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Lesson 26

French Question Words

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Bonjour !

In our last lesson, you learned how to construct negative sentences with ne...pas, which is essential for saying what something is not. Today, we will build on your ability to ask questions. We'll move beyond the simple yes/no questions you've learned and explore how to ask for specific information.

This is a critical skill for your goal of working in a call center. You will constantly need to ask for details like a customer's name, the nature of their problem, or the time of an incident. Today's learning outcome is to master the core French question words: qui (who), que (what), où (where), quand (when), comment (how), pourquoi (why), and combien (how much/many).

Let's get started on asking better questions!

1. The Main Question Words: "Les Mots Interrogatifs"

French question words, or mots interrogatifs, are used to ask for specific pieces of information. The image below provides a great visual introduction to some of the most common ones. We will cover all of these, plus combien (how much/many).

French Interrogative Words (Mots interrogatifs)
This infographic shows the main French question words and the type of information they are used to ask for: Que/Quoi (thing), Où (place), Qui (person), Quand (time), Comment (manner), Quel (which), and Pourquoi (reason).

Let's explore each one with examples. For a guided explanation and to hear the correct pronunciation, the following video is an excellent resource.

French Question Words Explained: QUI, QUE, QUOI, OÙ, QUAND, COMMENT, POURQUOI - A1

The video 'French Question Words Explained' from the lingoni FRENCH channel provides clear explanations and examples for the most common question words. We will watch it in parts as we introduce each word.

First, watch the brief introduction from the beginning to 00:34.

Qui ? (Who?)

Use qui to ask about a person.

  • Qui est à la réception ? (Who is at the reception?)
  • Avec qui est-ce que vous parlez ? (Who are you speaking with?)

French Question Words Explained: QUI, QUE, QUOI, OÙ, QUAND, COMMENT, POURQUOI - A1

Now, let's focus on 'qui'.

Watch the section from 00:34 to 01:15 to see how 'qui' is used.

Que ? / Quoi ? (What?)

This is a bit more nuanced. Both mean "what," but are used differently.

  • Use que (or qu' before a vowel) at the beginning of a question. This is common in standard and formal French.
    • **Que** voulez-vous ? (What do you want?)
    • **Qu'**est-ce que vous faites ? (What are you doing?)
  • Use quoi at the end of a question (in informal speech) or after a preposition (like avec, de, à).
    • Vous faites **quoi** ? (What are you doing? - informal)
    • De **quoi** parlez-vous ? (What are you talking about?)

French Question Words Explained: QUI, QUE, QUOI, OÙ, QUAND, COMMENT, POURQUOI - A1

The video explains this important difference between 'que' and 'quoi'.

Watch from 01:15 to 03:02. Notice the examples for 'que', 'qu'est-ce que', and the informal 'quoi' at the end of a sentence.

Où ? (Where?)

Use où to ask about a location or place. Don't forget the accent, or it means "or" (ou)!

  • Où habitez-vous ? (Where do you live?)
  • Où sont les documents ? (Where are the documents?)

Quand ? (When?)

Use quand to ask about time.

  • Quand commence la réunion ? (When does the meeting start?)
  • C'est pour quand ? (When is it for?)

Comment ? (How?)

Use comment to ask about the manner or way something is done. You already know it from Comment allez-vous ?.

  • Comment puis-je vous aider ? (How can I help you?)
  • Comment ça fonctionne ? (How does it work?)

Pourquoi ? (Why?)

Use pourquoi to ask for a reason. The typical answer begins with parce que (because).

  • Pourquoi est-ce que vous appelez ? (Why are you calling?)
  • Answer: **Parce que** j'ai un problème. (Because I have a problem.)

French Question Words Explained: QUI, QUE, QUOI, OÙ, QUAND, COMMENT, POURQUOI - A1

Let's watch the rest of the lingoni FRENCH video to cover 'où', 'quand', 'comment', and 'pourquoi'.

Watch from 03:02 to the end (06:46). Pay attention to the pronunciation of 'quand' and the different examples for each word.

