Interrogative Sentences in French

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The easiest way! Keep the normal word order (Subject-Verb-Object) and raise your pitch at the end.

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Mostly used in spoken language. Just place est-ce que at the beginning, followed by standard word order.

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More formal and used in writing. The subject pronoun and conjugated verb switch positions and are joined by a hyphen.

Tu veux... → Veux-tu acheter du pop-corn ?

If the subject is a noun, state it first, then invert a pronoun: <br/>Les enfants vont-ils au cinéma ?

Add a -t- between vowels: <br/>Viendra-t-elle with us ?

The question word comes at the beginning, followed by either inversion or est-ce que.

Question Word	Meaning & Use	Example
qui / à qui	who / to whom (person)	Qui t’a donné le livre ?
que / qu' / quoi	what (thing/action)	Que fais-tu là ?
où / d'où	where / from where	Où allez-vous ?
quand	when	Quand a-t-il appelé ?
comment	how	Comment vas-tu ?
pourquoi	why	Pourquoi arrives-tu tard ?
quel(le)(s)	which (agrees in gender/number)	Quelle voiture te plaît ?
combien (de)	how many / how much	Combien de bougies ?

Use normal negation words (ne...pas) combined with question structures to express surprise, doubt, or confirm negative info.

Intonation

Intonation: Tu n'aimes pas aller au cinéma ?

Est-ce que

Est-ce que: Est-ce que je ne peux pas venir with thee ?

Inversion

Inversion: Subject pronoun goes inside the negation: <br/>Ne veux-tu pas acheter cette robe ?

Master the different ways to ask questions in French, from informal to formal structures.

Three Ways to Ask

Inversion Master

Question Words

Negative Questions