Grammaire 1: asking questions: interrogative words
On étudie !
Interrogative words allow us to ask different types of questions and seek specific information.
| Mot interrogatif | Traduction/explication | Exemple |
|---|---|---|
| Est-ce que (qu’) + subject + verb | Yes or no answer | Est-ce que tu travailles? Est-ce qu‘elle travaille aussi? |
| Qui | Who? A person (the subject of an answer) | Qui sait la date? |
| Que (Qu’) + verb + subject | What? A thing or activity (the object of the answer) | Que fais-tu ce soir? Qu’aimes-tu faire? |
| Où | Where? The answer is the name of a place or location | Où habites-tu? |
| Quand | When? The answer is a time or a date | Quand vas-tu à l’université? |
| Comment | How? The answer describes a way or manner of doing something | Comment va Simon? Comment prépare-t-il son voyage? |
| Combien (de + nom) | How much/many? The answer is a quantity or amount | Combien de frères as-tu? Combien est le livre? |
| Pourquoi |
Why? The answer will include parce que (because). | Pourquoi veux-tu voyager à Paris? |
INVERSION (or not)
The question examples in the table above all reverse the order of the subject and verb: this is called an inversion question. When we do this, an hyphen (-) is always put between the verb and the subject pronoun.
Alternatively, we can ask a question by combining an interrogative word (le mot interrogatif) with est-ce que (qu’). When est-ce que (qu’) is used, the subject and verb is reordered as a statement. See examples below.
| INVERSION | (NOT INVERSION) WITH ”est-ce que (qu’)” |
|---|---|
| Que fais-tu ce soir? Qu‘aimes-tu faire? | Qu’est-ce que tu fais ce soir? Qu’est-ce que tu aimes faire? |
| Où habites-tu? | Où est-ce que tu habites? |
| Quand vas-tu à l’université? | Quand est-ce que tu vas à l’université? |
| Comment va Simon? Comment prépare-t-il son voyage? | Comment est-ce que Simon va? Comment est-ce qu‘il prépare son voyage? |
| etc. | etc. |
QUEL
Quel (which or what) is an interrogative adjective, and like all adjectives, agrees in gender and in number with the noun it agrees with (is followed by).
| Singulier | Pluriel | |
|---|---|---|
| Masculin | quel | quels |
| Féminin | quelle | quelles |
Quel (and its variations) is used either along with a noun or before the verb être (to be):
(a) Quel + noun + verb (What/Which….)
Quelle heure est-il? (What time is it?)
[‘heure’ is fem. sing. = quelle]
Quels autobus vont à l’université Capilano? (Which buses go to CapU?)
[‘autobus’ is masc. plur. = quels]
Quel âge as-tu? (literally, what age do you have?)
[‘âge’ is masc. sing. = quel]
(b) Quel + être + noun (What is/are…)
Quelle est ton adresse? (What is your address?)
[‘adresse’ is fem. sing. = quelle]
Quelles sont les réponses? (What are the answers?)
[‘réponses’ is fem. plur. = quelles]
