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Que signifie cette phrase ?

Que signifie cette phrase ?
What does this sentence mean?
From Lesson 180:Reported questions with what (il demande ce qui, ce que)·French

Breakdown of Que signifie cette phrase ?

la phrase
the sentence
signifier
to mean (formal)

Questions & Answers about Que signifie cette phrase ?

Since this lesson is about indirect questions, how would I say 'He asks what this sentence means'?
To make it indirect, you change the direct question word Que to ce que. You can say Il demande ce que cette phrase signifie. Interestingly, French also allows you to keep the inverted word order in the indirect version, which is very common with this specific verb: Il demande ce que signifie cette phrase.
Why is the verb placed before the subject 'cette phrase' in this direct question?
This is a stylistic inversion. In formal written or spoken questions starting with Que (What), French often inverts the noun subject and the verb. You can also use the standard everyday structure with Qu'est-ce que instead, which does not require inversion: Qu'est-ce que cette phrase signifie ?
Is it more common to use 'signifier' or 'vouloir dire' for 'to mean'?
Vouloir dire is much more common in everyday spoken French, so you will frequently hear Qu'est-ce que cette phrase veut dire ? The verb signifier is a slightly more formal, single-word alternative often used in writing, teaching contexts, or polite conversation.
Is the French word 'phrase' a false friend?
Yes! In French, une phrase means a complete 'sentence'. If you want to talk about a 'phrase' in the English sense (a smaller group of words that doesn't make a full sentence), you would use une expression or un groupe de mots.

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