Questions with qui, que, quoi, quand, où, comment, pourquoi, combien

In: Level A1, Questions & Interrogatives, Question/Interrogative
Questions: 54

In the most basic form of questions these question words can be used:

qui who
que/quoi what
quand when
où where
comment how
pourquoi why
combien how much

Let's see the three ways to use them:

 

1. Use intonation with a normal statement

In that very simple case, most of the time question words would be at the end of the statement, but they can also sometimes be at the beginning of the statement.
The question will be marked with a querying tone (or in written form with a question mark):

Comment tu vas ?
How are you?

Tu vas comment ?
How are you?

C'est qui ?
Who is it?

C'est quoi ?
What is it?

Note that what can only be at the end of the sentence, and you use quoi and NOT que.

Note that in who [does] questions, qui [fait] will always be at the beginning, but in other cases, qui (whom or who is it) can be at either place.

See Questions: Qui, qui est-ce qui = Who ? and Questions: Qui / qui est-ce que = Whom ?.

 

2. With est-ce que...

You will place the question word before est-ce que followed by the statement in a normal order. This is a common way to start a question:

Où est-ce que tu vas ?
Where are you going?

Quand est-ce que vous quittez Chicago?
When do you leave Chicago?

Combien est-ce que ça coûte?
How much does it cost?

Qu'est-ce qu'elle veut faire?
What does she want to do?

-> Note that in this last case, que becomes qu' because it's in front of a vowel.

 

3. Use the "inverted question" form

You use the question word at the beginning of the sentence, followed by the inverted verb and then the subject. it is a more elegant way to ask questions:

Qui est-ce ?
Who is it?

Pourquoi ont-ils des rayures ?
Why have they got stripes?

Quand partent-ils?
When are they leaving?

Comment vas-tu ?
How are you?

 

ATTENTION: in the inverted form, quoi becomes que or qu' :

Que veut-il ?
What does he want?

Qu'écoutes-tu à la radio ?
What do you listen to on the radio? 

 

These question words are always placed at the start with inverted forms.

See also Questions: Que ... = What ... ? and 

 

For more question types, see also:

Asking yes/no questions with intonation, est-ce que, n'est-ce pas

Forming inverted questions in Le Présent (except il, elle, on forms)

Learn more about these related French grammar topics

Question/Interrogative

Examples and resources

Pourquoi ont-ils des rayures ?
Why have they got stripes?

Quand est-ce que vous quittez Chicago?
When do you leave Chicago?

Tu vas comment ?
How are you?

Où est-ce que tu vas ?
Where are you going?

Comment tu vas ?
How are you?

Qu'écoutes-tu à la radio ?
What do you listen to on the radio? 

Qu'est-ce qu'elle veut faire?
What does she want to do?

Que veut-il ?
What does he want?

Comment vas-tu ?
How are you?

Combien est-ce que ça coûte?
How much does it cost?

Quand partent-ils?
When are they leaving?

forwards

C'est où ?
Where is it?

Pourquoi tu rigoles? 
Why are you laughing?

Tu fais ça comment ?
How are you doing that?

C'est quand ?
When is it?

C'est quoi ?
What is it?

C'est qui ?
Who is it?

C'est combien ?
How much is that?

inverted

Qui est-ce ?
Who is it?

Qu'est-ce?
What is it?

Q&A

Varsha

Kwiziq community member

15 November 2018

2 replies

Doubt in sentence structure

Bonjour Madame,

In the sentence 'Paul et Hélène sont mes amis.'

The question for this would be-

1.Qui est tes amis?

OR

2.Qui sont tes amis?

Pls guide which one of the following is correct and what is the rule behind it ?

Cécile

Kwiziq language super star

17 November 2018

17/11/18

Hi Varsha, 

The correct question would be :

Qui sont tes amis?

the verb 'être' (to be) having to agree with 'amis' (friends) which is plural ...

Hope this helps!

Varsha

Kwiziq community member

17 November 2018

17/11/18

Merci Madame

Joan

Kwiziq community member

14 November 2018

1 reply

To ask 'where is the chair?' using est-ce que and inversion form

est-ce que: should i say 'Où est-ce que la chaise?' or 'Où est-ce que la chaise est? or 'Où est-ce qu'est la chaise'?

inversion: 'Où la chaise est-elle?'

Thanks

Cécile

Kwiziq language super star

15 November 2018

15/11/18

Hi Joan,

Où est-ce qu'est la chaise? is correct.

Où la chaise est-elle? is correct too.

You would probably say:

La chaise est où? in every day French not as elegant but adequate...

Hope this helps!

Latha

Kwiziq community member

19 October 2018

2 replies

Could you ps explain what is wrong in'Ouvre-t-on les cadeaux quand ?'

Chris

Kwiziq community member

19 October 2018

19/10/18

The question words are always placed at the start in the inverted question form.

Quand ouvre-t-on les cadeaux?

Latha

Kwiziq community member

19 October 2018

19/10/18

D'accord , J'ai compris.Merci beaucoup.

David

Kwiziq community member

6 August 2018

0 replies

The writing challenge asked "How much is it"

The translation "C'est combien" was not accepted. Isn't this just as acceptable as the 4 or 5 other translations that were offered? And it has the benefit of being less wordy.

CrystalMaiden

Kwiziq community member

8 April 2018

2 replies

va-t-il What does the -t-il mean?

I know now that it means " does he go, " but the average person reading this wouldn't know that. -T-il is perhaps the most confusing thing about French question-making. What does the -t- even mean? Can't mean tu or te judging by the context, so why's it there? Just for phonetic reasons, like the l' in si l'on? This should really be explained in the lesson, what -t-il means.

