French Phrase
Tu fais des retouches ?
Meaning
A casual way to ask someone whether they are doing any touch‑ups—whether it’s editing photos, adjusting a piece of clothing, applying makeup, or tweaking a project. The tone is friendly and informal.
When to use
Use this phrase in informal conversations with a friend, a colleague you know well, or a fellow creator when you want to check if they are currently working on edits or adjustments.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Tufaisdesretouches?
Subject pronoun (Tu)
‘Tu’ is the informal second‑person singular pronoun used with friends, family, or peers.
Verb ‘faire’ (fais)
‘Faire’ is conjugated in the present tense: je fais, tu **fais**, il/elle fait…
Indefinite article (des)
‘Des’ is the plural form of the indefinite article, equivalent to ‘some’ in English.
Noun vs. verb (retouches)
Here ‘retouches’ is a noun (plural of ‘retouche’ = touch‑up). It can also be a verb form, so context matters.
Question formation
The sentence is a spoken question formed by rising intonation, not by inversion or ‘est‑ce que’.
🗨In Conversation
Tu fais des retouches ?
Are you doing any touch‑ups?
Oui, je corrige les couleurs de la photo que tu m’as envoyée.
Yes, I’m correcting the colors of the photo you sent me.
✕Common Mistakes
Tu fait des retouches ?
‘Fait’ is the third‑person singular form; with ‘tu’ you must use ‘fais’.
Tu fais les retouches ?
‘Les’ makes the noun definite; the sentence asks about any touch‑ups, so the indefinite article ‘des’ is correct.
Tu faire des retouches ?
The infinitive ‘faire’ cannot be used directly after the subject.
↔Alternatives
Tu retouches ?
Are you retouching?
Est‑ce que tu fais des retouches ?
Do you make any touch‑ups?
Tu es en train de retoucher ?
Are you in the middle of retouching?
Cultural Tip
In French, the choice between *tu* and *vous* signals the level of familiarity. Stick with *tu* only if you know the person well; otherwise, use *vous* (e.g., *Vous faites des retouches ?*). Also, the word *retouche* can be sensitive in photography because it hints at image manipulation, so be mindful of the context.