Day 14 · A1 · Lesson 14
Question words
Who, what, where, when, how, why, how much and which: the eight words that turn a yes-or-no question into a real conversation. Plus the three ways to say "what", why quel changes its spelling, and where the little words like avec go.
Cold guess
Before any rules, match the English to the French. Your score is private. You'll get a fresh set at the end to compare.
where
when
why
how
how much
who
What's your name? (with quel)
What time is it?
Who are you going with?
What are you doing? (casual)
Score: / 10
Why it matters
Lesson 13 gave you yes-or-no questions. Real conversations need more: where do you live, what do you do, why are you learning French? Eight small words do that job, and in listening, one of them can change the whole answer:
Where do you work? → Dans une école.
When do you work? → Le soir.
Miss the question word and you’ll answer a question nobody asked. The good news: the three ways of asking from Lesson 13 still work. You just add the question word.
The question words
1. The eight question words
| French | English | Say it | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| qui | who | kee | Qui est là ? |
| que / qu'est-ce que / quoi | what | kuh / kess-kuh / kwa | Qu'est-ce que tu fais ? |
| où | where | oo | Où habites-tu ? |
| quand | when | kahn | Quand est-ce que tu arrives ? |
| comment | how | ko-mahn | Comment vas-tu ? |
| pourquoi | why | poor-kwa | Pourquoi tu ris ? |
| combien (de) | how much, how many | kom-byan | Combien de frères as-tu ? |
| quel / quelle / quels / quelles | which, what | kel | Quelle heure est-il ? |
Pourquoi asks why; parce que (because) answers it: Pourquoi tu apprends le français ? – Parce que j’habite au Québec. Before a vowel it becomes parce qu’.
2. The three ways, with a question word
Every question word plugs into Lesson 13’s three registers:
| Register | Pattern | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Everyday | word + est-ce que + normal order | Où est-ce que tu habites ? |
| Formal | word + inversion | Où habites-tu ? |
| Casual | normal order + word at the end | Tu habites où ? |
| Casual (also heard) | word + normal order | Où tu habites ? |
In casual speech, putting the question word at the end is extremely common: Tu viens quand ? Tu t’appelles comment ? Ça coûte combien ? In writing and exams, use est-ce que or inversion.
3. Three ways to say “what”
“What” is the trickiest, because its form depends on where it sits:
| Form | When | Example |
|---|---|---|
| qu'est-ce que | at the start, with normal word order | Qu'est-ce que tu fais ? |
| que | at the start, with inversion | Que fais-tu ? |
| quoi | at the end (casual), alone, or after a little word | Tu fais quoi ? · Quoi ? · De quoi tu parles ? |
Que can’t go at the end, and quoi can’t start a question like quoi tu fais ?. To ask what something is: Qu’est-ce que c’est ? (standard) or C’est quoi ? (casual).
Quoi ? on its own is a blunt “what?”. To ask someone to repeat politely, say Pardon ? or Comment ? instead.
One more you’ll hear constantly, as a set phrase: Qu’est-ce qui se passe ? (What’s happening? What’s going on?)
4. Quel: which, what
Quel goes with a noun, so it agrees with it like an adjective (Lesson 10). All four forms sound the same, “kel”:
| Masculine | Feminine | |
|---|---|---|
| Singular | quel train ? · quel âge ? | quelle heure ? · quelle couleur ? |
| Plural | quels livres ? | quelles langues ? |
It works in two patterns: quel + noun (Quel train prends-tu ? Quelle heure est-il ?), or quel + être + noun (Quel est ton nom ? Quelle est ton adresse ? Quels sont tes loisirs ?).
That second pattern is how French says “What is your…?”. Don’t use qu’est-ce que there: qu’est-ce que est ton nom is a classic English-speaker slip.
5. Combien: how much, how many
Before a noun, it’s combien de (or d’), with no article: Combien de frères as-tu ? Combien d’enfants avez-vous ? For prices, the everyday question is Ça coûte combien ? or simply C’est combien ? (How much is it?)
6. The little words go first
English loves to leave a little word dangling at the end: “Who are you going with?”, “Where are you from?”. French never leaves it behind. The little word always stays glued to the front of the question word:
| avec qui | who … with: Avec qui tu habites ? (Who do you live with?) |
|---|---|
| à qui | who … to: À qui tu parles ? (Who are you talking to?) |
| pour qui | who … for: Pour qui est ce cadeau ? (Who is this present for?) |
| d'où | where … from: D'où viens-tu ? (Where are you from?) |
In casual speech the whole pair can move to the end together: Tu habites avec qui ? Tu viens d’où ? But the pair never splits.
7. Two linking sounds to know
Normally there’s no liaison after quand and comment: Comment est-il ? is “ko-mahn ay-teel”. Two very common set phrases are the exception, and they link with a t sound:
kahn-tess-kuh
The d of quand is said as a t.
ko-mahn-ta-lay-voo
A fixed phrase, always linked.
Examples
- Où est-ce que tu habites ?Where do you live? (everyday)
- Tu habites où ?Where do you live? (casual: word at the end)
- Quand est-ce que le cours commence ?When does the class start? (kahn-tess-kuh)
- Comment allez-vous ?How are you? (formal, with the fixed liaison)
- Pourquoi tu apprends le français ? Parce que j'aime le Québec.Why are you learning French? Because I love Québec.
- Qui est ton acteur préféré ?Who's your favourite actor?
- Qu'est-ce que tu fais ce week-end ?What are you doing this weekend?
