French Question Words
The French question words are qui (who), que or quoi (what), où (where), quand (when), comment (how), pourquoi (why), combien (how much, how many), quel (which, what) and lequel (which one). You can ask a question three ways: with rising intonation, with est-ce que, or by inverting the verb and subject. Inversion is the most formal and the best choice in an exam.
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In the TEF / TCF Canada exam
In TEF speaking Section A and TCF speaking Task 2, you ask the questions. Use inversion and polite forms, and vary your question words.
French Question Words: the full chart as text
Question words
| Word | Meaning | Example | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| qui | who | Qui organise la réunion? | Who is organising the meeting? |
| que / quoi | what | Que faites-vous? Tu fais quoi? | What are you doing? |
| où | where | Où habitez-vous? | Where do you live? |
| quand | when | Quand commence le cours? | When does the course start? |
| comment | how | Comment êtes-vous venu? | How did you get here? |
| pourquoi | why | Pourquoi apprenez-vous le français? | Why are you learning French? |
| combien (de) | how much, how many | Combien coûte l'inscription? | How much does registration cost? |
| quel(le)(s) | which, what | Quelle est votre adresse? | What is your address? |
| lequel | which one | Lequel préférez-vous? | Which one do you prefer? |
Pourquoi? → Parce que… Combien de + noun: combien de temps, combien d'heures.
Quel agrees with the noun
| Singular | Plural | |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine | quel | quels |
| Feminine | quelle | quelles |
Quel âge avez-vous? Quelles langues parlez-vous? Quelle est votre profession?
Three ways to ask
- Vous habitez où?Intonation: casual speech
- Où est-ce que vous habitez?Est-ce que: neutral, always safe
- Où habitez-vous?Inversion: formal, best for the exam
- Vous parlez anglais?Yes/no, intonation
- Est-ce que vous parlez anglais?Yes/no, est-ce que
- Parlez-vous anglais?Yes/no, inversion
How inversion works
Swap the verb and the subject pronoun and join them with a hyphen. Add -t- between two vowels. With a noun subject, keep the noun and add a pronoun.
- A-t-il réservé sa place?Has he booked his seat?
- Parle-t-elle français?Does she speak French?
- Votre fils parle-t-il français?Does your son speak French?
Que or quoi?
Que (qu') starts a question. Quoi comes after a preposition, or at the end in casual speech.
- Qu'est-ce que vous voulez?What do you want?
- À quoi pensez-vous?What are you thinking about?
- De quoi avez-vous besoin?What do you need?
The preposition comes first
In French the preposition goes before the question word, never at the end of the sentence.
- Avec qui travaillez-vous?Who do you work with?
- D'où venez-vous?Where do you come from?
- Depuis quand apprenez-vous le français?How long have you been learning French?
Polite questions for role-plays
- Pourriez-vous me dire où se trouve l'accueil?Could you tell me where reception is?
- Je voudrais savoir si le prix comprend le matériel.I'd like to know if the price includes materials.
- Savez-vous à quelle heure le cours commence?Do you know what time the class starts?
- Est-il possible de payer en plusieurs fois?Is it possible to pay in instalments?
Go deeper
Free PDF · 29 pagesTEF & TCF Canada Speaking Phrasebook (Expression orale)Phrase banks, step-by-step scripts, sample dialogues and 100 practice prompts for every speaking task Guide · 8 min readTCF Canada speaking: the 3 tasks, minute by minute12 minutes, 3 tasks, and only one of them gives you prep timePreparing for TEF or TCF Canada?
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Questions
Rising intonation (Vous habitez où?), est-ce que (Où est-ce que vous habitez?) and inversion (Où habitez-vous?). Intonation is casual, est-ce que is neutral and inversion is formal.
Quel goes with a noun or with être: Quel livre? Quelle est votre adresse? Lequel replaces the noun and means 'which one': Lequel préférez-vous? Both agree in gender and number with the noun.
Inversion and est-ce que are both correct. The examiner is someone you don't know, so formal questions with vous fit well. Mixing inversion, est-ce que and polite forms like Pourriez-vous me dire… shows range.
