Build a French information question from the answer you need
Build French questions from a missing person, place, time or quantity. Compare complete question frames, follow a five-step checklist and try five choices.
In short
Start with the answer you need. Leave that detail blank in a French statement, choose the question word for the gap, then use one complete question frame. Tu écris à Léa gives À qui est-ce que tu écris ?: the question keeps the à required by écrire à.
Yellow the idea to rememberBlue French to learn
How do you build a French information question?
| Statement with a gap | Question | Possible answer |
|---|---|---|
| ___ invite Léa. | Qui est-ce qui invite Léa ? | Nora invite Léa. |
| Nora invite ___. | Qui est-ce que Nora invite ? | Nora invite Léa. |
| Tu arrives ___. | Quand est-ce que tu arrives ? | J’arrive demain. |
| Tu habites ___. | Où est-ce que tu habites ? | J’habite à Lille. |
| Tu invites ___ personnes. | Combien de personnes est-ce que tu invites ? | J’invite quatre personnes. |
The first two answers are names. That alone cannot choose the pattern. In the first question, the missing person does the inviting. In the second, Nora is already the subject and the missing person receives the invitation.
2 · Keep the French verb’s construction
appeler quelqu’uncall someone
Focus: a direct object, with no preposition
Qui est-ce que tu appelles ?
Who are you calling?
écrire à quelqu’unwrite to someone
Focus: a recipient introduced by à
À qui est-ce que tu écris ?
Who are you writing to?
Qu’est-ce qui change ? Qu’est-ce que tu changes ?
What is changing? What are you changing?
For a thing or situation, the same subject/object distinction gives qu’est-ce qui and qu’est-ce que.
3 · Choose one complete frame
| Frame | French |
|---|---|
| Est-ce que, with subject–verb order | Où est-ce que tu habites ? |
| Inversion | Où habites-tu ? |
| A common conversational order | Tu habites où ? |
- Où est-ce que habites-tu ?Où est-ce que tu habites ?
After est-ce que, keep subject–verb order. Inversion is a separate frame.
- À qui est-ce que tu appelles ?Qui est-ce que tu appelles ?
Appeler quelqu’un takes a direct object. Keep à for a verb such as écrire à.