Chris

Kwiziq community member

8 April 2018

8/04/18

The "t" is just interposed to prevent two vowels from clashing, is all. Nothing deep, no reference to anything grammatical. sometimes things really are simple ;))

-- Chris. 

CrystalMaiden

Kwiziq community member

8 April 2018

8/04/18

Oh good, so like the l in si l'on, just like I suspected. Still, I wish that was included in the lesson, if only as a side-note considering it's something you need to know to be able to answer one of the micro-quizes.

s

Kwiziq community member

17 February 2018

5 replies

Questions with vous form?

s

Kwiziq community member

17 February 2018

17/02/18

Sorry, my question was incomplete: How are you? = Comment vas-tu ? or Comment tu vas ? So, is it Comment allez-vous? Commet vous allez? Where are you? = Où es-tu? So, is it Où êtes vous? Does it sound normal?

Chris

Kwiziq community member

18 February 2018

18/02/18

Yes, it is "où êtes-vous?" (Note the hyphen in the inverted form). 

-- Chris (not a native speaker). 

s

Kwiziq community member

18 February 2018

18/02/18

Thank you Chris, and "how are you? with vous?

Chris

Kwiziq community member

19 February 2018

19/02/18

"Comment allez-vous?" Should do the trick. The inverted form is the one I hear most often used. 

-- Chris. 

s

Kwiziq community member

19 February 2018

19/02/18

Thank you Chris, it is strange that I have to try hard to find questions with "vous" form! Even google translate uses "tu" form! I know google is not the best way to learn, but whatever makes me understand this confusion.

Stuart

Kwiziq community member

13 December 2017

3 replies

I didn’t think the lesson prepared for me the present opening question ...

Where did all those ‘t’s come from? I didn’t understand the difference between the answers - well done to all thise below who did, but this was - and will probably remain - a mystery to me :(

Chris

Kwiziq community member

13 December 2017

13/12/17

Can you post a specific sentence you have problems with? -- Chris.

Aurélie

Kwiziq language super star

14 December 2017

14/12/17

Bonjour Stuart! For issues on specific questions, it's easier to use the "report" button in your correction board, as it gives us access to the specific question you're referring to, and makes it easier for us to answer you :) Bonne journée !

Stuart

Kwiziq community member

14 December 2017

14/12/17

Just to say that the majority of the examples used three or four words, and the question seemed almost treble that number with a good deal more complexity - for a novice like me. I didn't feel as though the examples prepared me for the question, that's all.

Rene

Kwiziq community member

4 November 2017

3 replies

Question word + est-ce-que :

Mes amis français m'ont dit que cette forme est incorrecte, que "est-ce-que tu vas à... " est juste, mais pas "où est-ce-que tu vas". Qu'en pensez-vous ?

Ron

Kwiziq community member

4 November 2017

4/11/17

Bonsoir Rene, En parlant français formel, la forme correcte est : «Combien d'euros est-ce que ça coûte?» ou «Pourquoi est-ce que vous voudriez faire ça». Mais, d'habitude, au cours d’une discussion la forme changerait un peu parce que c'est plus informel. La forme la plus formelle est l'utilisation de l'inversion du sujet-verbe.

Chris

Kwiziq community member

4 November 2017

4/11/17

"Où est-ce que tu vas" sounds a bit stilted when used in a normal conversational context. That's because you'd much rather use "Tu vas où?" our even "Où vas-tu?". Shorter and more to the point. Although "où est-ce que tu vas" is grammatically perfectly alright. Sometimes the inverted form, although considered in general to be more formal, is the expected form. As in, "Comment vas-tu?" wich is used this way even on informal occasions. It is probably best to be well versed in all 3 forms of questions and then start reading and participating in spoken French. You'll get a feeling for when which form is more appropriate and "expected" by the native French speaker. -- Chris (not a native speaker).

Cécile

Kwiziq language super star

7 September 2018

7/09/18

Hi Rene,

You will hear the three following questions for 'Where are you going?' in French.

They are all correct but have grouped them from more formal to casual.

"Où vas-tu?"

"Où est-ce que tu vas? "

"Tu vas où?"

Hope this helps!

 

harris

Kwiziq community member

28 October 2017

3 replies

Combien

If i wanted to say: "how many of them do you want me to buy?" Can I say it like this: - <> Or would this be better: - <>

harris

Kwiziq community member

28 October 2017

28/10/17

Let me try that again. Can I say it like this: "combien en veux-tu que j'achète?" Or would this be better: "Tu veux que j'en achète combien?"

Ron

Kwiziq community member

28 October 2017

28/10/17

Bonjour Harris, «Combien est-ce que tu voudrais que j'en achète?» would be my first inclination. However, keep in mind that just like your examples, there are probably many more ways to phrase the question in French. J'espère que ma réponse vous aiderait. Bonne chance et bonne continuation dans vos études en français, la langue de Molière et qui a été utilisé par le monde français depuis l’époque d’Hugues Capet Ron (un locuteur non natif )

Cécile

Kwiziq language super star

6 September 2018

6/09/18

Hi Harris,

Sorry about the delay in answering you question...

I would say the three possibilities are:

Tu veux que j'en achète combien?

Combien veux-tu que j'en achète?

Combien est-ce que tu veux que j'en achète?

The last one is a bit clumsier than the other two.

Hope this helps!

Manal

Kwiziq community member

13 June 2017

1 reply

How do i reconstruct the question "où a-t-elle appris le francais" to include est-ce que?

If i follow the rule, then it should be "où est-ce que a-t-elle appris le francais" but is that correct?

Aurélie

Kwiziq language super star

14 June 2017

14/06/17

Bonjour Manal ! The lesson states that with "est-ce que", the order of the sentence remains normal - no inversion - so in this case it would be: "Où est-ce qu'elle a appris le français ?" Bonne journée !

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