Quoi d’autre is a short question used constantly in spoken French, usually to ask for more information after something has already been mentioned. It appears in shops, in offices, in casual chats and in written French too. This article looks at what the phrase means, why it is built the way it is, and how it is used.

Meaning

Literally, quoi d’autre translates as “what other.” Figuratively, it means “what else.” The phrase asks for additional items, ideas or information beyond what has already been named.

• Il me faut du pain et du lait. Quoi d’autre? – “I need bread and milk. What else?”
• Quoi d’autre veux-tu savoir? – “What else do you want to know?”

Why the adjective stays in this form

Autre means “other.” Unlike grand, it does not change between masculine and feminine, so autre is already the correct form regardless of what it refers to. The grammar point worth explaining here is not gender, then, but why the little word de sits between quoi and autre, and why autre never picks up a plural s in this phrase.

Quoi is an indefinite pronoun. It does not refer to a specific noun with its own gender and number, so nothing in the sentence agrees with it in the usual way. French deals with this by linking quoi to a following adjective with de, and by leaving that adjective in its base singular form. The same pattern shows up with other indefinite pronouns:

• quelque chose de nouveau – “something new”
• rien de spécial – “nothing special”
• quoi de neuf – “what’s new”

In each case, the adjective after de stays singular and, where relevant, masculine, because it is not agreeing with a noun. It is simply describing the vague, genderless idea carried by the pronoun. Quoi d’autre follows the same rule: autre stays in its one and only form, and de is the required link between quoi and the adjective.

Usage examples

• Dis-moi, quoi d’autre s’est passé? – “Tell me, what else happened?”
• Il n’y a pas grand-chose d’autre à ajouter. – “There is not much else to add.”
• Je ne sais pas quoi d’autre te dire. – “I do not know what else to tell you.”
• On a parlé du budget. Quoi d’autre à l’ordre du jour? – “We talked about the budget. What else is on the agenda?”
• Quoi d’autre as-tu apporté? – “What else did you bring?”
• Quoi d’autre pourrait expliquer ça? – “What else could explain that?”
• Tu veux du café. Quoi d’autre? – “You want coffee. What else?”
• Y a-t-il quoi que ce soit d’autre à savoir? – “Is there anything else to know?”

Synonyms and alternative expressions

The following phrases can replace or resemble quoi d’autre, depending on context and formality.

• autre chose – “something else” or “anything else,” often used as a short question, Autre chose?
• et sinon – “and other than that,” a casual way to ask what else is going on
• quoi encore – “what else” or “what now,” sometimes said with mild impatience
• qu’y a-t-il d’autre – “what else is there,” a fuller and slightly more formal version

Summary

• Quoi d’autre means “what else.”
• Its literal translation is “what other.”
• Autre does not change for gender, so the key grammar point is the use of de to link it to the indefinite pronoun quoi, and the fact that autre stays singular because it is not agreeing with any specific noun.
• The same de + adjective pattern appears in similar phrases such as quelque chose de nouveau and rien de spécial.
• Common alternatives include autre chose, quoi encore and qu’y a-t-il d’autre.