FAQs
You use "Qu'est-ce qui..." if "qui" is the subject of the following sentence. And you use "qu'est-ce que..." if "que" is the direct object of the sentence.
When to use qu'est-ce que and qu'est-ce qui? ›
You use "Qu'est-ce qui..." if "qui" is the subject of the following sentence. And you use "qu'est-ce que..." if "que" is the direct object of the sentence.
How to ask questions in French using est-ce que ? ›
When you ask for information about who, what, when, etc., you're asking an open question. In French, just place the question word* in front of est-ce que or inversion. Où est-ce que vous aimez voyager ? Où aimez-vous voyager?
Do you use subjunctive when asking a question French? ›
Yes, il est question / c'est question requires the subjunctive. Il est question / C'est question que Pierre ne sache pas où nous sommes.
What are some basic French questions? ›
- Où sont les toilettes ? (e) Where is the bathroom?
- Comment vas-tu ? (e) How are you? ...
- Comment t'appelles-tu ? (e) What's your name? ...
- Quel est ton numéro de téléphone ? (e) What's your phone number? ...
- Quel âge as-tu ? (e) How old are you? ...
- D'où venez-vous ? (e) ...
- Qu'est-ce que c'est? (s) ...
- Qu'avez-vous dit ? (s)
Use qui when the following word is a verb or reflexive /object pronoun (e.g. me, te, se, lui, le, la, nous, vous, leur, les, etc), and use que if the following word is a noun (thing or person). In grammar jargon, we use qui when it's the subject of the verb, and que when it's the object of the verb.
Do the French still use est-ce que ? ›
It is a slightly informal construction; the more formal or polite way to ask questions is with inversion, which involves inverting the normal pronoun/noun + verb order. But in everyday spoken French, est-ce que is far more common because it does the inverting for you: Est-ce que is the inversion of c'est que.
How to know when to use quel or quelle? ›
Interrogative adjectives - quel
- Quel means 'which' or 'what'.
- Quel is used before a masculine singular noun:
- Quelle is used before a feminine singular noun:
- Quels is used before a masculine plural noun:
- Quelles is used before a feminine plural noun:
Yes-No Questions
This is known as l'interrogation totale in French. The subject pronoun and the conjugated verb switch positions and are connected using a hyphen. All other parts of the sentence (object, time, place, etc.) remain in the same position as in a declarative sentence.
How do you punctuate a question in French? ›
The question mark – Le point d'interrogation.
“Est-ce que” means “Is it that” used for asking if there is something or for permission. “Qu'est-ce que” means “What is” used for asking what is something. “Comment” means “How” used to ask how is something.
What is the difference between quelle and qu est-ce que? ›
You ask "c'est quoi" or "qu'est-ce que c'est" when you want something explicitly defined, like you don't know what the object is. Whereas "quelle/quel est" is if you know what it is, but you are asking about it in context?
What is the difference between ce qui and ce que in French? ›
The relative pronouns ce qui and ce que are used when no antecedent noun or pronoun is present: Ce quimeans “what” or “that which” and is the subject of a verb: Je me demande ce qui se passe. (I wonder what is happening.) Ce que means “what” (that which) and is the object of a verb: Tu sais ce que ça veut dire.
How do you ask a question in grammar? ›
Wh- Word + Auxiliary or Modal Verb + Subject + Main Verb + Object or Additional Information?
- Who can you see over there? ...
- What are you eating right now? ...
- When will he arrive at the station? ...
- Where have you been all this time? ...
- Why do they like English? ...
- How would you like your eggs?
Questions can be formed in three different ways in French:
- Use normal sentence word order and put the question word at the end.
- Put the question word first, followed by est-ce que with normal sentence word order.
- Put the question word first, followed by the verb, a hyphen and then the subject of the sentence.
Demander means to ask. Did you notice the forms of demander (pronounced: duh mahn day) that were used? Demander is the infinitive, or basic, form of the verb that means 'to ask. ' When we use it with a pronoun such as je to say 'I ask,' we use the appropriate conjugation, je demande, in this case.
