French Phrase
Tu fais quoi en cours d'arts plastiques ?
Meaning
A casual way to ask a classmate what they are doing during the art class. It can refer to the activity they are working on, the project they are creating, or simply what the lesson involves at that moment.
When to use
Use this phrase with peers in an informal school setting, such as during a break or when you’re curious about a classmate’s project. Avoid using it with teachers or in formal contexts; opt for the more polite ‘Que faites‑vous en cours d'arts plastiques ?’ in those situations.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Tufaisquoiencoursd'artsplastiques?
Subject pronoun (Tu)
‘Tu’ is the informal second‑person singular pronoun used with friends or peers.
Verb ‘faire’ (fais)
‘Faire’ conjugated in the present tense for ‘tu’ is ‘fais’; it means ‘to do’ or ‘to make’.
Informal interrogative (quoi)
In spoken French, ‘quoi’ can replace ‘que’ after the verb: ‘Tu fais quoi…?’ instead of ‘Que fais‑tu…?’
Prepositional phrase ‘en cours de…’
‘En cours de’ means ‘in the class of’; it introduces the subject being studied.
Elision (d')
The preposition ‘de’ contracts to ‘d'’ before a vowel sound, as in ‘d'arts plastiques’.
Plural noun (arts plastiques)
‘Arts plastiques’ is a plural noun meaning ‘visual arts’; the adjective stays singular.
🗨In Conversation
Tu fais quoi en cours d'arts plastiques ?
What are you doing in art class?
Je peins un portrait à l’aquarelle.
I’m painting a watercolor portrait.
✕Common Mistakes
Que fais tu en cours d'arts plastiques
Missing hyphen after ‘fais’ and missing apostrophe in ‘d'arts’. The correct inversion is ‘Que fais‑tu…?’
en cours de arts plastiques
The preposition ‘de’ must elide before a vowel: ‘d'arts plastiques’. Also, ‘en cours de’ is the idiomatic phrase.
Tu fais quoi en cours d'art plastique
‘Arts plastiques’ is always plural; using the singular form sounds unnatural.
↔Alternatives
Qu'est‑ce que tu fais en cours d'arts plastiques ?
What are you doing in art class?
Que fais‑tu en cours d'arts plastiques ?
What are you doing in art class?
Tu fais quoi en cours d'arts ?
What are you doing in art class?
Cultural Tip
In French secondary schools, ‘arts plastiques’ is the official name for the visual‑arts subject, covering drawing, painting, sculpture, and mixed‑media projects. French students often use the informal ‘Tu fais quoi…?’ structure when chatting with classmates, but teachers expect the more formal inversion ‘Que faites‑vous…?’ in the classroom.