Les mots interrogatifs / Question Words

Question words (mots interrogatifs) are essential for asking open-ended questions. They can be used with est-ce que, inversion, or at the end of a sentence (informal).

The Question Words

French	IPA	English	Asks about
qui	[ki]	who	person
que / quoi	[kə] / [kwa]	what	thing
où	[u]	where	place
quand	[kɑ̃]	when	time
pourquoi	[puʁ.kwa]	why	reason
comment	[kɔ.mɑ̃]	how	manner
combien	[kɔ̃.bjɛ̃]	how much/many	quantity, price

Qui — Who

• Qui est-ce? [ki ɛs] — Who is it?
• Qui parle français? [ki paʁl fʁɑ̃.sɛ] — Who speaks French?
• C’est qui? [sɛ ki] — Who is it? (informal)

Que / Quoi — What

Que at the beginning; quoi at the end or after prepositions:

• Qu’est-ce que tu fais? [kɛs kə ty fɛ] — What are you doing?
• C’est quoi? [sɛ kwa] — What is it?

Où — Where

• Où est la gare? [u ɛ la ɡaʁ] — Where is the station?
• Où sont les toilettes? [u sɔ̃ le twa.lɛt] — Where are the restrooms?
• Tu habites où? [ty a.bit u] — Where do you live? (informal)
• D’où viens-tu? [du vjɛ̃ ty] — Where do you come from?

Quand — When

• Quand part le train? [kɑ̃ paʁ lə tʁɛ̃] — When does the train leave?
• Tu arrives quand? [ty a.ʁiv kɑ̃] — When do you arrive? (informal)

Pourquoi — Why / Parce que — Because

• Pourquoi tu apprends le français? — Why are you learning French?
• Parce que j’aime la France. [paʁs kə ʒɛm la fʁɑ̃s] — Because I love France.
• Pourquoi pas? [puʁ.kwa pa] — Why not?

Comment — How

• Comment ça va? [kɔ.mɑ̃ sa va] — How are you?
• Comment tu t’appelles? [kɔ.mɑ̃ ty ta.pɛl] — What’s your name?
• Comment on dit “hello” en français? — How do you say “hello” in French?

Combien — How Much/Many

• C’est combien? [sɛ kɔ̃.bjɛ̃] — How much is it?
• Combien de frères as-tu? — How many brothers do you have?
• Combien de temps? [kɔ̃.bjɛ̃ də tɑ̃] — How much time? / How long?

Common Mistakes

Incorrect	Correct	Explanation
*Que est-ce que	Qu’est-ce que	Elision: que → qu’
*Quoi fais-tu?	Que fais-tu?	Use que at beginning

Practice Sentences

1. Qui est ton professeur? [ki ɛ tɔ̃ pʁɔ.fɛ.sœʁ] — Who is your teacher?
2. Où est la pharmacie? [u ɛ la faʁ.ma.si] — Where is the pharmacy?
3. Pourquoi tu es en retard? [puʁ.kwa ty ɛ ɑ̃ ʁə.taʁ] — Why are you late?
4. Combien coûte ce livre? [kɔ̃.bjɛ̃ kut sə livʁ] — How much does this book cost?
5. Comment tu vas au travail? [kɔ.mɑ̃ ty va o tʁa.vaj] — How do you get to work?

Exercise

Fill in with the correct question word:

1. ___ habites-tu? (where)
2. ___ est-ce que tu fais? (what)
3. ___ tu es triste? (why)
4. ___ ça coûte? (how much)
5. ___ tu t’appelles? (how/what’s your name)

Answers

1. Où habites-tu?
2. Qu’est-ce que tu fais?
3. Pourquoi tu es triste?
4. Combien ça coûte?
5. Comment tu t’appelles?