Day 13 · A1 · Lesson 13
Asking questions three ways
French can ask the same yes-or-no question three ways: by raising your voice, with est-ce que, or by flipping the verb. Learn all three, when each one fits, the little -t- in a-t-il, and the Québec -tu you'll hear everywhere.
Cold guess
Before any rules, pick the version that sounds right. Your score is private. You'll get a fresh set at the end to compare.
Do you speak English? (casual)
Do you like coffee? (with est-ce que)
Does she work here? (with est-ce que)
Do you speak French? (formal)
Does he have a car? (formal)
Does she like music? (formal)
May I help you?
It's cold, isn't it?
Don't you work today? — Yes, I do!
Which one is the most casual?
Score: / 10
Why it matters
English needs a helper verb to ask a question: “Do you speak…?”, “Does she have…?”. French doesn’t use “do” at all. Instead, it gives you three ways to ask the same yes-or-no question, from casual to formal:
| Way | French | Feels like |
|---|---|---|
| Intonation | Tu aimes le café ? | "You like coffee?" (jeans and a T-shirt) |
| Est-ce que | Est-ce que tu aimes le café ? | "Do you like coffee?" (smart casual) |
| Inversion | Aimes-tu le café ? | "Do you like coffee?" in a letter (a suit) |
All three mean exactly the same thing. What changes is the register: how casual or formal you sound. Use inversion with your friends and you’ll sound like a butler; use only intonation in a formal letter and you’ll sound too relaxed. You need to understand all three, because you’ll hear all three.
The three ways
1. Way 1: raise your voice
Take a normal statement and make your voice go up at the end. That’s it. The word order doesn’t change; in writing, you just add a question mark.
Tu habites ici.
You live here.
Tu habites ici ?
Do you live here?
This is by far the most common way to ask a question in everyday conversation. It works with negatives too: Tu ne viens pas ? (Aren’t you coming?), and the “yes” answer is si (Lesson 11).
2. Way 2: put est-ce que in front
Add est-ce que to the front of a normal statement. Again, the word order stays the same.
| Statement | Question |
|---|---|
| Tu parles anglais. | Est-ce que tu parles anglais ? |
| Vous avez des enfants. | Est-ce que vous avez des enfants ? |
| Il travaille ici. | Est-ce qu'il travaille ici ? |
| Elle est canadienne. | Est-ce qu'elle est canadienne ? |
Literally it means “is it that…?”, but nobody thinks about that: it’s just a question flag, said as one quick unit, “ess-kuh”. Before a vowel, que becomes qu’. Est-ce que is never too casual and never too stiff, so when in doubt, use est-ce que.
3. Way 3: flip the verb and the pronoun
For inversion, swap the subject pronoun and the verb, and join them with a hyphen:
| Statement | Inverted question |
|---|---|
| Tu parles français. | Parles-tu français ? |
| Vous êtes prêts. | Êtes-vous prêts ? |
| Nous mangeons ici. | Mangeons-nous ici ? |
| Ils aiment le sport. | Aiment-ils le sport ? |
The little -t-. When the verb ends in a vowel and the pronoun is il, elle or on, French slips a -t- in between so the two vowels don’t crash into each other:
| Il a une voiture. | A-t-il une voiture ? |
|---|---|
| Elle parle russe. | Parle-t-elle russe ? |
| On mange ? | Mange-t-on ? |
| Ils parlent… | Parlent-ils… ? (already ends in t: no extra -t-) |
With a noun as the subject, keep the noun in front and add the matching pronoun after the verb: Marie parle-t-elle anglais ? Les enfants ont-ils faim ?
With je, French almost never inverts. The big exception is the polite set phrase Puis-je… ? (May I…?), as in Puis-je vous aider ? For everything else with je, use est-ce que.
In the negative, the whole verb-pronoun block sits inside the ne … pas sandwich: Ne parlez-vous pas anglais ?
4. Which one, when?
| Situation | Best choice | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Friends, family, texting | intonation | Tu viens ce soir ? |
| Everyday, anyone, anywhere | est-ce que | Est-ce que vous avez une table ? |
| Formal writing, polite requests, exams | inversion | Pouvez-vous m'aider ? |
A few very common questions are almost always inverted, even in conversation, so learn them as set phrases: Comment allez-vous ? Parlez-vous anglais ? Quelle heure est-il ? Puis-je… ?
5. Tag questions
Like English “isn’t it?” or “right?”, French can tack a little tag onto the end of a statement when you expect agreement:
| …, n'est-ce pas ? | isn't it? don't you? Works in every register. Tu es canadienne, n'est-ce pas ? |
|---|---|
| …, non ? | right? Casual. C'est loin, non ? |
| …, pas vrai ? | right? Casual. Il est drôle, pas vrai ? |
N’est-ce pas never changes, whoever you’re talking about, unlike English “isn’t he / doesn’t she / aren’t they”.
6. What you’ll hear in Québec: -tu
In casual spoken Québec French you’ll hear yes-or-no questions with an extra -tu after the verb, like a spoken question mark:
| Tu viens-tu ? | Are you coming? |
|---|---|
| C'est-tu loin ? | Is it far? |
| Il travaille-tu demain ? | Is he working tomorrow? |
That second tu isn’t “you”: it’s a question marker, so it works with il and c’est too. It’s very common in conversation, but it belongs to casual speech. Recognise it, enjoy it, and use est-ce que in anything written.
