French Phrase
Des nouvelles de ma demande ?
Meaning
Literally ‘Any news about my request?’, this question is used to ask for an update on something you have previously asked for – a job application, a document, a reservation, etc. It is polite yet informal enough for everyday conversation or a friendly email.
When to use
Use it when you haven’t heard back after a reasonable amount of time (usually a few days to a week) and you want to check the status without sounding demanding. It works well in both spoken French and written correspondence.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Desnouvellesdemademande?
Des (partitive article)
‘Des’ here is the partitive article meaning ‘some’; it is not the contraction of ‘de + les’.
Nouvelles (feminine plural)
‘Nouvelles’ is a feminine plural noun meaning ‘news’; it always takes the article ‘des’ in this expression.
Ma (possessive adjective)
‘Ma’ agrees with the feminine noun ‘demande’; using ‘mon’ would be incorrect.
de + noun (prepositional phrase)
The preposition ‘de’ introduces the object of the inquiry – the request you made.
🗨In Conversation
Des nouvelles de ma demande ?
Any news about my request?
Oui, ils ont accepté ; tu recevras la réponse demain.
Yes, they accepted it; you’ll get the answer tomorrow.
✕Common Mistakes
Les nouvelles de ma demande ?
‘Les nouvelles’ means ‘the news (in general)’, not ‘any news about something’. Use ‘des nouvelles’ for a request.
Des nouvelles de mon demande ?
‘Demande’ is feminine; the correct possessive is ‘ma’.
Des nouvelles de la demande ?
‘De la demande’ would refer to ‘of the request’ as a specific known request, not the personal one you’re asking about. Use ‘ma demande’.
↔Alternatives
Avez‑vous des nouvelles de ma demande ?
Do you have any news about my request?
Qu’en est‑il de ma demande ?
What’s the status of my request?
Y a‑t‑il du nouveau concernant ma demande ?
Is there any update regarding my request?
Cultural Tip
In French professional culture, a brief follow‑up after about a week is considered courteous. Start with a friendly greeting, use the conditional or polite forms (e.g., ‘Avez‑vous…’), and avoid sounding impatient. In more formal settings, replace the informal ‘Des nouvelles…?’ with ‘Avez‑vous des nouvelles…?’ or a full sentence like ‘Je me permets de vous solliciter au sujet de…’.