French Phrase
Tu travailles quand ?
Meaning
Literally ‘You work when?’, this sentence asks the listener about the time or days they usually work. It’s a quick, informal way to find out someone’s schedule.
When to use
Use it in relaxed settings – with friends, classmates, coworkers you know well, or in a casual phone call. It’s too informal for a formal interview or a written email.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Tutravaillesquand?
Pronoun : Tu
Second‑person singular informal subject pronoun used with friends, family or peers.
Verb : travailler (present indicative)
The verb is conjugated as ‘travailles’ for ‘tu’; remember the final –s is required in written French.
Question word : quand
‘Quand’ means ‘when’ and is placed at the end of an informal spoken question without inversion.
No inversion
In casual speech French often keeps the normal word order (subject + verb + question word) and relies on intonation to signal a question.
🗨In Conversation
Tu travailles quand ?
When do you work?
Je commence à neuf heures du matin et je finis à dix‑sept heures.
I start at nine in the morning and finish at five.
✕Common Mistakes
Tu travaille quand ?
The verb must agree with the subject ‘tu’; the correct form is ‘travailles’ with an –s.
Quand tu travailles ?
While understandable, the usual informal spoken order is ‘Tu travailles quand ?’. The inverted form sounds more formal.
Tu travailles quand
In writing, a question mark is required to signal a question.
↔Alternatives
À quelle heure travailles‑tu ?
At what time do you work?
C’est quand ton travail ?
When is your work?
Quand est‑ce que tu travailles ?
When do you work?
Cultural Tip
In France people often ask for the exact hour with ‘À quelle heure…’ when they need a precise schedule. ‘Tu travailles quand ?’ is perfectly natural among peers, but in a more formal context you’d switch to the inversion or ‘est‑ce que’ form to sound polite.