Asking questions in French is an essential skill for any beginner learning the language. Whether you want to ask someone’s name, inquire about the time, or get directions, knowing how to ask questions in French will greatly boost your confidence. In this guide, we’ll explore French question words (the equivalents of “who, what, where, when, why, how” in French) and explain how to form questions in French step by step. For example, if you’ve ever wondered how to say “what” in French or “who” in French, or you need to know the words for “why” in French or “where” in French, you’ll find clear answers and examples below. By the end, you’ll be asking questions in French with ease, using the right vocabulary and sentence structures.

1. French Question Words: Who, What, Where, When, Why, How

Like English, French has specific question words (interrogative words) for gathering information. The main French question words correspond to the English “who, what, where, when, why, how.” Here is a quick overview of these basic interrogatives:

As you can see, the French word qui means “who,” où means “where,” quand means “when,” pourquoi means “why,” and comment means “how”. The word for “what” in French is a bit special: it can be que or quoi. Generally, que is used at the beginning of a question, while quoi is used after a verb or preposition. For example, “What are you doing?” can be asked formally as Que fais-tu ? or more informally as Tu fais quoi ? – note that que became quoi when placed at the end of the sentence. Likewise, after a preposition like à (to), de (of/about), or avec (with), French will use quoi rather than que (e.g. À quoi penses-tu ? – “What are you thinking about?”).

In addition to the big six above, French has other useful questioning words. For instance, “how much” or “how many” in French is expressed with combien (e.g. Combien ça coûte ? – “How much does this cost?”), and “which” in French is quel (which changes form for gender and number: quel, quelle, quels, quelles). But to keep things simple for now, we’ll focus on the fundamental French question words – qui, que/quoi, où, quand, pourquoi, and comment – as these will cover most basic French questions you’ll want to ask.

2. Yes/No Questions in French (Closed Questions)

Not all questions use a question word. Sometimes you just want a yes-or-no answer. In French, yes/no questions (questions fermées) can be formed in a few different ways. These closed questions don’t start with who, what, why, etc., but instead are typically variations of a statement. Here are the three common methods of forming yes/no questions in French:

• Intonation (Informal): The simplest way to ask a yes/no question in French is to take a normal statement and raise your intonation (pitch) at the end, just as you would in English. In writing, you just add a question mark. For example, the statement Tu parles français. (“You speak French.”) can become a question by saying Tu parles français ? (“Do you speak French?”) with a rising tone. This method is very common in casual spoken French. Another example: Il est ici (“He is here”) becomes Il est ici ? (“Is he here?”) when spoken with a questioning tone. This intonation method requires no change in word order – just your voice – making it an easy way for beginners to ask basic French questions.
  
• Using est-ce que (Neutral Register): Another way to ask questions in French is to insert the phrase est-ce que at the beginning of a statement. Est-ce que literally translates to “is it that,” but in practice it doesn’t have a direct meaning – it simply signals that the sentence is a question. This is a very common method in everyday French and is appropriate in most situations (neutral formality). For example: Est-ce que tu parles anglais ? means “Do you speak English?”. Here we took the statement Tu parles anglais. (“You speak English.”) and added est-ce que to the front, yielding a question. Est-ce que works for yes/no questions of all kinds: Est-ce qu’il pleut ? (“Is it raining?”), Est-ce que vous avez un stylo ? (“Do you have a pen?”), etc. Remember that est-ce que does not change for person or number – it’s the same for “I,” “you,” “he,” etc. (e.g. Est-ce que je…, Est-ce que tu…). Also note: if que in est-ce que is followed by a vowel sound, it contracts to qu’ (for example, Est-ce qu’il est prêt ? – “Is he ready?”).
  
• Inversion (Formal): The third method is to form a question by inverting the subject and verb. This means you swap the order, placing the verb before the pronoun, and join them with a hyphen. For instance, Vous parlez français. (statement: “You speak French.”) can become Parlez-vous français ? (“Do you speak French?”) when inverted. Similarly, Il est prêt. becomes Est-il prêt ? (“Is he ready?”). Inversion is considered more formal or literary; you’ll often see it in written French, interviews, or formal speeches. It’s less common in everyday conversation. Nonetheless, it’s good to recognize this structure. One thing to watch out for: if the verb ends in a vowel and the pronoun begins with a vowel (like il or elle), a “-t-” is inserted for euphony. For example, A-t-il fini ? (“Has he finished?”) uses a -t- to make pronunciation smoother. In general, beginners can stick with est-ce que or intonation, but you’ll eventually encounter inversion in French writing and advanced speech.
  

