How French works
There are two types of question:
This is where the answer expected is "yes" or "no":
Est-ce que tu peux m'aider à mettre la table?
Could you help me lay the table?
These begin with an interrogative word or expression (such as qui or où), and ask for some sort of information:
Où se trouve la gare?
Where is the station
There are, broadly, three ways of forming a question:
Using inversion of subject and verb :
Connaissez-vous Pierre?
Do you know Pierre?
Qui connais-tu?
Who do you know?
Using est-ce que in front of a normal statement:
Est-ce que vous connaissez Pierre?
Do you know Pierre?
Qui est-ce que vous connaissez?
Who do you know?
Making a statement using affirmative word order with rising intonation towards the end of the sentence (if spoken) or putting a question mark at the end (if written):
Vous connaissez Pierre?
Do you know Pierre?
Vous connaissez qui?
Who do you know?
There are two types of inversion in French - simple and complex. If the subject of the sentence is a personal pronoun (like il or vous) or an impersonal pronoun (like on or ce), subject and verb or auxiliary are inverted and linked by a hyphen. This is called simple inversion.
Savez-vous nager?
Can you swim?
Sont-ils bien arrivés?
Did they arrive safely?
-t- is inserted when the verb ends with a vowel (even if this latter vowel is not pronounced). For example:
Parle-t-elle souvent de sa mère?
Does she often talk of her mother?
A-t-il eu besoin de quelque chose?
Did he need anything?
Inversion of a verb with je generally only occurs with certain common verbs (avoir, devoir, pouvoir, être, aller, dire), and this only in formal contexts:
Dois-je lui téléphoner tout de suite?
Must I telephone him at once?
Puis is used instead of peux in inversion :
Puis-je me servir?
May I help myself?
Complex inversion is required when the subject of the sentence is a noun or noun phrase . In this case the sentence is given two subjects, the noun / noun phrase itself, which precedes the verb , and the corresponding subject pronoun which follows the verb. The word order then for a sentence involving complex inversion is as follows:
Subject noun / noun phrase + verb [hyphen] subject pronoun + rest of sentence
Mr Chirac visite-il souvent la Bretagne?
Does Mr Chirac often visit Brittany?
Le gouvernement a-t-il pu réduire le taux de chômage?
Has the government been able to reduce unemployment?
A similar process occurs in informal or spoken language, except the repeated noun is placed at the beginning or end of the sentence. This structure is called dislocation and is also used in non- interrogative sentences for creating emphasis (see Unit 56):
Ils sont bien arrivés à Paris, tes parents?
Did your parents get to Paris safely?
The position and order of object pronouns and negative particles remain unchanged with inversion :
Il le lui dira demain → Le lui dira-t-il demain?
Will he tell him / her tomorrow?
Elle ne l'a pas vue récemment → Ne l'a-t-elle pas vue récemment?
Hasn’t she seen her recently?
Note that si means yes in answer to a negative question:
- Pierre n'est pas là par hasard? - Si, Pierre est là
- Pierre isn't here by any chance? - Yes, Pierre is here
In response to an offer, Je veux bien, S'il vous plaît and Volontiers mean Yes, please while Merci means No, thank you.
For expressing who? when this is the subject of the sentence, use qui? or qui est-ce qui?:
[all registers] Qui veut du thé?
[everyday] Qui est-ce qui veut du thé?
Who wants some tea?
For expressing who? when this is the object of the sentence, use qui? or qui est-ce que?:
[formal] Qui ont-ils invité? Qui vos parents ont-ils invité?
[everyday] Quiest-ce qu'ils / vos parents ont invité?
[informal] Ils / vos parents ont invité qui?
Who did they / your parents invite?
For expressing who? when this is used as a complement , use qui? (and never qui est-ce que?):
[all registers] Qui êtes-vous?
[informal] Vous êtes qui?
Who are you?
For expressing who? when this is used with a preposition , use preposition + qui? or preposition + qui est-ce que?:
[formal] A qui a-t-il parlé? A qui le professeur a-t-il parlé?
[everyday] A qui est-ce qu'il / le professeur a parlé?
