Asking questions is an essential skill for meaningful conversations. You’re not learning French to recite monologues! Whether you plan on traveling and want to speak in the local language or you’re looking to make new friends from around the world, having purposeful interactions with people means being able to ask them questions, and understand the questions they ask you. There’s a lot of overlap between how to ask questions in French and in English. Below, you’ll find information on how to use eight French interrogatives to start asking basic questions in French.
When you’re ready to master questions without memorization, you can start today with Rosetta Stone. With bite-sized lessons that make learning feel fun and natural, Rosetta Stone can prepare you for real-world conversations from your very first lesson!
What is an interrogative word?
An interrogative is a word that is used to ask a question. You may notice the similarity to the English word interrogate. There are eight key interrogative expressions to ask who, what, when, where, why, how, how many, and which.
English and French question construction have a lot in common. Both languages put the interrogative at the beginning of the sentence. When speaking French, your voice will rise at the end of the question. You can ask both closed (yes/no) and open questions, and you can ask questions in both formal and informal ways. But there are differences as well—let’s dive into them below!
What are the differences between French and English interrogative words?
The biggest difference between French questions and English ones is word order. As you’ll see below, the order of subjects and verbs can be very different in French, and the placement of prepositions also varies from the English format.
Prepositions placement
You may have been taught to never end a sentence with a preposition. But in contemporary English, even in formal writing, that’s more of a style suggestion. Formal French grammar rules, however, do not permit that kind of flexibility. It is a hard and fast rule in formal French that prepositions cannot be at the end of a sentence. Most French questions will start with an interrogative; if there is a preposition, it will be placed in front of it.
- Avec qui est-ce qu’on sort ? = Who are we going out with? (literally, With whom are we going out?)
- À quel employé avez-vous parlé ? = Which employee did you speak to?
Gender
Many words in French require agreement in gender and number, like nouns, adjectives, and articles. However, almost all French question words are invariable, so you usually don’t have to consider agreement when you ask a question.
Most common French question words
There are 8 core question words in French:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| qui | who |
| que/quoi | what |
| quand | when |
| où | where |
| pourquoi | why |
| comment | how |
| combien | how many |
| quel | which |
You can use these words to ask questions in almost every situation. As you formulate your questions, don’t forget your audience! If you’re speaking to a stranger, someone older than you, or someone in a position of authority, use the formal verb forms and sentence constructions. We’ve noted formal and casual options in the tables below!
Let’s learn more about how to use each of these question words.
Quoi/Qu’est-ce que/Que
There are multiple ways to say “what” in French. Quoi is the word to use if “what” is the object of a sentence, and it mostly appears in informal questions.
Que is the form to use when “what” is the subject of the sentence, and it’s the form you’ll see most of the time. Que is frequently combined with est-ce que. Est-ce que is an interrogative expression that isn’t translated literally. You’ll learn more about it later in the article. For now, when you see it, you can just know that it means that the sentence is a question.
| French | English | Level of formality |
|---|---|---|
| Quoi de neuf ? | What’s up? | casual |
| Qu’est-ce qui se passe ? | What’s going on? | neutral |
| Qu’est-ce que tu fais ? | What are you doing? | casual |
| Que voulez-vous ? | What do you want? | formal |
| Tu parles de quoi ? | What are you talking about? | casual |
| De quoi est-ce que tu parles ? | What are you talking about? | casual |
| De quoi est-ce que vous parlez ? | What are you talking about? | formal |
In English, you may say “What?” if you didn’t hear or understand someone. Although it might be tempting in French to say Quoi ? in those instances, that can be seen as rude. Comment ? is the correct expression.
Comment
Comment means “how.” You can use it literally to ask how to do something. You may also see it in basic French phrases whose English equivalents commonly start with “what.” The phrase for “what is your name” in French, for example, is comment tu t’appelles, of which the literal translation is “how do you call yourself.”
| French | English | Level of formality |
| Comment ? | Pardon? | neutral |
| Comment ça va ? | How are you doing? / How is it going? | neutral |
| Comment vas-tu ? | How are you doing? | casual |
| Comment allez-vous ? | How are you doing? | formal |
| Comment dit-on _________ ? | How do you say _______? | neutral |
| Comment tu t’appelles ? | What is your name? | casual |
| Comment vous appelez-vous ? | What is your name? | formal |
| Comment tu trouves ce restaurant ? | What do you think of this restaurant? | casual |
Où
Où means “where.” It is used in all of the same contexts as in English. Pay attention to prepositions with où. For example, when asking where someone or something is from, the preposition “from” (de) needs to go before the question word.
| French | English | Level of formality |
| Où est mon livre ? | Where is my book? | neutral |
| Où se trouve les toilettes ? | Where is the restroom? | neutral |
| Où est-ce qu’on va ? | Where are we going? | neutral |
| D’où est-ce que tu viens ? | Where are you from? | casual |
| D’où est-ce que vous venez ? | Where are you from? | formal |
Quand
Quand means “when” and it can be used for all of the same situations as in English. What year, day, or date something is happening, what time it is happening, quand works for it all.
| French | English | Level of formality |
| Quand est la prochaine réunion ? | When is the next meeting? | neutral |
| Quand est-ce qu’on part ? | When are we leaving? | neutral |
| Quand est-ce que le film sort ? | When is the movie coming out? | neutral |
| Quand est-ce que tu pars en vacances ? | When are you going on vacation? | casual |
| Quand partez-vous en vacances ? | When are you going on vacation? | formal |
If you want to specifically ask what time something is happening, you can also use à quelle heure? (“At what time?”, literally “At what hour?”)
