FORMING QUESTIONS How to form questions in French

FORMING QUESTIONS How to form questions in French

QUESTIONS n One way to ask questions is by using intonation (adding a question mark) – EXAMPLES: § Tu aimes chanter? § Marie a un livre? § Vous aimez aller au café? n Another way to indicate you are asking a question is to use the phrase “est-ce que”

EST-CE QUE n Est-ce que is the phrase put before the question you want to ask, indicating that you are asking a question. The answers will always be yes or no. – Examples: § § § n Est-ce que tu aimes chanter? Est-ce que Marie a un livre? Est-ce que vous aimez aller au café? Remember est-ce que ALWAYS comes before the statement. – Est-ce que tu aimes chanter? NOT – Tu aimes chanter est-ce que?

EST-CE QUE EXAMPLES n Est-ce que nous dansons aujourd’hui? – Do we dance today? n Est-ce que vous aimez aller à la piscine? – Do you like to go to the pool? n Est-ce qu’il aime nager? – Does he like to swim? NOTE: When il, elle, ils or elles follows est-ce que, the que becomes qu’ n Now write your own example in your notes, share it with the person next to you and be ready to share with the class n

Class Work n Change the following from intonation questions to est-ce que qestions. – Tu aimes aller au cinéma? – Nous jouons bien aux cartes? – Vous parlez mal le français? – Il aime lire? – Elles aiment aller au café?

INVERSION QUESTIONS n To make inversion questions, invert the subject and the verb. – Intonation example: Tu aimes le français? – Est-ce que example: Est-ce que tu aimes le français? – Inversion example: Aimes-tu le français?

INVERSION n Inversion is common to do and it is the most formal way to ask a question in French. n When you use inversion, the verb remains conjugated to agree with the subject used in the question. – Chantez-vous bien? NOT – Chante-vous bien?

INVERSION WITH IL & ELLE n When inverting il, elle, and on you have to add a ‘t’ for pronunication when the verb ends in a vowel – A-t-il une soeur? – Chante-t-elle bien? n You do not have to add a ‘t’ if the verb ends in a consonant. – Est-il intelligent? – Choisit-elle des pommes?

INVERSION PRACTICE n Change these statements into questions by inverting them. – Tu vas au café. § Vas-tu au café? – Nous avons un oncle? § Avons-nous un oncle? – Vous aimez chanter? § Aimez-vous chanter? n NOTE: Only the subject and the first verb are inverted. Any adjective, noun, or other verb come after the inverted question!

QUESTION WORDS n Question Words: – – – – n Quand = when Pourquoi = why Que (qu’) = what? Où = where Comment = how Avec qui = with whom Combien de = how many These question words are placed at the beginning of the question using est-ce que or inversion – Avec qui mange-t-il? § With whom is he eating?

Examples n Pourquoi est-ce qu’elle fait du ski? – Why does she ski? n Comment batterie? est-ce que tu joues de la – How do you play the drums? n Où est-ce que nous faisons du théâtre? – Where do we put on plays? n With whom do they (masc. ) ice skate? – Avec q ui est-ce qu’ils font du patin à glace?

CLASS WORK n Change the following questions into inversion questions. – Tu manges la glace au chocolat? – Est-ce qu’il quitte l’ école? – Où est-ce que nous mangeons? – Vous aimez danser? – Pourquoi est-ce qu’elles vont au restaurant?

HOMEWORK n On a separate sheet of paper (NOT ON YOUR CLASS WORK) create six questions using est-ce que – Three questions must use the other question vocabulary (où, quand, avec qui, comment) – All six questions must have a different subject and a different verb. – EXAMPLE QUESTION: Est-ce qu’il a un frère? n Be ready to ask other classmates these questions tomorrow!