1. Topic Introduction
Question words are used when we do not want only yes or no. We use them when we want specific information such as:
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- thing
- place
- time
- reason
- manner
- quantity
Compare these two questions:
| Type | French | Meaning | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yes / No question | Tu parles français ? | Do you speak French? | tu parl fron-say |
| Information question | Pourquoi parles-tu français ? | Why do you speak French? | poor-kwa parl-tu fron-say |
So, question words help us ask for exact information.
This topic is very important because question words are used in daily conversation, interviews, exams, formal writing, and advanced speaking. At higher levels, the same basic question words remain essential, so they must be learned very clearly now.
2. Main Question Words in French
| French Question Word | Meaning | Main Use | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|---|
| qui | who | person | kee |
| que / qu’ | what | thing / object | kuh / k |
| quoi | what | thing, often after preposition or alone | kwa |
| où | where | place | oo |
| quand | when | time | kahn |
| pourquoi | why | reason | poor-kwa |
| comment | how | manner / state | ko-mahn |
| combien | how much / how many | quantity | كوم-byan |
| quel / quelle / quels / quelles | which / what | choice / identification | kel / kel / kel / kel |
These are the most important beginner question words. Each one has its own rule and position.
3. How Question Words Are Used
French question words can be used mainly in these structures:
| Structure | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| question word + intonation | Tu habites où ? | You live where? / Where do you live? |
| question word + est-ce que | Où est-ce que tu habites ? | Where do you live? |
| question word + inversion | Où habites-tu ? | Where do you live? |
All three forms exist in real French. Some are more spoken, some more formal.
4. Qui — Who
Main Use
Qui is used for a person.
It can ask:
- who does the action
- who receives the action
- who someone is
4.1 Qui as Subject
When qui asks about the subject, French often keeps a simple verb structure.
| French Question | Meaning | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Qui parle ? | Who is speaking? | kee parl |
| Qui vient demain ? | Who is coming tomorrow? | kee vee-ahn duh-man |
| Qui est là ? | Who is there? | kee eh lah |
Important rule:
When qui is the subject, it often directly comes before the verb.
4.2 Qui for Person After Preposition
| French Question | Meaning | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Avec qui parles-tu ? | With whom are you speaking? | a-vek kee parl-tu |
| Pour qui travailles-tu ? | For whom are you working? | poor kee tra-vai-tu |
| De qui parlez-vous ? | About whom are you speaking? | duh kee par-lay voo |
Important rule:
After a preposition like avec, pour, de, French uses qui.
5. Que and Quoi — What
These two forms are related, but they are not used in exactly the same way.
5.1 Que / Qu’
Que usually introduces a direct question before a verb.
| French Question | Meaning | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Que fais-tu ? | What are you doing? | kuh feh-tu |
| Que voulez-vous ? | What do you want? | kuh voo-lay voo |
| Qu’est-ce que tu lis ? | What are you reading? | kess-kuh tu lee |
Important rule:
Before vowel, que becomes qu’.
| Form | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| qu’ | Qu’est-ce que c’est ? | What is this? |
5.2 Quoi
Quoi is often used:
- after a preposition
- alone in spoken French
- at the end of a sentence in informal speech
| French Question | Meaning | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| De quoi parles-tu ? | What are you talking about? | duh kwa parl-tu |
| Avec quoi écris-tu ? | What do you write with? | a-vek kwa ay-kree-tu |
| Tu fais quoi ? | What are you doing? | tu feh kwa |
Important rule:
After a preposition, use quoi, not que.
| Correct | Incorrect |
|---|---|
| De quoi parles-tu ? | De que parles-tu ? |
6. Où — Where
Main Use
Où asks about place or location.
| French Question | Meaning | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Où habites-tu ? | Where do you live? | oo a-beet-tu |
| Où est le livre ? | Where is the book? | oo eh luh leevr |
| Où allez-vous ? | Where are you going? | oo a-lay voo |
Common Structures with où
| Structure | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| où + intonation | Tu vas où ? | Where are you going? |
| où est-ce que | Où est-ce que tu vas ? | Where are you going? |
| où + inversion | Où vas-tu ? | Where are you going? |
7. Quand — When
Main Use
Quand asks about time.
| French Question | Meaning | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Quand arrives-tu ? | When are you arriving? | kahn a-reev-tu |
| Quand part-il ? | When is he leaving? | kahn par-teel |
| Quand est-ce que vous venez ? | When are you coming? | kahn ess-kuh voo vuh-nay |
Important Use
Quand can ask about:
- date
- time
- moment
- period
8. Pourquoi — Why
Main Use
Pourquoi asks for reason.
| French Question | Meaning | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Pourquoi étudies-tu le français ? | Why do you study French? | poor-kwa ay-tu-dyee-tu luh fron-say |
| Pourquoi est-elle absente ? | Why is she absent? | poor-kwa eh-tel ab-sont |
| Pourquoi ne viens-tu pas ? | Why are you not coming? | poor-kwa nuh vee-ahn-tu pah |
Answer Pattern
Questions with pourquoi are often answered with parce que = because.
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Pourquoi es-tu fatiguée ? | Parce que je travaille beaucoup. |
9. Comment — How
Main Use
Comment asks about manner, condition, or method.
| French Question | Meaning | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Comment vas-tu ? | How are you? | ko-mahn va-tu |
| Comment fais-tu cela ? | How do you do that? | ko-mahn feh-tu suh-lah |
| Comment s’appelle-t-il ? | What is his name? / How is he called? | ko-mahn sa-pel-teel |
Important Use
Comment can ask:
- how something is done
- how someone feels
- how something is named
10. Combien — How Much / How Many
Main Use
Combien asks about quantity.
