The Use of Exclamation & Question marks in French

Exclamation mark

The exclamation mark is used to give unusual emphasis to a sentence. It expresses emotion and is often optional. It is generally best avoided in formal correspondence. If it is replaced by a simple full stop, the emphasis and emotional tone disappear.

The exclamation mark is placed at the end of:

• exclamatory sentences expressing strong emotion (surprise, joy, admiration, indignation, astonishment, irony, anger, etc.)
  

  Example:

  Ce tableau est magnifique ! (admiration)This painting is magnificent!

  Je n’aime pas du tout ce comportement ! (indignation, anger)I really don’t like this behaviour!

  David, c’est toi ! Ça fait des années que je ne t’ai pas vu ! (surprise and joy)David, is that you! I haven’t seen you for years!

• sentences expressing an order
  

  Example:

  Allez, mon chien ! Va chercher la balle !Come on, my dog! Go fetch the ball!

  Ferme les yeux et compte jusqu’à 10 !Close your eyes and count to 10!

  Attends-moi là, je reviens !Wait for me there, I’ll be back!

• a form of address (calling someone)

  Example:

  Monsieur ! Vous avez oublié votre veste.Sir! You forgot your jacket.

  Maman ! Regarde mon beau dessin !Mum! Look at my beautiful drawing!

  Samuel ! N’oublie pas de fermer la fenêtre !Samuel! Don’t forget to close the window!

The exclamation mark after an interjection or an interjective expression

Interjections and interjective expressions (interjections made up of several words) are almost always followed by an exclamation mark.

Example:

Aïe ! je me suis brûlé.Ouch! I burned myself.

Saperlipopette !Goodness gracious!

Eh bien ! elle aura fait tout ça pour rien.Well! She will have done all that for nothing.

Oh non ! un renard a marché sur mes belles fleurs.Oh no! A fox walked over my beautiful flowers.

In this case, the exclamation mark is not followed by a capital letter, but by a lowercase letter.

The exclamation mark after a single word

This is common in advertisements or warnings. A single word can be followed by an exclamation mark to attract the reader’s attention.

Example:

Nouveau !New!

Réduction supplémentaire !Extra discount!

Attention !Warning!

An exclamation mark can also appear in the middle of a sentence when it refers to a specific word or group of words. In that case, it must be written in parentheses. This technique is mainly used in everyday language and informal texts to express the writer’s or narrator’s surprise.

Example:

Alice a mis des chaussures jaunes (!) avec sa robe bleue à pois roses.Alice wore yellow shoes (!) with her blue dress with pink polka dots

Book titles and headlines

The exclamation mark is sometimes used in book titles and in newspaper headlines.

Example:

Motus ! (Jean Amila)

Ils ont marché sur la Lune ! (headline)They walked on the Moon!

Question mark

The question mark is always used at the end of a direct question, whether it is a yes/no question or a wh-question (see the chapter on interrogative sentences). In spoken language, it indicates rising intonation.

Example:

Est-ce que tante Jocelyne et oncle Gilles sont déjà partis ?Have Aunt Jocelyne and Uncle Gilles already left?

Tu es sûr ?Are you sure?

Où sont-ils donc allés ?Where did they go?

Sometimes the question mark is the only sign indicating that the sentence is a question.

Example:

Louis est parti en vacances. (statement)Louis went on holiday.

Louis est parti en vacances ? (question)Louis went on holiday?

However, a question mark must not be used after an indirect question (see the chapter on indirect questions).

Example:

Je me demande où ils sont allés.I wonder where they went.

The question mark after a single word

Like the exclamation mark, the question mark can be placed after a single word (for example: quoi ?) or in the middle of a sentence in parentheses if it refers to a single word. In that case, it expresses the narrator’s uncertainty.

Example:

Comment ?What/How?

Ah bon ? Tu es sûr ?Really? Are you sure?

Pline le Jeune, né en 61 av. J.-C. (?), a été adopté par son oncle Pline l’Ancien.Pliny the Younger, born in 61 BC (?), was adopted by his uncle Pliny the Elder.

Book titles and headlines

The question mark is sometimes used in book titles and newspaper headlines.

Example:

Que faire ? (Lénine)

Quo vadis ? (Henryk Sienkiewicz)

Quelle solution pour l’Europe ? (headline)What solution for Europe?