Literal translation
what is that?
Meaning
what is that?
Explanation
A very old contraction of qu'es acò, literally what is that, this question has fused into a single phonetic unit to the point of passing unchanged into regional French, where quésaco is said and written without speakers always sensing its Provençal origin. The construction rests on three simple function words: the interrogative qu', the verb to be in the third person es, and the demonstrative acò, which points to an unnamed thing, much like the informal French ça. Usage is identical in both languages: it is used to ask about the identity or nature of an object, a sound, or an unexpected situation, in a lively, familiar register. Its popularity owes to its brevity and its expressive sound, which have made it one of the Provençal expressions best known beyond its home territory.