French Phrase
Tu fais quoi pendant la récré ?
Meaning
Literally, “What do you do during recess?” It’s an informal way to ask a classmate or friend what they plan to do in the school break.
When to use
Use this sentence in casual, spoken French among peers—especially at school, during lunch, or when you’re curious about someone’s break‑time plans. It’s too informal for a teacher‑student setting.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Tufaisquoipendantlarécré?
Subject pronoun (Tu)
‘Tu’ is the informal second‑person singular pronoun used with friends, classmates, or people of the same age.
Verb ‘faire’ (present)
‘Fais’ is the 2nd‑person singular present form of the verb ‘faire’ (to do / to make).
Interrogative pronoun ‘quoi’
‘Quoi’ is used after a verb to ask ‘what?’. In spoken French it often follows the verb directly, as in ‘Tu fais quoi…’
Preposition ‘pendant’
‘Pendant’ means ‘during’ and is followed by a noun phrase indicating a period of time.
Definite article + noun ‘la récré’
‘La récré’ is a colloquial abbreviation of ‘la récréation’, the school break. It is feminine, so the article is ‘la’.
🗨In Conversation
Tu fais quoi pendant la récré ?
What are you doing during recess?
Je joue au foot avec mes amis.
I’m playing soccer with my friends.
✕Common Mistakes
Tu fais que pendant la récré ?
‘Que’ is used before a verb (e.g., ‘Que fais‑tu…’). After the verb, the correct interrogative is ‘quoi’.
Tu fais quoi pendant le récré ?
‘Récré’ is feminine; the article must be ‘la’, not ‘le’.
Tu fais quoi pendant le récréation ?
When using the full word ‘récréation’, keep the feminine article ‘la’. Also, avoid mixing the short form with the full form.
↔Alternatives
Qu'est‑ce que tu fais pendant la récréation ?
What are you doing during recess?
Tu vas faire quoi pendant la récré ?
What are you going to do during recess?
Quel est ton programme pour la récré ?
What’s your plan for recess?
Cultural Tip
In French schools, ‘la récré’ (short for ‘récréation’) usually lasts 15‑20 minutes and is a time for students to eat, chat, or play games outside the classroom. The phrase is very colloquial; older students or teachers would more likely say ‘Qu’est‑ce que tu fais pendant la récréation ?’ or simply ‘Tu fais quoi pendant la pause ?’. Also, note that the word ‘récré’ is slang and may not be understood outside of a school context.