French question words (les mots interrogatifs) are essential for forming questions and gathering information. They specify the type of information requested and must agree in gender and number when necessary.
- Who: Qui
- Used for people.
- Can be a subject or object.
- Example: Qui vient? (Who is coming?)
- What: Que / Qu' / Quoi
- Que / Qu' is used at the start of a question for "what."
- Quoi is used after a preposition or at the end for emphasis.
- Examples: Que faites-vous? (What are you doing?) / Vous faites quoi? (What are you doing?)
- Where: Où
- Used for places.
- Example: Où allez-vous? (Where are you going?)
- When: Quand
- Used for time.
- Example: Quand partez-vous? (When are you leaving?)
- Why: Pourquoi
- Used for reasons.
- Example: Pourquoi étudies-tu le français? (Why do you study French?)
- How: Comment
- Used for manners or methods.
- Example: Comment ça marche? (How does it work?)
The correct answer is 'Si', which is used for 'if' or in certain question forms, but is not a standard question word.
Qui (Who), Que (What), and Où (Where) are the main question words for 'Who', 'What', and 'Where'.
Who: Qui
Qui is used for asking about people. It can function as a subject or an object in a sentence.
- Used for people (both subject and object).
- Does not change form.
- Example (subject): Qui parle? (Who is speaking?)
- Example (object): Qui chantes-tu? (Whom are you singing to?)
The correct translation is 'Qui vient?'
'Qui' is used to ask about people, either as subject or object, but not for things.
What: Que / Qu' / Quoi
Que (or Qu' before a vowel) is used for "what" at the beginning of a question. Quoi is used after a preposition or for emphasis at the end of a sentence.
- Que/Qu': Used at the beginning of a question for "what."
- Quoi: Used after a preposition or at the end of a question for emphasis.
- Example (Que): Que fais-tu? (What are you doing?)
- Example (Quoi): Tu fais quoi? (What are you doing?)
- Example (after preposition): De quoi parlez-vous? (What are you talking about?)
'What' can be 'que', 'qu'', or 'quoi' depending on the question structure.
The correct word is 'Que'.
Where: Où
Où is used for questions about place or location.
- Used for locations.
- Does not change form.
- Example: Où habites-tu? (Where do you live?)
The correct question is 'Où habites-tu?'
When: Quand
Quand is used for questions about time.
- Used for time.
- Does not change form.
- Example: Quand arrives-tu? (When are you arriving?)
'Quand' means 'When'.
Why: Pourquoi
Pourquoi is used for questions about reason or cause.
- Used for reasons.
- Does not change form.
- Example: Pourquoi ris-tu? (Why are you laughing?)
'Pourquoi' is the question word for 'Why'.
How: Comment
Comment is used for questions about manner or method.
- Used for manner or method.
- Does not change form.
- Example: Comment étudies-tu? (How do you study?)
'Comment' is used for 'How'.
Conclusion
French question words are vital for everyday communication and must be used correctly to form meaningful questions.
- Key words include: Qui, Que/Quoi, Où, Quand, Pourquoi, Comment.
- They do not usually change form, but their usage depends on context.
- Mastery of question words improves both comprehension and expression in French.