Quand est la prochaine réunion ? = When is the next meeting?
This question could mean what day is the meeting, or what time is the meeting, or both.
À quelle heure est la prochaine réunion ? = At what time is the next meeting?
If you only need to know at what time the meeting starts, this question is more precise.
Pourquoi
When you want to ask why something is or happened, you need pourquoi. In addition to starting interrogative expressions, pourquoi is a grammatically correct question on its own, just like in English.
| French | English | Level of formality |
| Pourquoi est-ce que tu es content aujourd’hui ? | Why are you happy today? | casual |
| Pourquoi est-ce qu’on va à ce magasin ? | Why are we going to this store? | neutral |
| Pourquoi est-ce que le bus est en retard ? | Why is the bus late? | neutral |
| Pourquoi voulez-vous ce portable ? | Why do you want that cell phone? | formal |
| Pourquoi est-ce que tu apprends le français ? | Why are you learning French? | casual |
The answer to pourquoi will often start with parce que (because):
Je veux visiter le musée du Louvre. = I want to visit the Louvre.
Pourquoi ? = Why?
Parce que je veux voir la Joconde. = Because I want to see the Mona Lisa.
Combien
How much does that cost? How many rooms are in the hotel? How many people are coming? This is a job for combien, which means “how much” or “how many.” Like pourquoi, it can stand on its own, or start a more complex question.
Je voudrais des oranges. = I would like some oranges.
Combien ? = How many?
When asking how much of something, make sure to include the preposition de directly after combien.
| French | English | Level of formality |
| Combien ça coûte ? | How much does that cost? | neutral |
| Combien coûtece livre ? | How much does this book cost? | neutral |
| Il y a combien de croissants ? | How many croissants are there? | casual |
| Ça fait combien ? | How much do these cost? (referring to multiple items) | neutral |
| Combien de personnes sont dans le cours ? | How many people are in the class? | casual |
| Il y a combien de km entre Paris et Versailles ? | How many kilometers is it between Paris and Versailles? | casual |
Qui
Qui is the question word to use when you’re asking about people. It means “who.” If you’re asking a question that concerns anything to, from, about, or with someone, make sure that the preposition goes in front of qui.
| French | English | Level of formality |
| Qui est le responsable ? | Who is the manager? | neutral |
| Qui apporte les boissons ? | Who is bringing the drinks? | casual |
| Qui préfère le chocolat ? | Who prefers chocolate? | neutral |
| Qui va au cinéma ? | Who is going to the movies? | neutral |
| Tu parles de qui ? | Who are you talking about? | casual |
| De qui est-ce que tu parles ? | Who are you talking about? | casual |
| De qui parlez-vous ? | Who are you talking about? | formal |
| Avec qui est-ce que tu bavardes ? | Who are you chatting with? | casual |
| À qui avez-vous parlé ? | Who did you speak to? | formal |
Quel
This word means “which,” and it is the only question word that requires agreement. Pay attention to the gender and number of the noun you’re referring to in order to use the correct form of quel.
| French | English |
| quel | which (masculine, singular) |
| quelle | which (feminine, singular) |
| quels | which (masculine, plural) |
| quelles | which (feminine, plural) |
You can also use quel to say “which one.” Just combine it with the correct definite article (le, la, or les) for the noun you’re referring to.
Je voudrais un livre. = I would like a book.
Lequel ? = Which one?
Ce grand livre rouge. = That big red book.
| French | English |
| lequel | which one (masculine, singular) |
| laquelle | which one (feminine, singular) |
| lesquels | which ones (masculine, plural) |
| lesquelles | which ones (feminine, plural) |
Don’t forget that prepositions go at the beginning of questions, so if you have a preposition in front of lequel it needs to follow the contraction rules.
Here is a reminder of the contractions for à and de and how they combine with quel:
- à + le = au auquel = at / to which one
- à + la = à + la à laquelle = at / to which one
- à + les = aux auxquels, auxquelles = at / to which of them
- de + le = du duquel = of / from which one
- de + la = de la de laquelle = of / from which one
- de + les = des desquels, desquelles = of /from which one of them
Here are some examples of how to use those expressions:
- J’ai adoré le livre! = I loved the book!
- Duquel tu parles ? = Which one are you talking about?
- Je vais parler à nos collègues = I’m going to talk to our coworkers.
- Auxquels est-ce que tu vas parler ? = Which ones are you going to talk to?
