Asking Questions

Asking Questions

Forming Questions

Inversion Method

• French often uses a method called inversion to ask questions, by swapping the verb and the subject with a hyphen in-between.
• “Tu parles” (you speak) becomes “Parles-tu?” (Do you speak?).

Est-ce que Method

• Start questions with “Est-ce que” (is it that), followed by a statement.
• “Est-ce que tu parles?” translates to “Do you speak?” Literally, it’s asking, “Is it that you speak?”.

Tag Questions

• This involves adding “n’est-ce pas” at the end of a sentence to make it a question. It’s equivalent to the English “isn’t it?” or “right?”.
• So, “Tu parles français, n’est-ce pas?” means “You speak French, don’t you?”.

Using Question Words

Who, What, Where, Why, When, How

• Qui is the French for “Who” and “Whom”.
• To ask “What” in French we usually use “Qu’est-ce que” (literally: “What is it that”) before the subject and verb.
• “Où” is “Where” in French.
• The French for “Why” is “Pourquoi”.
• “Quand” is “When” in French.
• Use “Comment” to ask “How” questions in French.

Remember to revise these regularly, and practise forming questions using different methods and question words!