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Asking questions: question words

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In the speaking exam you answer questions, and in listening and reading you must spot what is being asked. This lesson recaps the question words you met at KS3.

Three ways to ask

1. Raise your voice: Tu as un chien ?
2. Put Est-ce que in front: Est-ce que tu as un chien ?
3. Swap the verb and the pronoun (inversion): As-tu un chien ?
All three mean "Do you have a dog?". The first two are the easiest to use; you need to recognise the third.

Question words

Answering well

Use the verb from the question, but change the person: Où habites-tu ? J'habite à Leeds.
A pourquoi question needs parce que (because) or car in the answer.
Quel agrees with its noun like an adjective: quel film (m), quelle heure (f), quels livres (m pl), quelles chaussures (f pl).
Worked example

Ask a friend, using est-ce que: Do you go to the beach on Saturdays?

  1. Start with Est-ce que.
  2. Tu vas = you go. À + la = à la plage.
  3. On Saturdays = le samedi.

Answer: Est-ce que tu vas à la plage le samedi ?

Key idea

Ask by raising your voice, adding est-ce que, or swapping verb and pronoun. Qui = who, que = what, où = where, quand = when, comment = how, pourquoi = why, combien = how much / many, quel(le) = which. Answer pourquoi with parce que or car.

The interactive lesson includes the diagrams for this topic.

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