French expressions & patterns
que ce soit… ou… vs. quoi que ce soit vs. quel(le)(s) que soit + nom vs. quoique: how to choose
Four look-alike forms have different jobs: que ce soit marks alternatives; quoi que ce soit is an indefinite pronoun ('anything'); quel que soit agrees with a following noun ('whatever'); quoique is the one-word conjunction meaning 'although'. The two-word quoi que means 'whatever', as in Quoi que tu dises.
The decision: Alternatives? → que ce soit... ou... Anything at all? → quoi que ce soit. Whatever + noun? → quel/quelle/quels/quelles que soit/soient. Although? → quoique. Whatever someone does or says? → quoi que + subjonctif.
The choices at a glance
| Choose | When to use it | Pattern and example |
|---|---|---|
| que ce soit… ou… | Whether it be / whether it's — marks alternatives, doesn't say which one is true. | Que ce soit en été ou en hiver... |
| quoi que ce soit | Anything — indefinite pronoun for a thing, mostly after negation or in a question. | Je n'ai rien vu, ni quoi que ce soit. |
| quel(le)(s) que soit + nom | Whatever/regardless of + noun — 'quel' agrees with the noun that follows. | Quel que soit ton choix... |
| quoique | Although — the one-word conjunction quoique introduces a concessive subjonctif clause. | Quoique la route soit longue, nous continuons. |
Practise this decision in FKE
The interactive comparison includes decision practice and links to the related FKE knowledge tools.
Open que ce soit… ou… vs. quoi que ce soit vs. quel(le)(s) que soit + nom vs. quoique in FKE