Another option for yes/no questions, especially in spoken French, is the tag question. This is when you add a short phrase at the end of a statement, like “…, right?” or “…, isn’t it?” in English. In French, the common tag is n’est-ce pas ? (literally “is it not?” meaning “right?”). For example: Tu viens avec nous, n’est-ce pas ? (“You’re coming with us, right?”). This is an informal way to seek confirmation. However, as a beginner, focusing on the three primary question forms above is enough to get you started.

3. Forming “Open” Questions (Information Questions) in French

Open questions (questions ouvertes), also known as information questions or WH-questions, are questions that begin with a question word (who, what, where, etc.) and cannot be answered with a simple yes or no. In French, forming these information questions is straightforward once you know the pattern. Essentially, you take the French question word and put it at the beginning of the question, then use one of the question structures from above (intonation, est-ce que, or inversion) to complete the question.

• Question Word + est-ce que + statement: This is a very common structure for open questions. You start with the interrogative word, then add est-ce que, then continue with the normal subject-verb order. For example: Où est-ce que tu habites ? means “Where do you live?”. Here, Où (“where”) is the question word, followed by est-ce que, then tu habites (you live). Likewise, Quand est-ce que le film commence ? means “When does the movie start?” (literally “When is it that the movie starts?”). You can do this with any question word: Pourquoi est-ce que… (“Why is it that…”), Comment est-ce que… (“How is it that…”), etc. This structure works in most contexts and is easier for many learners because the word order after est-ce que stays just like a statement.
  
• Question Word + Inversion: In more formal French (or in writing), you may see the question word followed directly by an inverted verb and subject. Using the same examples: Où habites-tu ? is another way to ask “Where do you live?” and Quand commence le film ? asks “When does the movie start?” with the verb before the subject. Similarly, Pourquoi le restaurant est-il fermé ? means “Why is the restaurant closed?” using inversion. This format drops the est-ce que and flips the verb and subject instead. It’s perfectly correct but does sound more formal. A beginner can understand these if encountered, but you can usually reply in a simpler format. Remember the pronunciation rule: if inverted verb and subject clash with vowels, insert -t- (e.g. Comment va-t-il ? – “How is he doing?”).
  
• Informal Spoken Structure (Subject + verb + question word at end): In casual conversation, French speakers often place the question word at the end of the sentence, rather than at the beginning. This is effectively using intonation plus the question word in a more relaxed word order. For example, instead of Qu’est-ce que tu fais ?, you might hear Tu fais quoi ? (“You’re doing what?” to mean “What are you doing?”). Instead of Où allons-nous ? one might ask On va où ? (“We’re going where?”) in spoken French. This structure is common with quoi (“what”) and où (“where”), and others like quand (“when”), comment (“how”), etc., especially when speaking informally. Do note, however, that pourquoi (“why”) and qui (“who”) as a subject are usually kept at the front even in informal speech. For instance, you’d typically ask Pourquoi tu fais ça ? (“Why are you doing that?”) rather than putting pourquoi at the end. And if qui is the subject of the question, it stays at the beginning: Qui vient ce soir ? (“Who is coming tonight?”).
  

Let’s look at a couple of examples to solidify these patterns. Imagine you want to ask “Where are you going?” in French. You have a few options:

• Où est-ce que tu vas ? – Neutral form, translates literally to “Where is it that you are going?”.
  
• Où vas-tu ? – Formal or written form, uses inversion (“Where go-you?”).
  
• Tu vas où ? – Informal spoken form (“You are going where?”), used in everyday conversation.
  

All three mean “Where are you going?” in French, but the register (formality) is different. Another example: “What is he saying?” could be Qu’est-ce qu’il dit ? (neutral, with est-ce que), or Que dit-il ? (formal inversion), or in informal speech, Il dit quoi ? (“He’s saying what?”). Similarly, “When are we leaving?” could be Quand est-ce qu’on part ?, Quand partons-nous ?, or On part quand ? – all translating to “When are we leaving?” in English.

By practicing these structures, you’ll become comfortable with French question formation. Start with the pattern that feels easiest (for many, that’s using est-ce que for open questions and intonation for yes/no questions). As you progress, you can try the inversion form and the informal colloquial form.

4. Practice Forming Your Own French Questions

Now that we’ve covered the basics of forming questions in French – from yes/no questions to using all the key French question words – it’s time to practice. Try forming some basic French questions on your own. For example, how would you ask “Who is coming?” or “Why are you late?” in French? (Answers: Qui vient ?, Pourquoi es-tu en retard ?). Remember that the French “who, what, where, when, why” all have their unique words (qui, que/quoi, où, quand, pourquoi), and you can structure questions using intonation, est-ce que, or inversion as appropriate. With these tools, you should no longer wonder how to ask a question in French – you’ll be doing it naturally! Keep practicing by turning simple sentences into questions, and you’ll soon master the art of asking questions in French.