Unit 4 · Lesson 4
Asking Questions
There are three ways to ask a yes/no question in French, and seven essential question words to unlock any conversation.
Three ways to ask a question
- 1. Intonation
Tu parles français? (raise your voice at the end)
- 2. Est-ce que
Est-ce que tu parles français? (most common in speech)
- 3. Inversion
Parles-tu français? (formal/written)
Common mistakes — asking questions
✗ Comment est-ce que t'appelles-tu?
✓ Comment t'appelles-tu? OR Comment est-ce que tu t'appelles?: Never combine inversion and est-ce que.
✗ Où est-ce que tu vas?: said as 'Où tu vas?'
✓ Both are acceptable, but 'Où tu vas?' is informal (intonation only). For exams, use est-ce que or inversion.
✗ Combien livres as-tu?
✓ Combien de livres as-tu?: Combien requires de before a noun.
✗ Ou habites-tu? (no accent)
✓ Où habites-tu? (accent): ou without accent means 'or'. Always add the accent for 'where'.
✗ Pourquoi tu parles? (mixing styles)
✓ Pourquoi est-ce que tu parles? OR Pourquoi parles-tu?: Don't mix the three question methods within one question.
Question words
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French
Qui?
tap to flip
English
Who?
Qui est-ce? Who is it?
0 of 8 learned
Question words
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Click a French word, then click its English match.
Choose the question word
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Hint: where
Where do you live?
Asking questions quiz
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Which question type uses 'est-ce que'?
You can describe the world in French.
You know colors, adjectives, how to conjugate -er verbs, and how to ask questions. Test yourself before moving on.