French Question Formation: Est-ce que, Inversion and Interrogative Words

Getting Started — Three Ways to Form a Question

By now you’ve learned -ER, -IR, -RE verbs, and Aller, Faire, Venir — now it’s time to ask questions. French has three ways to form a question, each suited to a different situation:

1. Intonation — the simplest, most common in speech
2. Est-ce que — a middle ground, used everywhere
3. Inversion — more formal, common in writing

Connection: In Everyday Greetings and Phrases, you already used questions like “Comment tu t’appelles?” — this lesson explains how these structures actually work.

A bridge from Punjabi and Hindi: Punjabi ਕੀ and Hindi क्या open a yes/no question (ਕੀ ਤੁਸੀਂ ਫ਼ਰੈਂਚ ਬੋਲਦੇ ਹੋ ?). Est-ce que is the same little opener: Est-ce que vous parlez français ? And as in Punjabi and Hindi, spoken French can leave the question word where the answer would sit: Tu habites où ? (ਤੂੰ ਕਿੱਥੇ ਰਹਿੰਦਾ ਹੈਂ ?). The limit: French puts it after the verb, Punjabi and Hindi before it.

The questions that decide the form: do I need a fact (use a question word) or just yes/no? And who am I talking to, and is it spoken or written?

1 Intonation: Raising Your Voice

The simplest — the sentence structure doesn’t change at all; just raise your voice and add ‘?’:

Use: Most common in speech. Use this with friends and family.

2 Est-ce que

Add ‘Est-ce que’ at the start of the sentence, keeping the rest unchanged:

Note: Before a vowel (a, e, i, o, u), ‘que’ becomes ‘qu’’ (elision) — “Est-ce qu’elle…” not “Est-ce que elle…”.

Use: Safe in every situation — works in both speech and writing.

3 Inversion (Formal)

Swap the subject pronoun and the verb, joined by a hyphen (-):

Note! Adding a ‘t’: When the verb ends in a vowel and the subject is ‘il/elle/on’, a ‘-t-’ is inserted between them so two vowels don’t collide in speech: “Travaille-t-il?” not “Travaille-il?”.

Use: Common in writing, formal speech, and TEF/TCF Expression Écrite. Used less often in casual conversation.

TEF Expression orale, Section A: in this task you phone a stranger about an advertisement, so the register should be formal. Questions asked by intonation alone (Le loyer, c’est combien ?) sound too casual. Use est-ce que or inversion instead, and have a few polite request frames ready:

• Est-ce que le loyer comprend les charges ? (Does the rent include utilities?)
• Pourriez-vous me préciser les horaires ? (Could you tell me the opening hours?)
• Je voudrais savoir si l’appartement est meublé. (I’d like to know whether the apartment is furnished.)

4 Interrogative Words: Asking for Specific Information

Structure: Interrogative word + est-ce que + normal word order, or interrogative word + inversion:

• “Où est-ce que tu habites?” = “Où habites-tu?” (both correct, the second is more formal)
• “Quand est-ce que tu pars?” = “Quand pars-tu?”

5 Qu’est-ce que vs. Qui est-ce que

6 A Preposition Goes First

English lets the preposition drift to the end of the question (“Who are you talking to?”). French cannot: the preposition stays glued in front of the question word.

After a preposition, use qui for people and quoi for things. Que never follows a preposition. In casual speech the question word can go last: Tu parles à qui ?, Tu penses à quoi ?

A bridge from Punjabi and Hindi: Punjabi and Hindi also keep the little word attached to the question word: ਕਿਸ ਨਾਲ / किसके साथ = avec qui, ਕਿਸ ਲਈ / किसके लिए = pour qui. English is the odd one out.

7 When the Question Word Is the Subject

When qui is the subject (the person doing the action), there is no est-ce que and the verb follows directly: Qui parle ? (Who is speaking?), Qui a téléphoné ? For things, the subject form is qu’est-ce qui: Qu’est-ce qui se passe ? (What’s happening?), Qu’est-ce qui ne va pas ?

A test: turn the question into its answer. If the new word stands before the verb (Karan parle → Qui parle ?), it is the subject. If it stands after the verb (Je vois Karan → Qui est-ce que tu vois ?), it is the object. Punjabi ਕੌਣ ਬੋਲ ਰਿਹਾ ਹੈ ? is Qui parle ?, and ਕੀ ਹੋ ਰਿਹਾ ਹੈ ? is Qu’est-ce qui se passe ?

8 At a Glance: One Question, Three Registers

With a noun as the subject, inversion keeps the noun in front and repeats it as a pronoun after the verb: Marie habite-t-elle ici ?, Vos parents viennent-ils ? With je, inversion is rare; use est-ce que (Est-ce que je peux entrer ?).

Real Examples

1. Everyday Questions

• “Tu viens à quelle heure?” → What time are you coming?
• “Est-ce que tu as faim?” → Are you hungry?
• “Comment tu t’appelles?” → What’s your name?

2. While Travelling

• “Où est la gare, s’il vous plaît?” → Where is the train station, please?
• “Combien coûte ce billet?” → How much does this ticket cost?
• “Le train part à quelle heure?” → What time does the train leave?

3. In Formal Situations / Interviews

• “Pourquoi voulez-vous apprendre le français?” → Why do you want to learn French?
• “Depuis quand habitez-vous au Canada?” → Since when have you lived in Canada?

Common Mistakes and Fixes

Practice

A. Which question word? Write the missing word

B. Build the question. Write the missing word

C. Preposition first, and subject questions. Write the missing word

Your Turn

Task (TEF Expression Orale, Section A): you phone about an advertisement for a two-room apartment (900 $ a month, Brampton). The register is formal. Ask six questions: whether it is still available, the rent, whether utilities are included, the move-in date, whether it is furnished, and how to get to the nearest bus stop. Speak for 60–80 words.

What’s Next

Next, learn to give commands and to shorten long answers:

• The Imperative — Viens ! Attendez ! and the negative commands.
• Interrogative Adjectives: quel, quelle — asking which or what kind of.
• Direct and Indirect Object Pronouns — answering questions without repeating the noun.

Your challenge: every day, write five questions about yourself or a stranger: one with intonation, one with est-ce que, one with inversion, one starting with a preposition (Avec qui…), and one with Qu’est-ce qui….