French Phrase
Qu'est-ce que t'as fait ?
Meaning
Literally ‘What is it that you have done?’, this informal question asks someone to explain what they did. It’s the everyday way to inquire about a recent action, especially among friends or peers.
When to use
Use it in casual spoken French with people you know well—friends, classmates, coworkers you’re on a first‑name basis with. It would sound too familiar in a formal setting or with strangers.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Qu'est-cequet'asfait?
Qu'est‑ce que
The fixed interrogative phrase that introduces a yes‑no or information‑seeking question; literally ‘what is it that…’.
t' (tu) contraction
The subject pronoun ‘tu’ contracts to t' before a vowel or mute h, making the sentence sound more informal.
as (avoir) in passé composé
‘as’ is the 2nd‑person singular present of the auxiliary verb avoir, used to form the passé composé.
fait (past participle)
The past participle of faire; combined with avoir it creates the past tense meaning ‘did’ or ‘have done’.
Colloquial word order
In spoken French the order ‘Qu’est‑ce que t’as fait ?’ is preferred over the more formal inversion ‘Qu’as‑tu fait ?’.
🗨In Conversation
Qu'est-ce que t'as fait hier soir ?
What did you do last night?
J'ai regardé un film et j'ai mangé des pizzas.
I watched a movie and ate some pizza.
✕Common Mistakes
Qu'est-ce que ta fait ?
Do not write it as ‘ta’ (possessive) – the apostrophe indicates the contraction of ‘tu as’.
Qu'est-ce que t'as faite ?
The past participle must agree with the auxiliary ‘avoir’; no extra ‘e’ is added because the direct object follows the verb.
Qu'est ce que t'as fait ?
Missing the apostrophe after ‘Qu'’ makes the phrase grammatically incorrect.
Qu'est-ce que t'as faire ?
Using the infinitive ‘faire’ instead of the past participle changes the meaning to ‘what are you going to do?’.
↔Alternatives
Qu'as‑tu fait ?
What did you do?
Qu'est‑ce que tu as fait ?
What did you do?
Tu as fait quoi ?
What did you do?
Qu'est‑ce que vous avez fait ?
What did you (plural/formal) do?
Cultural Tip
The contraction t' signals familiarity; reserve it for people of the same age group or younger. In northern France speakers may prefer the shorter ‘Tu as fait quoi ?’ while in Quebec you’ll often hear ‘Qu’est‑ce que t’as fait?’ as well. Avoid this phrasing with elders, teachers, or in business emails—use the full ‘Qu'est‑ce que vous avez fait ?’ or the inversion ‘Qu’avez‑vous fait ?’.