que' (two words).

💬

Political Power

Using 'Quoi qu'il en coûte' in a business meeting in France will make you sound very up-to-date with French political rhetoric.

Ponte a prueba

Fill in the blank with the correct form of the verb 'faire' in the subjunctive.

Quoi que vous ____, faites-le bien.

✓ ¡Correcto! ✗ No del todo. Respuesta correcta: fassiez

'Quoi que' requires the subjunctive mood. 'Fassiez' is the second person plural subjunctive of 'faire'.

Choose the correct word to complete the sentence.

____ fatigué qu'il soit, il continue de travailler.

✓ ¡Correcto! ✗ No del todo. Respuesta correcta: Quoique

Here, the meaning is 'although' (conjunction), so the single word 'quoique' is used.

Match the French phrase with its English equivalent.

Match the following:

✓ ¡Correcto! ✗ No del todo. Respuesta correcta: Quoi qu'il en soit -> Be that as it may; Quoi qu'il arrive -> Whatever happens; Quoi que ce soit -> Anything at all; Quoi qu'on dise -> Whatever people say

These are common fixed or semi-fixed expressions using 'quoi que'.

Complete the dialogue with the most appropriate phrase.

A: Je ne sais pas si je dois accepter ce travail. B: ________, tu dois prendre une décision vite.

✓ ¡Correcto! ✗ No del todo. Respuesta correcta: Quoi qu'il en soit

'Quoi qu'il en soit' is used as a transition to mean 'regardless' or 'anyway'.

🎉 Puntuación: /4

Ayudas visuales

Quoi que vs Quoique

Quoi que (2 words)
Meaning Whatever
Function Relative Pronoun
Quoique (1 word)
Meaning Although
Function Conjunction

Banco de ejercicios

4 ejercicios
Fill in the blank with the correct form of the verb 'faire' in the subjunctive. Fill Blank B2

Quoi que vous ____, faites-le bien.

✓ ¡Correcto! ✗ No del todo. Respuesta correcta: fassiez

'Quoi que' requires the subjunctive mood. 'Fassiez' is the second person plural subjunctive of 'faire'.

Choose the correct word to complete the sentence. Choose C1

____ fatigué qu'il soit, il continue de travailler.

✓ ¡Correcto! ✗ No del todo. Respuesta correcta: Quoique

Here, the meaning is 'although' (conjunction), so the single word 'quoique' is used.

Match the French phrase with its English equivalent. Match B1

Empareja cada elemento de la izquierda con su par de la derecha:

✓ ¡Correcto! ✗ No del todo. Respuesta correcta: Quoi qu'il en soit -> Be that as it may; Quoi qu'il arrive -> Whatever happens; Quoi que ce soit -> Anything at all; Quoi qu'on dise -> Whatever people say

These are common fixed or semi-fixed expressions using 'quoi que'.

Complete the dialogue with the most appropriate phrase. dialogue_completion B2

A: Je ne sais pas si je dois accepter ce travail. B: ________, tu dois prendre une décision vite.

✓ ¡Correcto! ✗ No del todo. Respuesta correcta: Quoi qu'il en soit

'Quoi qu'il en soit' is used as a transition to mean 'regardless' or 'anyway'.

🎉 Puntuación: /4

Preguntas frecuentes

10 preguntas

Yes, it is generally considered formal or neutral-formal because it requires the subjunctive mood.

No, 'quoi que' must introduce a clause. However, 'quoi que ce soit' can end a sentence (e.g., 'Je n'ai rien vu, quoi que ce soit').

'Quoi que' starts a clause ('Whatever you do...'), while 'n'importe quoi' is usually an object ('He says anything').

Yes, without exception. It expresses a hypothetical or concessive idea.

It becomes 'quoi qu'' (e.g., quoi qu'il, quoi qu'elle, quoi qu'on).

Yes, though it may sound more formal than 'peu importe'.

No, it must be 'quoi que tu veuilles'. If you want to use 'veux', say 'ce que tu veux'.

It means 'be that as it may' or 'regardless of the previous point'.

Mostly, but only when 'whatever' introduces a concession (e.g., 'Whatever you say...').

Because 'quoi' is the pronoun and 'que' is the conjunction. They haven't merged like 'quoique'.

Frases relacionadas

🔗

quoique

similar

although

🔄

peu importe ce que

synonym

it doesn't matter what

🔗

quel que soit

similar

whatever / whichever

🔗

quoi qu'il en soit

specialized form

regardless / be that as it may

🔗

n'importe quoi

builds on

anything / nonsense

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