Interrogative Sentences in French

Types of questions in French grammar

The interrogative (la phrase interrogative) is used to ask questions. In French, there are ways to make questions:

  • using a rising intonation
  • with est-ce que
  • with inverted word order

We differentiate two types of questions: yes-no questions (l’interrogation totale) and questions formed with a question word (l’interrogation partielle).

Learn how to ask questions in French with our easy overview, then test out your new knowledge in the free exercises below.

Contents

- Bonjour Julie! Comment vas-tu ?
- Bien, merci! Je vais au cinéma.
- Qu’est-ce que tu vas voir ?
- Un film d’action. Tu aimes aller au cinéma ?
- Beaucoup ! Est-ce que je peux venir avec toi ?
- Si tu veux. Veux-tu acheter du pop-corn ?

Intonation questions

The simplest kind of question is an intonation question. The word order doesn’t change – we keep the subject-verb-object order the same as in a declarative sentence. The only difference is the rising intonation, which turns the sentence into a question.

Example:
Tu aimes aller au cinéma. → Tu aimes aller au cinéma ?(Do) You like going to the cinema?

Questions with est-ce que

Questions with est-ce que are mostly used in spoken language. After est-ce que, the sentence keeps its usual word order (subject-verb-object). These kinds of questions can be constructed with a question word (interrogation partielle) or without a question word (interrogation totale).

  • without a question word
Example:
Est-ce que je peux venir avec toi ?Can I come with you?
  • with a question word
Preposition Question word est-ce que Subject Verb Additional information
Où est-ce que tu vas ?Where are you going?
De quoi est-ce que le film parle ?What is the film about?
Avec qui est-ce que tu vas au cinéma ?Who are you going to the cinema with?
Comment est-ce que vous trouvez le film ?What did you think of the film?

Important

When the question is asking about the subject of the sentence (using qui or que), we have to add est-ce qui instead of est-ce que.

Examples:
Qui est-ce qui t’accompagne au cinéma ?Who is accompanying you to the cinema?
Qu’est-ce qui t’a plu dans ce film ?What did you like about the film?

Questions with inverted word order

Another way to ask yes-no questions is by inverting the subject and the verb. It’s often used in writing, formal speech or to sound polite.

  • 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.
    Example:
    Tu veux acheter du pop-corn.You want to buy popcorn.
    → Veux-tu acheter du pop-corn ?Do you want to buy popcorn?
  • If the subject is a noun, it comes before the verb in the main clause. The accompanying subject pronoun comes after the verb.
    Example:
    Vont-ils au cinéma ?Are they going to the cinema?
    → Les enfants vont-ils au cinéma ?Are the children going to the cinema?
  • If the conjugated verb ends with a vowel and the subject begins with a vowel, we put a t in between.
    Example:
    Viendra-t-elle avec nous ?Will she come with us?
    Éric aime-t-il les films romantiques ?Does Eric like romantic films?

Questions with question words

Questions with question words are known as l’interrogation partielle in French. The question word comes right at the beginning of the sentence.

  • If the question contains a preposition, this comes before the question word.

    Examples:
    Avec qui vas-tu au cinéma ?Who are you going to the cinema with?
    Pour qui est le pop-corn ?Who is the popcorn for?
  • The subject and the conjugated verb switch positions (the verb comes at the beginning of the question). If the subject is a pronoun, it is connected to the verb with a hyphen.
    Examples:
    Où se trouve le cinéma ?Where is the cinema?
    Quand commence le film ?When does the film begin?
    Qui as-tu invité ?Whom have you invited?
    Qui represents the direct object here.
  • If the subject is a noun, it comes before the verb. The accompanying subject pronoun comes after the verb, they are connected using a hyphen.
    Examples:
    Pourquoi va-t-elle seule au cinéma ?Why is she going to the cinema alone?
    → Pourquoi Juliette va-t-elle seule au cinéma ?Why is Juliette going to the cinema alone?
    Où sont-ils allés ?Where did they go?
    → Où les enfants sont-ils allés ?Where did the children go?
  • If the question-word is que or qu’, we do not use a subject pronoun in addition to the noun like in the example above.
    Examples:
    Que veut voir Juliette en premier ?What does Juliette want to see first?
    Qu’a vu ton amie au cinéma ?What did your friend see at the cinema?
  • If we’re asking about the subject, the word order in the question remains the same as in a main clause, and the subject is simply replaced with the question-word qui (for people) or que (for things). In this case, the verb has to be in the 3rd person singular.
    Example:
    Qui joue dans ce film ?Who is acting in this film?

