Questions - information questions

1 Question words

Information questions ask for some sort of information beyond a yes or no. They are formed using one of the following question words:

As with questions requiring a "yes" or "no" answer, information questions can be formed in three fundamental ways:  

• rising intonation / ending with a question mark (informal language)
• using est-ce que
• inverting the subject and verb (formal language)

2 Rising intonation / ending with a question mark

To form a question in this way take a normal affirmative statement and use a question word in the place of the information required. If you are speaking raise the intonation towards the end of the sentence, or if you are writing put a question mark at the end. This is common in informal speech and writing:

Vos parents ont invité qui?

Who did your parents invite?

Tu vas t'y rendre comment?

How are you going to get there?

Le professeur arrivera quand?

When will the teacher arrive?

3 Est-ce que and inversion

3.1 General

In questions involving est-ce que and inversion of subject and verb, the question word comes at the front of the sentence. Est-ce que questions are used in all forms of language except very formal French, and are formed by using one of the question words listed in section 1 above, followed by est-ce que (or est-ce qui if the question word acts as a subject), followed by the usual word order:

Quand est-ce que le professeur arrivera?

When will the teacher arrive?

Questions involving inversion are reserved for written or formal spoken French, and are formed by using one of the question words, followed by inversion of subject and verb . Where the subject is a noun the sentence is given two subjects as described in section 4.2 of the previous unit:

Quand arrivera-t-il / Quand le professeur arrivera-t-il? 

When will he arrive / When will the teacher arrive?

It is often possible to omit the extra subject:

Quand arrivera le professeur?

When will the teacher arrive?

3.2 Expressing who?

Qui est-ce qui veut du thé? / Qui veut du thé?

Who wants some tea?

Qui est-ce que vos parents ont invité? / Qui vos parents ont-ils invité?

Who did your parents invite?

A qui est-ce que le professeur a parlé? / A qui le professeur a-t-il parlé?

Who did the teacher talk to?

3.3 Expressing what?

Qu'est-ce qui a causé l'accident?

[NB - que cannot be used on its own here]

What caused the accident?

Qu'est-ce que le professeur vous a dit? Que vous a dit le professeur?

What did the teacher say to you?

A quoi est-ce que tu penses? A quoi penses-tu?

What are you thinking about?

3.4 Expressing whose?

A qui est ce livre?

C'est à qui ce livre?   [informal French]

Whose book is this?

3.5 Expressing which (one)? / what?

These are generally expressed by lequel, laquelle, or quel, quelle (before être):

Laquelle des deux robes a-t-elle préférée?

Which of the two dresses did she like best?

Quelles sont les différences entre les deux produits?

What are the differences between the two products?

3.6 Expressing which [+ noun]? what [+ noun]?

This is expressed by quel? or its derivatives:

Quels conseils votre frère vous a-t-il donnés?

Quels conseils est-ce que votre frère vous a donnés? 

What advice did your brother give you?

3.7 Expressing where? when? why? how? how many?

These are expressed by où? quand? pourquoi? comment? combien?

Où est-ce que tu vas? / Où vas-tu?

Where are you going?

Quand est-ce que le professeur arrivera? / Quand le professeur arrivera-t-il?

When will the teacher arrive?

Pourquoi est-ce qu'il est en retard? / Pourquoi est-il en retard?

Why is he late?

Comment est-ce que tu vas t'y rendre? / Comment vas-tu t'y rendre?

How are you going to get there?

Combien de cadeaux est-ce que tu as reçus? / Combien de cadeaux as-tu reçus?

How many presents did you receive?