French Phrase
On fait quoi maintenant ?
Meaning
Literally “We do what now?”, this phrase is a casual way to ask what the group should do next. It can also express a slight sense of impatience or curiosity after finishing an activity.
When to use
Use it in informal settings with friends, classmates, or coworkers when you need to decide the next step together—after a meal, a meeting, a movie, or any activity that just ended.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Onfaitquoimaintenant?
On (subject pronoun)
In spoken French, *on* replaces *nous* and means “we” or “one” in an informal context.
fait (present of faire)
*Faire* is conjugated as *fait* for the third‑person singular (il/elle/on) in the present tense.
quoi (interrogative pronoun)
*Quoi* placed after the verb is a colloquial way to ask “what?”; it is equivalent to *que* in formal questions.
maintenant (adverb of time)
*Maintenant* means “now” and usually follows the whole clause.
Question without inversion
In everyday speech French often forms questions by keeping normal word order and adding *quoi* or a rising intonation, rather than inverting the subject and verb.
🗨In Conversation
On a fini le film. On fait quoi maintenant ?
We finished the movie. What do we do now?
On peut aller prendre un verre ou rentrer chez nous.
We could go for a drink or go back home.
✕Common Mistakes
Que fait on maintenant ?
The order *que fait on* is ungrammatical; the correct informal order is *on fait quoi*.
On fait quoi maintenant
Missing the question mark or rising intonation can make the sentence sound like a statement rather than a question.
Quel on fait maintenant ?
*Quel* is an adjective and cannot replace the interrogative pronoun *quoi* after a verb.
↔Alternatives
Qu'est‑ce qu'on fait maintenant ?
What are we doing now?
Que faisons‑nous maintenant ?
What are we doing now?
Et maintenant, on fait quoi ?
And now, what do we do?
Cultural Tip
French speakers love the informal *on* as a stand‑in for *nous*. In spoken language, placing *quoi* after the verb (e.g., *on fait quoi*) is perfectly natural, but it sounds too casual for formal writing or a business meeting. Also, the rising intonation at the end of the sentence signals that it’s a question, even without inversion.