French Phrase
Qu'est-ce qu'il nous faut comme ingrédients ?
Meaning
This phrase is a standard way to ask what items are required for a recipe or a specific dish. It utilizes the impersonal 'il faut' construction combined with the indirect object 'nous' to signify a collective need.
When to use
Use this phrase when you are preparing to cook with someone else or when making a shopping list for a meal. It is perfect for collaborative kitchen environments or grocery shopping trips.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Qu'est-ce qu'il nous fautcommeingrédients
Qu'est-ce que
This is a fixed expression used to form questions meaning 'What'. It is followed by a subject and a verb.
Il faut
An impersonal verb form meaning 'it is necessary'. Inserting 'nous' turns it into 'we need' or 'it is necessary for us'.
Comme
In this context, 'comme' translates to 'as' or 'in the way of', used to categorize the noun that follows.
🗨In Conversation
On va faire une quiche ce soir.
We are going to make a quiche tonight.
D'accord, qu'est-ce qu'il nous faut comme ingrédients ?
Okay, what ingredients do we need?
✕Common Mistakes
Qu'est-ce que nous avons besoin comme ingrédients ?
While 'avoir besoin de' means 'to need', it requires the preposition 'de' and is less common than 'il faut' in this specific interrogative structure.
Qu'est-ce qu'il nous faut pour ingrédients ?
In French, 'comme' is the idiomatic choice when specifying a category of items needed, rather than 'pour'.
↔Alternatives
De quels ingrédients avons-nous besoin ?
Which ingredients do we need?
Il nous faut quoi comme ingrédients ?
What do we need for ingredients? (Informal)
Cultural Tip
Cooking is a highly social and structured activity in French culture. Asking this question shows you are ready to participate and follow the 'mise en place'—the tradition of having all ingredients prepared before starting to cook.