Typical French question words and phrases

Question word Translation Asking about… Examples
qui
  • who
  • subject
  • direct object (person)
  • Qui t’a donné le livre ? – L’instituteur.Who gave you the book? – The teacher.
  • Qui avez-vous vu ? – Notre entraîneur.Who did you see? – Our trainer.
à qui
  • whom, to whom
  • indirect object (person)
  • À qui as-tu donné le livre ? – À mon amie.Who did you give the book to? – My girlfriend.
que/qu’
  • what
  • subject or object (not a person)
  • action
  • Qu’est-ce ? – Un téléphone portable.What’s this? – A mobile phone.
  • Qu’avez-vous vu ? – Un arc-en-ciel.What did you see? – A rainbow.
  • Que fais-tu là ? – Je lis.What are you doing? – I’m reading.
quoi
  • what
  • in a sentence without a conjugated verb
  • Quoi faire ?What to do? (What can we/I/you do?)
  • à quoi
  • de quoi
  • avec quoi
  • sur quoi
  • …
  • what
  • from where
  • with what
  • about what
  • …
  • after a preposition in questions about an inanimate object
  • À quoi penses-tu ?What are you thinking of?
  • De quoi parles-tu ?What are you talking about?
  • Avec quoi plantes-tu tes clous ?What do you hit your nails in with?
  • Sur quoi est-il monté pour réparer la lampe ?What did he stand on to fix the lamp?
où
  • where
  • to where
  • place (location)
  • place (direction)
  • Où est la gare ? – Tout près d’ici.Where is the station? – Just around the corner.
  • Où allez-vous ? – Nous allons à la gare.Where are you going? – We’re going to the station.
d’où
  • from where
  • place (origin)
  • D’où viens-tu ? – Je viens d’Allemagne.Where do you come from? – I come from Germany.
quand
  • when
  • point in time
  • Quand avez-vous petit-déjeuné ? – A 7 heures.When did you eat breakfast? – At 7 o’clock.
comment
  • how
  • manner
  • Comment vas-tu ? – Bien.How are you? – Good.
pourquoi
  • why
  • for what reason
  • reason for an action
  • purpose of an action
  • Pourquoi arrives-tu si tard ? – Parce que le train a eu du retard.Why did you arrive so late? – Because the train was delayed.
  • Pourquoi veux-tu apprendre le karaté ? – Pour me défendre.Why do you want to learn karate? – To defend myself.
quel (quelle, quels…)
  • which
  • Quelle voiture te plaît ? – La rouge.Which car do you like? – The red one.
lequel
  • which one
  • Voici deux trousses. Laquelle veux-tu ?Here are two pencil cases. Which one do you want?
combien
  • how many, how much
  • number/amount
  • Combien de bougies as-tu sur ton gâteau ?How many candles do you have on your cake?

Important

Lequel and quel change forms to match the gender and number of the noun they are modifying.

Example:
quel vélo – quels véloswhich bicycle - which bicycles (masc. sing./pl.)
quelle chaussure – quelles chaussureswhich shoe - which shoes (fem. sing./pl.)

Negative questions

You can ask negative questions to find out if something is not true, or to express surprise or doubt.

These questions use the usual negation words ne...pas around the verb, just like in regular negative sentences, but they follow the patterns of French questions.

  • Without subject-verb inversion
Form Structure Example
Rising intonation Subject + ne + verb + pas … ? Tu aimes aller au cinéma ? → Tu n’aimes pas aller au cinéma ?Do you like going to the cinema? → Don’t you like going to the cinema?
est-ce que Est-ce que/qui + subject + ne + verb + pas ... ? Est-ce que je peux venir avec toi ? → Est-ce que je ne peux pas venir avec toi ?Can I come with you? → Can’t I come with you?
With a question word

Question word + est-ce que/qui + subject + ne + verb + pas … ?

 Qui est-ce qui comprend la consigne ? → Qui est-ce qui ne comprend pas la consigne ?Who understands the instructions? → Who doesn’t understand the instructions?
  • With subject-verb inversion

Questions with a subject-verb inversion have a different structure:
→ (subject) + ne + verb-subject pronoun + pas ... ?

Examples:
Veux-tu acheter cette robe ? → Ne veux-tu pas acheter cette robe ?Do you want to buy this dress? – Don’t you want to buy this dress?
Éric aime-t-il les films romantiques ? → Éric n’aime-t-il pas les films romantiques ?Does Éric like romantic films? – Doesn’t Éric like romantic films?
Les enfants vont-ils au cinéma ? → Les enfants ne vont-ils pas au cinéma ?Are the children going to the cinema? – Aren’t the children going to the cinema?

Indirect questions

Indirect questions report a question without asking it directly. Unlike direct questions, they don’t end with a question mark, but with a full stop.

Example:
Tu me demandes pourquoi je pleure devant les films romantiques.You ask me why I cry at romantic films.

Go to our page on indirect questions for more information and lots of practice exercises.