By the end of this lesson you'll be able to ask where, when, how, why, how many, who and what, and choose a question style that suits the person you're talking to.
The question words
In the lesson on yes/no questions you learned three ways of asking something that can be answered with oui or non. Question words let you ask for real information.
| French | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| où | oo | where |
| quand | kahn | when |
| comment | koh-MAHN | how, what … like |
| pourquoi | poor-KWAH | why |
| parce que | pars-kuh | becauseParce qu' before a vowel. |
| combien (de) | kohn-BYAN (duh) | how much, how many |
| qui | kee | who |
A note on où: the accent matters. Où means "where" and ou without an accent means "or".
Three styles again
The three styles you know all work with question words.
| Style | Example | Sounds |
|---|---|---|
| Word at the end | Tu habites où ? | relaxed |
| Word + est-ce que | Où est-ce que tu habites ? | neutral |
| Word + inversion | Où habites-tu ? | formal |
Pourquoi is the exception to the first style. It normally goes at the start, even in relaxed speech: Pourquoi tu danses ?
Before a vowel or silent h, que shortens as usual: Où est-ce qu'il habite ?
Tu finis quand ?
When do you finish?
Comment est-ce que tu vas à Nantes ?
How are you getting to Nantes?
Où vas-tu ?
Where are you going?
Why and because
To answer pourquoi, use parce que. Like je and ne, it shortens before a vowel or silent h.
Pourquoi tu chantes ? — Parce que j'adore la musique !
Why are you singing? — Because I love music!
How many
To ask how many of something, use combien de with a noun. The de stays as it is, whatever the noun: it doesn't change for masculine, feminine or plural.
Combien de films tu regardes ?
How many films do you watch?
Who
Qui can be the subject of the verb, and then it needs no est-ce que: Qui joue ? (Who's playing?). It also works at the end of a relaxed question: Tu regardes qui ? (Who are you looking at?).
Three words for "what"
"What" takes a different form depending on where it goes.
| French | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| qu'est-ce que | kess-kuh | what (at the start of a question)Qu'est-ce qu' before a vowel. |
| quoi | kwah | what (at the end of a casual question) |
| que | kuh | what (formal, with inversion)Qu' before a vowel. |
- At the start of a neutral question, use qu'est-ce que: Qu'est-ce que vous aimez ?
- At the end of a relaxed question, use quoi: Tu fais quoi ?
- With inversion, use que: Que fais-tu ?
You've already been using Qu'est-ce que tu fais ? as a fixed phrase in the lesson on faire and aller. Now you can see how it's built.
Which: quel
When "what" or "which" goes with a noun, use quel. It's an adjective, so it matches the noun. All four forms sound the same.
| French | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| quel / quelle | kel | which, what (masculine / feminine singular) |
| quels / quelles | kel | which, what (masculine / feminine plural) |
| la chanson | lah shahn-SOHN | the song |
Quelle chanson tu écoutes ?
What song are you listening to?
Quels films aimez-vous ?
Which films do you like?
You've already met it in Quelle heure est-il ?, from the lesson on telling the time.
Putting it together
Here's a short exchange after a tennis match. Notice how the questions get more specific.
- Tu joues au tennis où ? (Where do you play tennis?)
- À Lille. (In Lille.)
- Et tu joues quand ? (And when do you play?)
- Le samedi, à dix heures. (On Saturdays, at ten.)
- Pourquoi le samedi ? (Why Saturdays?)
- Parce que je ne travaille pas le samedi. (Because I don't work on Saturdays.)
What's next
Next, the lesson on weather and seasons gives you something to talk about with any stranger. You'll put your question words to work in the review of this unit, and combien comes back for prices in the lesson on clothes, colours and prices.