ASKING QUESTIONS IN FRENCH
You should learn how to ask questions in French. It is very essential for spoken French . In this session , we will learn all about asking questions in French.There are two types of questions.In the first type of questions, the answer will be either YES or NO. In all there are three methods of asking questions. They are as follows.
By intonation.
By inversion of verb and subject.
By use of “EST-CE QUE” at the beginning of a sentence.
A rising intonation at the end of a statement indicates a question.
Vous êtes indien?
You are an Indien ?
Tu viens avec moi?
You are coming with me?
Votre père est chez toi ?
Your father is at your home?
By inversion of verb and subject , we can ask a question. Study the following examples.
Êtes-vous indien?
Are you an Indian?
Viens-tu avec moi?
Are you coming with me?
Votre père est-il chez toi?
Is your father at your home ?
IMPORTANT OBSERVATION.
Note the hyphen between the verb and the subject. Further see how the third question is framed by the use of subject pronoun”IL” for the inversion.
By use of “EST-CE QUE” at the beginning of a question. The statement which follows the “EST-CE QUE” will have Subject Verb order as in the case of a normal sentence and remember that there is no need of inversion. In other words , “EST-CE QUE “ placed before a statement becomes a question.
Vous êtes indien.( A statement )
Est-ce que vous êtes indien? ( A question )
Are you an Indian?
Tu viens avec moi. ( A statement )
Est-ce que tu viens avec moi ? ( A question )
Are you coming withIs your father at your home ?
Hope you understood all the three methods of asking questions of the first type for which the answer is either yes or no.
Now let us learn how to frame questions for which the answers would be some information and not YES or NO. For such questions , we use interrogative words. Certain interrogative forms in French are lengthy and contain several words unlike English. Don’t be intimidated by them. With sufficient practice, you will be used to such a form.
How to say “What “ in French when the answer would be an object of a verb . For example, you want to ask “ What do you want ?”. The answer can be “ I want an apple “. Use the group of words , QU’EST-CE QUE “ at the beginning . This will be followed by the subject and the relevant verb conjugated appropriately. Study the following examples.
Qu’est-ce que vous voulez ?
What do you want ?
Je veux une pomme.
I want an apple.
If you translate the French question, word to word , it reads like, “ What you want ?”. So in French the word order for such questions will be “ Qu”-est ce que + subject + verb. Don’t forget this.Study some more examples given below.
Qu”est-ce qu’il fait ?
What is he doing.
Il lit un journal.
He is reading a newspaper.
Qu’est-ce qu’elle écrit ?
What is she writing ?
Elle écrit une lettre.
She is writing a letter.
You can ask the above questions , simply by using a “ QUE” at the beginning of the sentence and inverting the subject verb order to verb subject order.
Que voulez-vous ?
Que fait-il?
Que écrit-elle?
Suppose the subject is a proper noun , how do we frame the question ?
Jean , qu’est-ce qu’il fait ?
What is John doing ?
Jean , que fait-il?
Marie, qu’est-ce qu’elle fait?
What is Mary doing ?
Marie, que fait-elle?
Yet there is another way of asking these questions using “QUOI” at the end. Study these examples.
Vous voulez quoi?
Il fait, quoi?
Elle écrit quoi?
Jean fait quoi?
Jean fait quoi?
Marie fait quoi?
Now let us learn the method of framing questions using interrogative words 1. où 2. Quand 3. Pourquoi 4. Comment 5. Quel 6. Combien 7.Qui. I will explain two methods which are very easy to understand. Further, I will give you examples for the use of each of these interrogative words.
OÙ - Where
Où habitez-vous? Where do you live ?
Où est-ce que vous habitez?
In the first example, “où” is followed by verb and subject . In the second example, “OÙ” is followed by .” EST-CE QUE” which in turn is followed by subject and verb as in the case of a normal sentence. The meaning of both the sentences is one and the same. Have you grasped the point. Now let me give you examples for the use of other interrogative words.
Quand -When
Quand partez-vous pour Delhi? When do you leave for Delhi?
Quand est-ce que vous partez pour Delhi?
Pourquoi? Why
Pourquoi êtes-vous triste? Why are you sad?
Pourquoi est-ce que vous êtes triste?
Comment ? How ?
Comment conduit-il si bien? How does he drive so well?
Comment est-ce qu’il conduit si bien ?
Quel, Quels, Quelle, Quelles—— Which/what
Remember that “Quel” is an interrogative adjective in French. Therefore it has four forms depending on the gender and number of the noun which follows it.By now, you should understand this easily. The following example will help you
Quel est votre prénom? What is your first name ?
Quelle couleur préférez-vous? Which colour do you prefer?
Quelles villes visitez-vous en France ? Which cities are you visiting in France ?
Quels chateaux sont bien connus en France ? Which castles are well-known in France
Quel livre lisez-vous maintenant ? Which book are you reading now?
Combien ——-How much/ How many
This word is used for quantities and also the price of things.
C’est combien ? How much is this ?
Cette voiture, combien coûte-elle? How much does this car cost ?
Combien de personnes y a- t-il dans votre famille? How many persons are there in your family ?
Qui ———Who /whom
C’est qui ? Who is that ?
Vous parlez à qui ? To whom are you talking ?
À qui parlez-vous ? To whom are you talking ?
FRENCH EXPRESSIONS USING “ AVOIR “
You have already learnt the conjugation in the present tense of the French Verb ,”AVOIR”. This verb was used to tell the age of a person , there are many other important expression using “avoir”. Let us learn some of these expressions now.
AVOIR FAIM———-TO BE HUNGRY
in these expressions, you have to conjugate avoir appropriately and the second word “faim” in the expression does not change.Study the following examples.
