Three ways to ask a question

CEFR A1Taught in Module 05, Manger et boire · Module 06, Le temps et les loisirs · Module 08, Se déplacer · Module 10, Hier

Assumes you already have

Regular -er verbs in the present tense

French has three registers for the same question, and you should recognise all three even if you only produce the first two.

  1. Intonation — say the statement as a question. Informal, very common. Tu viens ? (Are you coming?)
  2. Est-ce que — put it in front of a statement. Neutral, always safe. Est-ce que tu viens ?
  3. Inversion — swap verb and subject. Formal, and what written exams use. Viens-tu ?

With a question word, it goes first: Où est-ce que tu habites ? · Quand est-ce qu'il arrive ? · Combien est-ce que ça coûte ?

Useful question words: qui (who), que / quoi (what), où (where), quand (when), comment (how), pourquoi (why), combien (how much).

What this unlocks

Knowing the rule is not the same as producing it.

This page explains the pattern. The track drills it: the point arrives inside a mini-dialogue, then production marked against a CEFR descriptor, then a module test that returns you to your two weakest sessions if you miss it.

Start Module 01All A1 and A2 points