Here are some more examples of questions using quel:
| French | English | Level of formality |
| Quelle heure est-il ? | What time is it? | neutral |
| À quelle heure est-ce que le cours commence ? | What time does the class start? | neutral |
| Quel livre est-ce que tu préfères ? | Which book do you prefer? | casual |
| Quelle robe est plus belle ? | Which dress is prettier? | neutral |
| Quels films sont en français ? | Which movies are in French? | casual |
| Quelles chanteuses préférez-vous ? | Which (female) singers do you like best? | formal |
Interrogative French phrases to expand your vocabulary
There are a variety of other expressions that may be used in questions, especially when you want to find out very specific information. Here are some common terms that you might hear in a question, beyond the core eight interrogatives.
| French | English | Level of formality |
| jusqu’où | how far / to what point | neutral |
| d’où | from where | neutral |
| depuis quand | since when | neutral |
| non? | No?used to confirm information that you’re not sure is correct | casual |
| n’est-ce pas? | Isn’t it?used to confirm information you already know | casual |
| oui? | Yes? / right?used to confirm information you already know | casual |
- Jusqu’où as-tu lu dans le manuel ? = How far did you read in the manual? / Where did you read to in the manual?
- Jusqu’où est-ce qu’elle a couru aujourd’hui ? = How far did she run today?
- Depuis quand habitent-ils à Marseille ? = How long have they lived in Marseille?
- D’où est-ce que tu viens ? = Where are you from?
- Le train part à midi, n’est-ce pas ? = The train leaves at noon, doesn’t it?
- Il va au supermarché aujourd’hui, oui ? = He’s going to the supermarket today, right?
- Tu aimes les brocolis, non ? = You like broccoli, don’t you?
>>Ready to learn even more vocabulary? Check out our list of essential French expressions.
French question formation
Interrogative words are often combined with special structures to make a complete question. Below, we’ll dive into how you can use est-ce que, inversion, and more.
Tags and inflection
In informal situations, you can ask a closed (yes/no) question just by raising the tone of your voice at the end.
- Paul aime le basket ? = Does Paul like basketball?
You can also use a question tag, like oui, non, or n’est-ce pas on the end of a statement to form a question.
- Vous arrivez lundi n’est-ce pas ? = You’re arriving on Monday, aren’t you?
Est-ce que
For both formal and informal contexts, you can easily form closed questions with the expression est-ce que. Put it at the beginning of a statement and it turns the sentence into a question.
- Paul aime le basket. = Paul likes basketball.
- Est-ce que Paul aime le basket ? = Does Paul like basketball?
- Tu voudrais un sandwich = You would like a sandwich.
- Est-ce que tu voudrais un sandwich ? = Would you like a sandwich?
You can also use est-ce que for questions with a list of options.
- Est-ce que tu préfères un sandwich, de la pizza ou de la soupe ? = Would you prefer a sandwich, pizza, or soup?
- Est-ce que tu reviens samedi ou dimanche ? = Are you coming back Saturday or Sunday?
You can pair many question words with est-ce que to make open questions; just put the question word at the beginning of the sentence.
- Est-ce que tu voudrais manger ? = Would you like to eat?
- Quand est-ce que tu voudrais manger ? = When would you like to eat?
- À quelle heure est-ce que tu voudrais manger ? = At what time would you like to eat?
- Où est-ce que tu voudrais manger ? = Where would you like to eat?
Inversion
A third way to form a question in French is by inversion: switching the order of the subject and the verb. English uses inversion as well, but it’s typically limited to the very formal register, like “To whom am I speaking?”
In French, it is considered a formal way to ask a question, but native speakers use it in their daily speech and writing all the time. You may have already noticed inversions in questions like:
- Comment allez-vous ? = How are you?
- Comment t’appelles-tu ? = What is your name?
- Quel âge as-tu ? = How old are you?
To write a question in its inversion form, first think of it as a statement:
Tu joues au football demain. = You play soccer tomorrow.
Take the verb and the subject pronoun and reverse them, connecting them with a hyphen:
Joues-tu au football demain ? = Are you playing soccer tomorrow?
Inversions must take place with a pronoun (I, you, he, she, it, we, they):
- Vas-tu au parc ? = Are you going to the park?
- Où allons-nous ? = Where are we going?
- Que mangent-elles ? = What is she eating?
- Quand va-t-il arriver ? = When is he going to arrive?
In the last example, you may be wondering where that “t” came from! French avoids having two vowel sounds next to each other. To prevent that in inversions, a “t” is added between the verb and pronoun to make the sounds flow better.
If you must specify a noun, put in before the inversion, but keep the pronoun after the verb:
Nathan joue-t-il au football demain ? = Is Nathan playing soccer tomorrow?
Prepare French questions for real-life conversations
Questions are key to having real conversations with people. You’ve learned how to ask questions using eight interrogative words in French, and how to arrange the word order of a sentence to create a correct question. But this is just the beginning. There is so much more to learn about French conversation, and Rosetta Stone is here to help you keep improving your skills!
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Written by Denise Brown
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