10.1 Combien Alone
| French Question | Meaning | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Combien ça coûte ? | How much does it cost? | kom-byan sa koot |
| Combien es-tu ? | not natural in this context | — |
10.2 Combien de + Noun
This is the most important pattern.
| Pattern | Meaning |
|---|---|
| combien de + noun | how many / how much of |
| French Question | Meaning | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Combien de livres as-tu ? | How many books do you have? | kom-byan duh leevr a-tu |
| Combien de temps avez-vous ? | How much time do you have? | kom-byan duh tahn a-vay voo |
| Combien de pommes achètes-tu ? | How many apples are you buying? | kom-byan duh pom a-shet-tu |
Important rule:
After combien, French usually uses de before the noun.
11. Quel, Quelle, Quels, Quelles — Which / What
Main Use
These forms are used before a noun. They agree with the gender and number of the noun.
| Form | Gender / Number | Meaning | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|---|
| quel | masculine singular | which / what | kel |
| quelle | feminine singular | which / what | kel |
| quels | masculine plural | which / what | kel |
| quelles | feminine plural | which / what | kel |
Agreement Table
| Noun | Article Type | Correct Form |
|---|---|---|
| livre | masculine singular | quel livre |
| voiture | feminine singular | quelle voiture |
| livres | masculine plural | quels livres |
| questions | feminine plural | quelles questions |
Examples
| French Question | Meaning | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Quel livre lis-tu ? | Which book are you reading? | kel leevr lee-tu |
| Quelle langue parles-tu ? | What language do you speak? | kel long parl-tu |
| Quels films aimez-vous ? | Which films do you like? | kel film eh-may voo |
| Quelles questions avez-vous ? | What questions do you have? | kel kes-tyon a-vay voo |
Important rule:
Quel family must agree with the noun, just like an adjective.
12. Comparison of Main Question Words
| Question Word | Asks About | Usually Followed By |
|---|---|---|
| qui | person | verb or preposition |
| que / qu’ | thing | verb |
| quoi | thing | often preposition or end position |
| où | place | sentence |
| quand | time | sentence |
| pourquoi | reason | sentence |
| comment | manner / state | sentence |
| combien | quantity | often de + noun |
| quel family | choice / identification | noun |
13. Sentence Position Patterns
French question words can appear in more than one structure. This is important for real usage.
| Style | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| spoken informal | Tu habites où ? | Where do you live? |
| standard | Où est-ce que tu habites ? | Where do you live? |
| formal | Où habites-tu ? | Where do you live? |
Same meaning, different style.
Another example:
| Style | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| spoken informal | Tu fais quoi ? | What are you doing? |
| standard | Qu’est-ce que tu fais ? | What are you doing? |
| formal | Que fais-tu ? | What are you doing? |
14. Common Mistakes to Avoid
| Incorrect | Correct | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| De que parles-tu ? | De quoi parles-tu ? | after preposition use quoi |
| Combien livres as-tu ? | Combien de livres as-tu ? | use de after combien |
| Quelle livre | Quel livre | form must match noun gender |
| Qui livre lis-tu ? | Quel livre lis-tu ? | qui is for people, not things |
15. Vocabulary
| French Word | Gender | Meaning | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|---|
| le livre | masculine | book | luh leevr |
| la voiture | feminine | car | lah vwa-tyur |
| la langue | feminine | language | lah long |
| le film | masculine | film | luh film |
| la question | feminine | question | lah kes-tyon |
| le temps | masculine | time | luh tahn |
| la pomme | feminine | apple | lah pom |
| le prix | masculine | price | luh pree |
| la maison | feminine | house | lah meh-zon |
| le travail | masculine | work | luh tra-vai |
| la réponse | feminine | answer | lah ray-pons |
| le professeur | masculine | teacher | luh pro-fe-sœr |
16. Mini Paragraph
Où habites-tu ? Quel livre lis-tu ? Pourquoi étudies-tu le français ? Comment fais-tu tes devoirs ? Combien de temps as-tu ? Avec qui travailles-tu ?
Meaning:
Where do you live? Which book are you reading? Why do you study French? How do you do your homework? How much time do you have? With whom do you work?
17. Memory Practice
| French Question | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Qui est là ? | Who is there? |
| Que fais-tu ? | What are you doing? |
| De quoi parlez-vous ? | What are you talking about? |
| Où allez-vous ? | Where are you going? |
| Quand vient-il ? | When is he coming? |
| Pourquoi es-tu triste ? | Why are you sad? |
| Comment vas-tu ? | How are you? |
| Combien de livres avez-vous ? | How many books do you have? |
| Quelle langue apprends-tu ? | What language are you learning? |
18. Day 17 Summary Notes
| Concept | Key Rule |
|---|---|
| qui | used for people |
| que / qu’ | used for things before verb |
| quoi | used after preposition or alone in spoken style |
| où | asks about place |
| quand | asks about time |
| pourquoi | asks about reason |
| comment | asks about manner or state |
| combien | asks about quantity, often with de |
| quel family | agrees with noun in gender and number |
| style difference | spoken, standard, and formal question structures all exist |
The most important point from today is this: question words do not only ask for information, they also follow specific grammar patterns, and each word must be used in the correct position with the correct structure.