Test your understanding!

Choose the correct question word (qui, que, où, quand, pourquoi) to complete the sentence.

  1. _______ est votre manager ? - C'est Madame Dubois.
  2. _______ est-ce que tu ne comprends pas ? - Je ne comprends pas la question.
  3. _______ partez-vous en vacances ? - Nous partons en août.
  4. _______ se trouve le service client ? - Il est au premier étage.
  5. _______ est-il absent ? - Parce qu'il est malade.
Show answer
  1. Qui est votre manager ?
  2. **Qu'**est-ce que tu ne comprends pas ? (Que becomes Qu')
  3. Quand partez-vous en vacances ?
  4. Où se trouve le service client ?
  5. Pourquoi est-il absent ?

2. The Final Word: Combien ? (How much / How many?)

Combien is used to ask about quantity. It has a very important rule: when followed directly by a noun, you must add de (or d' before a vowel).

  • How much? (for uncountable things)
    • Combien ça coûte ? (How much does it cost?)
  • How many? (for countable things)
    • **Combien de** jours ? (How many days?)
    • **Combien d'**appels avez-vous reçus ? (How many calls did you receive?)

3. Three Ways to Build Your Question

Now that you know the words, let's see how to structure the full question. There are three common ways, each with a different level of formality.

  1. Standard: Use est-ce que
    This is the most versatile and common structure, perfect for professional conversations. You simply place the question word before est-ce que.

    • Question Word + est-ce que + Subject + Verb...
    • Où est-ce que vous travaillez ? (Where do you work?)
    • Quand est-ce que le client a appelé ? (When did the client call?)

  2. Formal: Use Inversion
    This structure involves inverting the subject and the verb, just like in English ("Where do you work?"). It sounds more formal and is common in writing.

    • Question Word + Verb-Subject...
    • Où travaillez-vous ? (Where do you work?)
    • Comment vous appelez-vous ? (What is your name?)

  3. Informal: Place the Question Word at the End
    This is very common in everyday spoken French. It's important for your listening skills, but you should prefer the est-ce que form when speaking in a professional context.

    • Subject + Verb + Question Word...
    • Vous travaillez où ? (Where do you work?)
    • Le client a appelé quand ? (When did the client call?)

To see these three structures in action and get a detailed look at combien de, the next video is very helpful.

Quand - Comment - Pourquoi - Où - Combien (de) in French // French Grammar Course // Lesson 24

The video 'Quand - Comment - Pourquoi - Où - Combien (de)' by The perfect French with Dylane systematically explains how to use these question words with 'est-ce que', inversion, and the informal structure.

Watch from 01:37 to 08:15. For each question word, notice how the instructor presents the three different ways to form the question. Pay special attention to the detailed explanation of 'combien' and 'combien de' starting at 05:02.

For a final written summary of everything, this article is a great reference.

Asking questions in French with 'qui/que/quoi/quand/où/comment/pourquoi/combien'

The article 'Asking questions in French' from Lawless French provides a concise summary of the question words and the three main ways to structure questions.

Read the section titled 'Let's see the three ways to use them'. It clearly lays out the rules for using intonation, 'est-ce que', and inversion that we just discussed.

Conclusion

Excellent work today! You have now learned the essential tools to ask for specific information in French, a vital skill for both daily life and your future career.

Key Takeaways:

  • You can now use the seven key question words: qui, que/quoi, où, quand, pourquoi, comment, and combien.
  • You understand the crucial difference: que at the beginning of a question, quoi at the end or after a preposition.
  • You know the mandatory structure combien de when asking about a specific noun.
  • You can form questions in three ways: with est-ce que (standard/professional), with inversion (formal), and with the question word at the end (informal). For your professional goals, the est-ce que structure is your most reliable choice.

In our next lesson, we will learn how to show ownership by using possessive adjectives like mon, ton, son (my, your, his/her). This will allow you to move from asking "Who is this?" (Qui est-ce ?) to answering "This is my colleague" (C'est **mon** collègue).

À bientôt