Dialogue
French question intonation with où, quand and pourquoi: a café dialogue
Practise asking where, when and why in a café plan. Compare fronted questions, final question words and requests to repeat a detail.
- A2
- 8 lines
- Practice mode
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In short
Où, quand and pourquoi tell your listener what information you want. A fronted information question often ends with a fall; a question word at the end can go with a rise. The wording and purpose of the question help shape its tune.
Yellow the idea to rememberBlue French to learn
Nora is arranging to meet Sam and Louis. Read the exchange once, then use practice mode to ask Nora’s questions. Each reply supplies the detail requested by the question word: a place, a time or a reason.
- Nora
Où est-ce qu’on retrouve Louis ?
Ask where you are meeting Louis.
English
Where are we meeting Louis?
- Sam
Au café près de la gare.
English
At the café near the station.
- Nora
On se retrouve à quelle heure ?
Ask the time, with the question phrase at the end.
English
What time are we meeting?
- Sam
À dix-huit heures, après son travail.
English
At six, after he finishes work.
- Nora
À quelle heure ? Je n’ai pas bien entendu.
Ask Sam to repeat the time.
English
What time? I didn’t quite hear.
- Sam
À dix-huit heures. Je t’envoie un message.
English
At six. I’ll send you a message.
- Nora
Pourquoi est-ce qu’on va dans ce café ?
Ask why you are choosing this café.
English
Why are we going to that café?
- Sam
Parce que Louis travaille juste à côté.
English
Because Louis works right next door.
| Question | What it asks for | A useful reading to try |
|---|---|---|
| Où est-ce qu’on retrouve Louis ? | A place | Start with a neutral final fall. |
| On se retrouve à quelle heure ? | A time | Try a final rise on the question phrase. |
| À quelle heure ? Je n’ai pas bien entendu. | A repeated time | Use a clear rise to invite repetition. |
These readings give you a starting point for rehearsal. In conversation, speakers also use other contours. A rise on a final question word can accompany an ordinary request for new information, so it needn’t express surprise. For the repeated time, the next sentence makes the purpose explicit: Je n’ai pas bien entendu. Keep that purpose clear as you say the question.
Find the details in the café
Find:
How does intonation work with où, quand and pourquoi?
Tu retrouves qui ? — Louis.
Who are you meeting? — Louis.
Now the missing detail is the person. Keep the question and its reply together when you rehearse.