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French interrogative pronouns are qui (for people — Qui est là?) and que/quoi (for things — Que veux-tu? De quoi parles-tu?). Lequel/laquelle/lesquels/lesquelles means 'which one(s)': Lequel préfères-tu? After prepositions, use qui for people and quoi for things.
An interrogative determiner is a word that accompanies a noun in order to ask a question about that noun. These are the determiners quel, quelle, quels and quelles.
| Masculine | Feminine | |
|---|---|---|
| Singular | quel | quelle |
| Plural | quels | quelles |
Quelle robe préfères-tu ? (Which dress do you prefer?)
Quel film allons-nous voir ce soir ? (Which film are we going to see tonight?)
Quels livres avez-vous lus ? (Which books have you read?)
An interrogative pronoun replaces a noun or phrase in a question, without repeating the noun. These include lequel, laquelle, lesquels, lesquelles, qui, que, quoi, etc.
| Masculine | Feminine | |
|---|---|---|
| Singular | lequel | laquelle |
| Plural | lesquels | lesquelles |
Quelle robe préfères-tu ? → Laquelle préfères-tu ?
Quel film allons-nous voir ? → Lequel allons-nous voir ?
Quels livres avez-vous lus ? → Lesquels avez-vous lus ?
Qui – who (for people): Qui est là ?
Que / Qu' – what (for things): Que fais-tu ?
Quoi – what (after prepositions): À quoi penses-tu ?
The determiner (quel) accompanies a noun, while the pronoun (lequel) replaces it. Both agree in gender and number with the noun they refer to.
Qui a téléphoné ce matin ?
Who called this morning?
Que veux-tu manger ce soir ?
What do you want to eat tonight?
À qui appartient ce sac ?
Who does this bag belong to?
De quoi parlez-vous ?
What are you talking about?
Lequel de ces deux livres préfères-tu ?
Which of these two books do you prefer?
Je ne sais pas laquelle choisir.
I don't know which one to choose.
Qui tu as vu ?
Qui as-tu vu ? / Qui est-ce que tu as vu ?
In formal French questions, the subject and verb must be inverted. 'Qui tu as vu?' is informal/spoken only. For TEF/TCF, use inversion or est-ce que in writing.
Qu'est-ce que c'est que ça ?
Qu'est-ce que c'est ?
'Qu'est-ce que c'est que ça?' is redundant — qu'est-ce que already means 'what.' The extra 'que ça' is repetitive. Use 'Qu'est-ce que c'est ?' or simply 'C'est quoi ?' (informal).
Lequel tu veux ?
Lequel veux-tu ?
Lequel/laquelle/lesquels/lesquelles require inversion or est-ce que in formal French: Lequel veux-tu ? / Lequel est-ce que tu veux ? Without inversion, it sounds like casual speech.
🔍 The Detective's Toolkit
Think of interrogative pronouns as a detective's toolkit: QUI investigates PEOPLE (who did it?), QUE investigates THINGS (what happened?), QUOI waits after prepositions (about what?), and LEQUEL picks from a SPECIFIC SET (which one of these?). The detective never confuses a person (qui) with an object (que).
In TEF/TCF Expression Orale, asking questions correctly is a core assessment criterion. At A2 level, you should use est-ce que comfortably. At B1+, examiners expect occasional inversion — especially with quel/lequel and after prepositions (À qui parlez-vous ? not À qui vous parlez ?). The difference between qui (subject) and qui (object after preposition) is tested in the grammar section.
A detective questioning a witness:
Qui a vu l'homme sortir du bâtiment ?
Moi. Mais je ne sais pas de quoi il parlait.
Avec qui était-il ? Et lequel de ces objets avez-vous remarqué ?
Il était seul. Mais qu'est-ce que ça veut dire, exactement ?
Practice French interrogative pronouns (qui, que, quoi, lequel) with 20 interactive questions on PrepMyFrench. Question formation with instant scoring.
Practice asking questions in French using interrogative pronouns with PrepMyFrench's AI examiner. Get pronunciation feedback scored to TEF/TCF standards.