- Que faites-vous dans la vie ?What do you do for a living? (formal: que + inversion)
- C'est quoi, ça ?What's that? (casual)
- Quelle est ton adresse ?What's your address? (quelle: adresse is feminine)
- Combien de langues parlez-vous ?How many languages do you speak?
- Ça coûte combien ?How much does it cost?
- Avec qui tu vas au cinéma ?Who are you going to the cinema with? (avec stays in front)
Memory tricks
Où has a hat for "where"Ou (or) has none; où (where) wears the accent, like a pin on a map marking the spot.
Pourquoi is "for what"Pour + quoi = for what? That's exactly what "why" asks. And parce que answers it.
Comment and combien both start with "co"Comment = how (the way). Combien = how much (the count). Combien ends in bien (well): when you count, count well.
Que leads, quoi trailsQue can only stand at the front of the sentence. Quoi happily waits at the back: tu fais quoi ?
Quel is an adjective in disguiseIt agrees like grand/grande: quel âge, quelle heure, quels livres, quelles langues. Four spellings, one sound.
"What is your…?" = quel estQuel est ton nom ? Quelle est ton adresse ? If English says "what is your", French says quel est.
Little words are glued onAvec qui, à qui, d'où: the pair travels together, front or back, but never splits.
Two famous t'sQuand est-ce que and comment allez-vous link with a t. Everywhere else after quand and comment, no link.
Don’t get French fried
Ask for the details
Pick the question word first, then the right form of what and which, then the word order.
___ habites-tu ?
Where do you live?
Où = where. Remember the accent (Lesson 2).
___ est-ce que le cours commence ?
When does the class start?
Quand = when.
___ vas-tu ?
How are you?
Comment = how.
___ apprends-tu le français ?
Why are you learning French?
Pourquoi asks why. Parce que (because) is the answer.
___ est ton prof ?
Who is your teacher?
Qui = who, for people.
___ tu fais ce soir ?
What are you doing tonight?
With normal word order, use qu'est-ce que.
___ fais-tu ce soir ?
What are you doing tonight? (formal)
With inversion, use que.
Tu fais ___ ce soir ?
What are you doing tonight? (casual)
At the end of a casual question, what = quoi. Que can't go at the end.
___ est ton adresse ?
What's your address?
Adresse is feminine, so quelle.
___ livres aimes-tu ?
Which books do you like?
Livres is masculine plural: quels.
___ langues parles-tu ?
Which languages do you speak?
Langues is feminine plural: quelles.
Combien ___ frères as-tu ?
How many brothers do you have?
Combien de + noun, never des.
« Ça coûte combien ? » means…
The everyday way to ask a price.
Tu viens ___ ?
Where are you from? (casual)
From where = d'où: the de stays glued to où.
___ tu parles ?
Who are you talking to?
The little word goes with the question word: à qui.
quand est-ce que sounds like…
A fixed liaison: the d of quand is said as a t.
Comment est-il ? sounds like…
No liaison after comment, except in the set phrase comment allez-vous.
Pourquoi tu ris ? — ___ c'est drôle !
Why are you laughing? — Because it's funny!
Answer pourquoi with parce que (parce qu' before a vowel).
Score: / 18
The whole lesson on one card
| The eight | qui (who) · que / qu'est-ce que / quoi (what) · où (where) · quand (when) · comment (how) · pourquoi (why) · combien (de) (how much, how many) · quel (which, what) |
|---|---|
| Three ways again | Où est-ce que tu habites ? (everyday) · Où habites-tu ? (formal) · Tu habites où ? (casual, word at the end) |
| "What" | qu'est-ce que + normal order · que + inversion · quoi at the end (casual) or alone · never que at the end |
| quel | quel · quelle · quels · quelles: all said "kel" · quel + noun: Quel train ? · quel + être: Quel est ton nom ? |
| combien | combien de + noun, no article: combien de frères · prices: Ça coûte combien ? |
| Little words go first | à qui · avec qui · pour qui · d'où · never at the end on their own |
| Why and because | pourquoi → parce que (parce qu' before a vowel) |
| Linking sounds | quand est-ce que (kahn-tess-kuh) · comment allez-vous (ko-mahn-ta-lay-voo) · otherwise no liaison: Comment est-il ? |
Your turn to talk
Interview yourself out loud: ask each question, then answer it. Then ask the same questions the formal way (inversion, vous), as if you were meeting an examiner.
Did it stick?
A fresh set. Each answer tells you why.
___ est-ce que tu travailles ?
Where do you work?
Où = where.
___ vas-tu à Montréal ?
When are you going to Montréal?
Quand = when.
___ parle ?
Who's speaking?
Qui = who.
___ c'est ?
What is it?
Qu'est-ce que c'est ? is the standard form. Casual: c'est quoi ?
Tu cherches ___ ?
What are you looking for? (casual)
At the end: quoi.
___ est ta couleur préférée ?
What's your favourite colour?
Couleur is feminine (Lesson 5: -eur feelings and colour).
___ âge as-tu ?
How old are you?
Âge is masculine: quel âge.
Combien ___ enfants avez-vous ?
Combien de, with d' before a vowel.
___ tu habites ?
Who do you live with?
Avec stays in front of qui.
___ tu es fatigué ?
Why are you tired?
Pourquoi = why.
Polite: How are you?
Vous + inversion, with the fixed liaison: ko-mahn-ta-lay-voo.
Which is NOT correct?
Quoi can't start a question like that. Use qu'est-ce que or put quoi at the end.
Score: / 12