Questions & Answers about Quel enfer, ce bruit !
The lesson is about Comme, Que, and Ce que. Why does this sentence use Quel instead?
Comme, Que, and Ce que are used to exclaim about an adjective, an adverb, or an entire verb phrase (like Que c'est fort !). However, when you want to exclaim directly about a noun, like enfer here, you must use the exclamative adjective quel. It must agree in gender and number with the noun it modifies (masculine singular in this case).
Why is there no article before enfer? We usually say "What a nightmare" or "What a hell" in English.
In French, the exclamative adjective quel goes directly in front of the noun. You never use an indefinite article like un or une after quel, even though we use "a" or "an" in English.
Why is there a comma before ce bruit? Could we just say Quel enfer est ce bruit !?
You generally drop the verb in these types of noun-based exclamations. Instead of building a clunky sentence with the verb être (to be), French prefers to state the exclamation (Quel enfer) and then tack the specific subject onto the end, separated by a comma (ce bruit).
Is quel enfer used exactly like "what the hell" in English?
Not exactly. While enfer literally means "hell", the phrase quel enfer doesn't usually express shock or angry confusion the way "what the hell" does. Instead, it translates closer to "what a nightmare" or "how awful," describing a terribly unpleasant, annoying, or unbearable situation.
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