Question words and information questions

Kurz erklärt

French information questions ask for a specific detail. Common question words are qui (who), où (where), quand (when), comment (how), pourquoi (why), combien (how much/many), and quel/quelle (which or what). To ask about a thing, qu’est-ce que is often the clearest everyday choice.

Bildung

question word + est-ce que + subject + verb, or question word + subject + verb in informal speech; quel agrees with its noun: quel, quelle, quels, quelles

Verwendung

• Use où, quand, comment, pourquoi, and combien to ask about place, time, manner, reason, and quantity.
• Use qui for a person and qu’est-ce que for a thing.
• Use quel before a noun and match its gender and number.

Beispiele

• Où est-ce que tu habites ? — Where do you live?
• Qu’est-ce que vous cherchez ? — What are you looking for?
• Pourquoi elle est en retard ? — Why is she late?
• Quelle heure est-il ? — What time is it?

Typischer Fehler

❌ Que tu cherches ?

✅ Qu’est-ce que tu cherches ?

English ‘what’ does not translate mechanically as que at the start of this everyday question. Use qu’est-ce que before the subject.

Merke

Choose the question word for the missing information. Quel changes to agree with the noun that follows.