French Phrase
C'est quel genre d'entretien ?
Meaning
The speaker is asking for clarification about the nature or category of an interview. It can refer to a job interview, a research interview, a maintenance check, or any situation where "entretien" is used.
When to use
Use this informal question when you need to know what kind of interview you are about to have, especially in casual or semi‑formal settings such as a conversation with a recruiter, a professor, or a colleague arranging a meeting.
✦Grammar Breakdown
C'estquelgenred'entretien?
C'est
Contraction of "cela est"; used to point out or identify something. In questions it can introduce a noun phrase.
Quel
Interrogative adjective meaning "which/what"; agrees in gender and number with the noun it modifies.
Genre
Noun meaning "type, kind"; masculine singular, so it takes the masculine form of the adjective "quel".
d' + noun
Elision of the preposition "de" before a vowel or mute h; here it links "genre" with the complement "entretien".
Question intonation
When spoken, the sentence ends with a rising intonation, signalling a genuine question rather than a statement.
🗨In Conversation
C'est quel genre d'entretien ?
What kind of interview is it?
C'est un entretien technique, on va parler de mes compétences en programmation.
It's a technical interview; we'll talk about my programming skills.
✕Common Mistakes
Quel est le genre d'entretien ?
Using "Quel est le" sounds overly formal and unnatural in spoken French; the idiomatic form is "C'est quel..." or "Quel type d'entretien?".
C'est quels genre d'entretien ?
The adjective "quel" must agree with the singular masculine noun "genre"; it should stay singular.
C'est quel genre d'entretiens ?
The complement "entretien" is singular here; using the plural changes the meaning and is grammatically incorrect.
↔Alternatives
Quel type d'entretien ?
What type of interview?
De quel type d'entretien s'agit‑il ?
What type of interview is it?
Quel genre d'entretien avez‑vous prévu ?
What kind of interview have you planned?
Cultural Tip
In spoken French, "C'est quel..." is perfectly natural and common, especially among younger speakers. In more formal written contexts (e.g., a business email), you might prefer "Quel type d'entretien..." or "De quel type d'entretien s'agit‑il ?". Also, remember that "entretien" can mean both "interview" and "maintenance"; the surrounding context will clarify which meaning is intended.