French Phrase
Et maintenant, on fait quoi ?
Meaning
Literally, “And now, what do we do?” It’s a casual way to ask what the next step or activity should be after something has just finished.
When to use
Use it in informal conversations with friends, classmates, or coworkers when you’ve just completed a task, a meeting, or an event and you’re looking for the next action.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Etmaintenant,onfaitquoi?
Et (conjunction)
Connects ideas, equivalent to 'and' in English.
maintenant (adverb)
Means 'now', placed before the verb or at the start of a clause.
on (indefinite pronoun)
Informal way to say 'we' or 'one', commonly used in spoken French.
fait (present of faire)
Third‑person singular present of the verb ‘faire’ (to do, to make).
quoi (interrogative pronoun)
Used at the end of a sentence in informal speech to ask ‘what?’, similar to ‘what’s up?’
🗨In Conversation
On a fini le film. Et maintenant, on fait quoi ?
We finished the movie. And now, what do we do?
On peut aller prendre un verre, si tu veux.
We could go have a drink, if you want.
✕Common Mistakes
Et maintenant, on fait que ?
‘Que’ is used before the verb (e.g., ‘Que fait‑on maintenant ?’) but not after it in casual speech.
Et maintenant, on faites quoi ?
‘Faites’ is the formal ‘you’ form; the sentence uses ‘on’ (we/one), so the verb must be ‘fait’.
Et quoi, maintenant on fait ?
The adverb ‘maintenant’ stays before the clause; swapping order sounds unnatural.
↔Alternatives
Qu'est‑ce qu'on fait maintenant ?
What are we doing now?
Alors, on fait quoi maintenant ?
So, what do we do now?
Et après, on fait quoi ?
And after that, what do we do?
Cultural Tip
In spoken French, ending a question with ‘quoi’ after a verb is very common and sounds relaxed. It’s best avoided in formal writing or when speaking to authority figures; there you’d use ‘Qu’est‑ce que nous faisons maintenant ?’ or ‘Que devons‑nous faire maintenant ?’. Also, ‘on’ replaces ‘nous’ in everyday speech, so you’ll hear it a lot.