[informal] Il / le professeur a parlé à qui?
Who did he / the teacher talk to?
For expressing what? when this is the subject of the sentence, use qu'est-ce qui (and not que on its own):
[all registers]Qu'est-ce qui a causé l’accident?
What caused the accident?
For expressing what? when this is the object of the sentence, use que? or qu'est-ce que or quoi?:
[formal] Que vous a-t-il dit? Que vous a dit le professeur?
[everyday] Qu'est-ce qu'il / le professeur vous a dit?
[very informal] Il t’a dit quoi? Il t’a dit quoi, le prof?
What did he / the teacher say to you?
For expressing what? when this is used as a complement , use que? or qu'est-ce que or quoi?. Note that when the complement is a noun , it is introduced by que in formal and everyday language:
[formal] Qu'est-ce? Qu'est-ce qu'un acronyme?
[everyday] Qu'est-ce que c'est? Qu'est-ce que c'est qu'un acronyme?
[very informal] C’est quoi? C’est quoi un acronyme?
What is it? What is an acronym?
For expressing what? when this is used with a preposition , use preposition + quoi? or preposition + quoi est-ce que?:
[formal] A quoi pense-t-il? A quoi ton frère pense-t-il?
[everyday] A quoi est-ce qu'il / ton frère pense?
[informal] Il pense à quoi? Il pense à quoi ton frère?
What is he / your brother thinking of?
This is expressed by à qui:
[all registers] A qui est ce livre?
[informal] C'est à qui ce livre?
Whose book is this?
Which? or What? are generally expressed by lequel or its derivatives.
As subject:
Il y a deux livres: lequel est le moins cher?
There are two books: which is cheaper?
As object (this can involve preceding direct object agreement):
Laquelle des deux robes a-t-elle préférée / ta soeur a-t-elle préférée?
Laquelle des deux robes est-ce qu'elle / ta soeur a préférée?
Elle / ta soeur a préféré laquelle des deux robes?
Which of the two dresses did she / your sister prefer?
With preposition:
Pour lequel des deux candidats ont-ils voté / le comité a-t-il voté?
Pour lequel des deux candidats est-ce qu'ils ont voté / le comité a voté?
Pour lequel des deux candidats ils ont voté / le comité a voté?
Which of the two candidates did they / the committee vote for?
Note that with the prepositions à and de there is the usual contraction :
Auquel de ces guichets faut-il s'adresser?
Which of these windows should I enquire at?
Duquel des frères est-ce que tu parles?
Which of the brothers are you talking about?
This is used with être:
Quelles sont vos préférences?
What are your preferences?
Quel est celui que tu préfères?
Which is your favorite?
This is expressed by quel? or its derivatives. This can involve preceding direct object agreement:
[formal] Quels conseils votre frère vous a-t-il donnés?
[everyday] Quels conseils est-ce que votre frère vous a donnés?
[informal] Ton frère t'a donné quels conseils?
What advice did your brother give you?
The five interrogative adverbs in French (où? quand? pourquoi? comment? combien?) allow for questions to be asked in a variety of registers.
[formal] Où vas-tu? Comment le sait-il?
[everyday] Où est-ce que tu vas? Comment est-ce qu'il le sait?
[informal]Où tu vas / tu vas où? Comment il le sait?
Where are you going? How does he know?
[formal] Quand le professeur arrivera-t-il?
[everyday]Quand est-ce que le prof arrivera?
[informal]Le prof arrivera quand?
When will the teacher arrive?
[formal]Combien ce client nous doit-il?
[everyday]Combien est-ce que ce client nous doit?
[informal] Ce client nous doit combien?
How much does this client owe us?
It is often possible to omit the extra subject where the verb is an intransitive verb with no complement , or where it is a transitive verb and the direct object is being questioned:
Quand arrivera le professeur?
When will the teacher arrive?
Combien nous doit Pierre?
How much does Pierre owe us?
But not:
* Comment Marie a résolu le problème?
How did Marie solve the problem?
and not:
* Pourquoi est le professeur en retard?
Why is the teacher late?