Examples
- Tu parles anglais ?Do you speak English? (intonation, casual)
- Est-ce que tu parles anglais ?Do you speak English? (est-ce que, everyday)
- Parlez-vous anglais ?Do you speak English? (inversion, formal)
- Est-ce qu'il habite ici ?Does he live here? (qu' before a vowel)
- A-t-elle un chien ?Does she have a dog? (the -t- between two vowels)
- Votre fille parle-t-elle français ?Does your daughter speak French? (noun subject + elle)
- Puis-je vous aider ?May I help you? (the one common je inversion)
- Tu ne travailles pas aujourd'hui ? Si !Aren't you working today? Yes I am!
- Il fait froid, n'est-ce pas ?It's cold, isn't it?
- C'est loin, non ?It's far, right? (casual tag)
- Quelle heure est-il ?What time is it? (a set inverted phrase)
- Les enfants ont-ils faim ?Are the children hungry? (noun subject + ils)
- Tu viens-tu ?Are you coming? (casual Québec French)
Memory tricks
Three outfitsIntonation is jeans, est-ce que is smart casual, inversion is a suit. Same person, same question, different dress code.
Est-ce que is a flagStick it on the front of any statement and it becomes a question. Nothing else moves.
Ess-kuh, not est-say-kuhIt's one quick puff of sound. Say it fast, like a single word.
The -t- is a shock absorberA-il would make two vowels collide. The -t- sits between them like a bumper: a-t-il, parle-t-elle.
Already got a t? No bumperParlent-ils, sont-ils, est-il: the verb already ends in t (or the t sound), so nothing is added.
Je doesn't flipExcept for puis-je, the polite "may I". For everything else with je, reach for est-ce que.
N'est-ce pas never changesEnglish needs isn't it, doesn't she, aren't they. French just says n'est-ce pas, every time.
Québec's -tu is a spoken "?"Tu viens-tu ? The second tu just means "this is a question". It even works with il: il vient-tu ?
Don’t get French fried
Ask it every way
Est-ce que first, then inversion, then choosing the right register.
___ tu habites à Montréal ?
The full phrase is est-ce que.
___ il parle anglais ?
Que becomes qu' before a vowel.
Tu parles français ? → ___ français ?
Inversion: verb first, then the pronoun, joined by a hyphen.
Vous êtes canadien ? → ___ canadien ?
Verb, hyphen, pronoun.
Il aime le hockey ? → ___ le hockey ?
Aime ends in a vowel, so a -t- slips in between.
Elle a un frère ? → ___ un frère ?
A ends in a vowel: a-t-elle.
Ils parlent anglais ? → ___ anglais ?
Parlent already ends in t, so no extra -t- is needed.
Paul travaille ici ? → Paul ___ ici ?
With a noun subject, keep the noun and add il after the verb (with -t- after a vowel).
Inversion with je is…
Apart from set phrases like puis-je ?, French avoids inverting je. Use est-ce que instead.
You don't speak English? (formal) → ___ anglais ?
Ne before the verb, pas after the pronoun: the whole verb-pronoun block is the filling.
Asking a stranger the time, politely
This one is almost always inverted. Il est quelle heure ? is casual.
In a formal email
Formal writing: vous and inversion.
Texting a friend
Casual: tu and rising intonation.
Tu es canadien, ___ ?
You're Canadian, aren't you?
N'est-ce pas works as a tag at the end, in every register.
Est-ce que is pronounced…
It's said as one quick unit: ess-kuh.
Tu ne travailles pas ? — ___, je travaille.
Lesson 11: si contradicts a negative question.
In Québec, « Tu viens-tu ? » means…
The second tu is a question marker, not the pronoun.
« Tu viens-tu ? » is…
Recognise it; don't write it in an exam.
Score: / 18
The whole lesson on one card
| Way 1: intonation | Tu parles anglais ? · same word order, just raise your voice · casual, the most common in speech |
|---|---|
| Way 2: est-ce que | Est-ce que tu parles anglais ? · est-ce qu' before a vowel · say "ess-kuh" · safe everywhere |
| Way 3: inversion | Parles-tu anglais ? · verb, hyphen, pronoun · formal, written, polite |
| The -t- | when the verb ends in a vowel: a-t-il, parle-t-elle, aime-t-on |
| Noun subject | Marie parle-t-elle anglais ? · keep the noun, add il / elle after the verb |
| je | almost never inverted, except puis-je ? (may I?) · use est-ce que |
| Negative questions | Tu ne viens pas ? · Ne viens-tu pas ? · yes = si |
| Tags | n'est-ce pas ? (every register) · non ? · pas vrai ? (casual) |
| Québec | Tu viens-tu ? C'est-tu loin ? = casual spoken yes/no questions · recognise it, don't write it |
Your turn to talk
Pick three questions you'd really ask a new colleague (do you live here? do you like coffee? do you speak English?). Say each one three ways, out loud: intonation, est-ce que, inversion.
Did it stick?
A fresh set. Each answer tells you why.
Est-ce que vous ___ anglais ?
After est-ce que, normal word order. No inversion.
___ elle habite ici ?
Qu' before the vowel of elle.
Tu aimes le thé ? (inversion)
Keep the verb exactly as it is (aimes), then flip.
Il a faim ? (inversion)
A ends in a vowel, so -t-.
Elle parle russe ? (inversion)
Parle ends in a vowel, so -t-.
Vous avez des enfants ? (inversion)
Verb, hyphen, pronoun.
Marie aime le jazz ? → Marie ___ le jazz ?
Marie = elle.
The safest choice in any situation
Est-ce que is never wrong and never too casual.
Tu n'as pas de voiture ? — ___, j'ai une voiture.
Contradicting a negative question: si.
Formal: Do you speak English?
Vous + inversion = formal.
C'est loin, ___ ?
It's far, isn't it?
Non ? works as a casual tag.
Why the -t- in a-t-il?
A-il would bump two vowels together. The -t- smooths it out.
Score: / 12