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French Phrase

À quoi ressemble ton sac ?

/a kwa ʁə.sɑ̃blə tɔ̃ sak/
Meaning"What does your bag look like?"
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Meaning

Literally, ‘What does your bag look like?’ It asks the listener to describe the appearance, shape, colour or any distinctive feature of their bag.

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When to use

Use this question when you want a visual description of an object that belongs to the person you’re speaking to – for example in a shop, when comparing styles, or simply out of curiosity about a friend’s new accessory.

✦Grammar Breakdown

Àquoiressembletonsac?

1

À quoi

The interrogative phrase ‘À quoi’ means ‘what (thing)’ and is used with verbs that require the preposition ‘à’ to ask about appearance or similarity.

2

Ressembler à

‘Ressembler’ is a regular -er verb that always takes the preposition ‘à’ after it. In the present tense, the third‑person singular form is ‘ressemble’.

3

Possessive adjective ‘ton’

‘Ton’ is the masculine singular possessive adjective meaning ‘your’. It agrees with the noun it modifies (here ‘sac’, which is masculine).

🗨In Conversation

A

À quoi ressemble ton sac ?

What does your bag look like?

Il est noir, en cuir, avec une grande poche à l’avant et une bandoulière rouge.

It’s black, leather, with a big front pocket and a red shoulder strap.

B

✕Common Mistakes

  • Quel ressemble ton sac ?

    ‘Quel’ cannot be used with ‘ressembler’; the correct interrogative is ‘À quoi’.

  • Ressemble ton sac ?

    The verb ‘ressembler’ always needs the preposition ‘à’ after it.

  • Ton sac est quoi ?

    This literal translation is unnatural in French; use ‘À quoi ressemble…’ or ‘Comment est…’.

↔Alternatives

  • Comment est ton sac ?

    How is your bag?

  • Ton sac, il est comment ?

    Your bag, how is it? (colloquial)

  • Quel est l’aspect de ton sac ?

    What is the appearance of your bag? (formal)

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Cultural Tip

In French, ‘ressembler à’ is the standard way to talk about similarity or appearance. The structure ‘À quoi ressemble… ?’ is neutral and works in both formal and informal settings. Avoid using ‘quel’ directly with ‘ressembler’, as it sounds ungrammatical. Also, French speakers often follow up with details about colour, material, and size, just as in the example dialogue.