Questions : Formation and Interrogative words

How to ask a question in French?

We have basically 4 ways of asking questions in French:

1. To ask a question in a relaxed, everyday conversation, we just raise our voice.

☞ Vous parlez français ?

2. To insist on the fact that you’re asking a question, you may use “est-ce que”.

☞ Est-ce que vous parlez français ?

3. When we write, or in formal situations, we tend to use “inversion”, a French concept where you invert the subject and the verb.

☞ Parlez-vous français ?

4. When you’re pretty sure the answer is yes, you may use the tag expressions “n’est-ce pas ?” or “non ?

☞ Vous parlez français, n’est-ce pas ?

Attention!  The most common construction, mostly used in spoken French, is as followed:

1. You just raise your intonation towards the end of the sentence!

☞ Vous parlez français ?   Do you speak French?

2. . If you use an interrogative expression (like when, why, where…) It goes all the way at the end of your sentence.

☞ Tu vas en France quand ?   When are you going to France?

☞ Tu voyages avec qui ?   With whom do you travel?

3. . Questions with “Est-ce que” is nowadays mostly used to ask questions that can be answered by “oui” or “non”.

☞  Est-ce que tu parles anglais ?   Do you speak English?

Questions with interrogative words

To ask a question requesting a specific information, use an interrogative word or expression. The interrogative word or expression usually appears at the beginning of the question and is followed by est-ce que:

☞ Où est-ce que tu habites ?  Where do you live?

☞ Quand est-ce que tu travailles ?   When do you work?

Some of the words or expressions frequently used to ask questions are:

A.  Qui Who is a pronoun and is used as the subject of a verb or as the object of a verb or préposition.

☞ Qui parle anglais ?    Who speaks English?

☞ Qui est-ce que tu aimes ?   Who do you like?

☞ Avec qui est-ce que tu parles français ?     With whom do you speak French?

B. The question Pourquoi ? can be answered in two ways:

☞ Pourquoi est-ce que tu étudies le français ?    Why do you study French?

• • • Parce que j’aime la culture française.    Because I like the French culture.
    • Pour visiter la France.   To visit France.

C. Que  What  is  a pronoun. It is used in questions as the object of a verb. It will be followed either by inversion of the verb and subject of by est-ce que.

☞ Que manges-tu ?

☞ Qu’est-ce que tu manges ?

Note:  Don’t confuse  Est-ce que…? simple yes or no question and Qu’est-ce que …? What?

☞ Est-ce que vous parlez anglais ?  Do you speak English?

☞ Qu’est-ce que vous faites ?  What do you do?

Attention:  Que ? cannot be used after a preposition; you have to use quoi ? instead.

☞ À quoi pensez-vous ?   What are you thinking about?

☞ De quoi parlez-vous ?   What are you talking about?

☞ Dans quoi rangez-vous le pain ?   In what do you put the bread?

Quoi, in familiar language, can also be used for informal questions. It can also be used alone to say “what” when you haven’t heard or understood something.

☞ Tu fais quoi ?instead of  Qu’est-ce que tu fais ?    What are you doing?

☞ Tu aimes quoi ? You like what?

☞ Quoi ? = What?

D. Quel  Which, What  is an adjective. It is always used with a noun and agrees with the noun.

☞ Quels acteurs aimez-vous ?  Which actors do you like?

Note: the noun may either follow quel or be separated from it by the verb être

☞ Quelle est votre adresse ?  Which is your address?

Practice