32 2.17: Structure – Mots interrogratifs

 

On étudie !

An open-ended question is one that is constructed with interrogative words such as “what”, “where”, “how”, “when”, “who”, “why”, “which” and “how much, many”.

To form an open-ended question, you will need to know the interrogative words (les mots interrogatifs) in French:

Questions avec mots interrogatifs

Mots interrogatifs	Anglais	Vidéos
Qui À qui Pour qui Avec qui Chez qui	who to whom for whom with whom where (at whose place)	Qui
Où	where	Où
Quand	when	Quand
Comment	how	Comment
Qu’est-ce que Que, qu’ (à, de) quoi	what	Que, Qu’est-ce que, Quoi
Combien Combien de, d’ + nom	how much, many	Combien
Pourquoi	why	Pourquoi
Quel(le)s À quelle heure	which at what time	Quel
Lequel Laquelle Lesquels Lesquelles	which one(s)	Lequel

(a) Use an interrogative word at the beginning of your question with (1) est-ce que or (2) inversion. For example, you can turn statements like Tu aimes le Québec (You like Quebec) and Tu manges (You eat) into questions like this :

Est-ce que tu aimes le Québec ? Aimes-tu le Québec ?

Est-ce que tu manges les petits pois ? Manges-tu les petits pois ?

Then you add the interrogative to them, for example:

Pourquoi est-ce que tu aimes le Québec ? Pourquoi aimes-tu le Québec ?

Quand est-ce que tu manges ? Quand manges-tu ?

Où est-ce que tu manges ? Où manges-tu ?

Qu’est-ce que tu manges ? Que manges-tu ?

You may also add an interrogative word to a question formed by a change in intonation, but only in certain cases:

Pourquoi tu aimes le Québec ? Quand tu manges ? Où tu manges ?

(b) When the question word qui (who) is the subject of the sentence, it is followed directly by the verb:

Qui mange au Resto U ? (Who eats at the cafeteria?)

Qui n’aime pas chanter ? (Who doesn’t like to sing?)

When qui is not the object of a sentence (whom), it is followed by est-ce que or inversion:

Qui est-ce que tu regardes ? (Whom are you looking at?)

Qui regardes-tu ? (Whom are you looking at?)

(c) Quand (when) is used to ask about the day and the date, while À quelle heure is only used to ask about the time.

— Quand est-ce que le cours commence ?

— Il commence le 20 août.

— À quelle heure est-ce que cours commence ?

— Il commence à 15h30.

(d) A very common way to formulate a question is to place the interrogative word at the end of the sentence.

Tu t’appelles comment ? (What’s your name?)

Tu habites où ? (Where do you live?)

Il en a combien ? (How many does he have?)

(e) Quoi is different from que, qu’. In order to use it with est-ce que or inversion, it must be preceded by a preposition (à, de). Otherwise, you can just add it to the end.

À quoi penses-tu ? (What are you thinking about?)

Tu étudies quoi ? (What are you studying?)

De quoi parlez-vous ? (What are you guys talking about?)

Tu écoutes quoi ? (What are you listening to?)

Quoi is different from qu’est-ce que because it goes at the end, while qu’est-ce que goes at the beginning.

Qu’est-ce que c’est ?

C’est quoi ?

(f) When you don’t understand what someone is saying to you, you simply say: Comment ? (What? I beg your pardon?)

(g) The interrogative word quel (what or which) is a special case because it is an adjective and therefore must agree with the gender and number of the noun it modifies.

Quel jour sommes-nous ? (Which day is it?)

Quels films aimes-tu ? (What movies do you like?)

Tu es de quelle origine ? (What’s your origin?)

Quelles filles vont à la soirée ? (Which girls are going to the party?)

Some uses of quel will require a preposition as well:

De quelle couleur est-elle la voiture ? (What color is the car?)

À quelle heure est la soirée ? (At what time is the party?)

(h) Qu’est ce que vs. quel. They both ask what, but they are different. Compare:

Quel est ton numéro de téléphone ? (What is your telephone number?)

Qu’est-ce que tu vas manger ? (What are you going to eat?)

Quelles amies invites-tu ? (What friends are you inviting?)

Qu’est-ce qu’il étudie ? (What is he studying?)

(i) When someone asks you pourquoi ? (why), you reply with parce que (because):

— Pourquoi est-ce que tu étudies la chimie et la biologie ?

— Parce que j’aime les sciences !

(j) It is important to remember that the formation of questions is first and foremost about social norms, not grammatical rules. The social situation you are in will determine how you form a question. For example, in writing you will use more inversion. In a more casual setting you will ask Comment tu t’appelles ? (intonation) but in a slightly less casual situation you will say Comment t’appelles-tu ? (inversion). With a friend you may ask, Tu fais quoi ? (What are you doing?), but with a stranger you’ll say Qu’est-ce que vous faites ? Or Que faites-vous ?

 

On pratique !

 

On approfondit !