J’ai faim -I am hungry.
Tu as faim - you are hungry
Il/Elle a faim -She is hungry
Nous avons faim -We are faim
Vous avez faim —-You are hungry
Ils/ Elles ont faim ——They are hungry
Now, I will give the other expressions with “AVOIR”. It is for you to construct suitable sentences to acquire proficiency in these expressions.
1.AVOIR SOIF ———- TO BE THIRSTY
2.AVOIR RAISON ——- TO BE RIGHT
3.AVOIR TORT ———- TO BE WRONG
4.AVOIR PEUR ———- TO BE AFRAID
5, AVOIR BESOIN DE — TO BE IN NEED OF
6. AVOIR ENVIE DE —— TO FEEL LIKE
7. AVOIR CHAUD ———- TO FEEL HOT
8.AVOIR FROID————— TO FEEL COLD
9.AVOIR SOMMEIL— —— TO FEEL SLEEPY
10. AVOIR DE LA CHANCE- TO BE LUCKY
11. AVOIR LIEU——- TO TAKE PLACE
FRENCH EXPRESSIONS USING ‘ÊTRE”
You already learnt the conjugation of the verb être .It is used for telling nationality and profession. It is generally used with adjectives,nouns and adverbs to describe a state of being. Study the following examples.
Pierre est beau. —-Peter is handsome.
Hélène est belle.—Helene is beautiful.
Nous sommes à Chennai.—We are in Chennai.
Elle est française.—She is French.
Martin est avocat. -Martin is an advocate.
Être is used with a tonique pronoun to express possession.
Cette voiture est à moi. — This car is mine.
Ce livre est à elle.——this book is hers.
Cette maison est à nous.
EXPRESSIONS WITH FAIRE
FRENCH NOTE FAIRE " -1
The French verb " faire " is very common. It deserves our attention . In few notes, I will
discuss its various uses.
The basic meaning of " faire" is " to make". But it is used in several ways and you can not
stick to one meaning . I will give you the many ways by which this verb is used along with
English translation .
1. Faire - to make
Maman fait le repas.
Mother makes lunch.
Est-ce que tu sais faire une poupée ?
Do you know how to make a doll ?
2.faire ses besoins - to go to toilet
3. Faire une visite à qqn - to pay a visit to someone
Quand j'étais à Chennai pendant la semaine dernière , j'ai fait une visite à mon ancien
professeur.
When I was in Chennai last week, I paid a visit to my former teacher.
4. Faire une promesse à qqn - to make a promise to someone
Faites attention quand vous faites une promesse à quelqu'un .
Be careful when you make a promise to someone.
5. Faire une farce à qqn - to play a trick on someone
Ne faites pas une farce à Martin . Il est trop intelligent .
Don't play your trick on Martin. He is too intelligent.
6. Faire du bruit - to make a noise ( to cause sensation )
Que Nehru faisait espionner des proches de Subash Chandra Bose a fait du bruit
dans la presse indienne.
That Nehru got the relatives of Subash Bose spied on caused a sensation in Indian press.
7.faire l'école buissonnière - to bunk off school
8. Faire grève - to strike
On fait grève tous les jours en France pour une raison n'importe quelle.
They go on strike everyday in France for some reason or other.
9.faire sa toilette - to wash
Avant de prier, on fait sa toilette selon la coutume dans plupart des traditions.
Before saying prayer, they wash according to the custom in most of the traditions.
10 . To play musical instruments , we use this verb. Learn the following expressions
Faire du violon - to play violin
Faire du piano - to play piano
faire du jazz - to play jazz
That is all for now.
I will continue this topic in several subsequent notes.
Happy learning !
-
Let us continue our study of the verb " faire".
1. We use this verb for expressing several activities which we do . Study the following
Faire de la politique - to be engaged in politics
Il ne faut pas faire de la politique quand on est étudiant.
One should not engage in politics while being a student.
Faire du sport - to play games
Elle aime mieux faire du sport que lire.
She likes playing games better than reading.
Faire du tennis - to play tennis
Faire de l'escalade -to go rock climbing
Faire de la voile - to go sailing
Faire du vélo - to go cycling
Faire du canoë - to go canoeing
Faire du patins à la roulette - to roller skate
Faire du skate - to go skateboarding
Faire du ski - to go skiing
Faire du cheval - to go horse riding
Faire du camping - to go camping
Faire du jogging - to go jogging
Faire de la couture - to sew
Faire du tricot- to knit
Faire des photos - to take photos
Faire de la natation - to go for swimming
Faire de la montagne - to go mountaineering
2. When you want to ask what one does for a living , the following question is handy.
Qu'est -ce que vous faites dans la vie ?
What do you do in life ?
3. When you are doing a course in college / university , you can use this verb as given
below.
Faire des études - to go to university
Faire son droit - to do law
Faire de la recherche - to do research
Faire de l'anglais - to do English
Faire médecin - to become a doctor
3. For kitchen activities, we use this verb
Faire la cuisine - to cook
Faire un café à qqn - to make somebody a coffee
Faire le ménage - to do the cleaning
Faire la vaisselle - to do the dishes
Faire ses bagages - to pack one's bags
The list of the 100 verbs featured here is the result of an impressive statistical linguistic study conducted by the C.N.R.S. some 40 years ago
Learn more about the C.N.R.S.: Acronym for “Centre national de la recherche scientifique” (“National Center of Scientific Research”), the largest government research organization in France
* * *
Les verbes les plus fréquemment utilisés (the most frequently used verbs):
1. Être (to be)
2. Avoir (to have)
3. Faire (to do)
4. Dire (to say)
5. Pouvoir (to be able to)
6. Aller (to go)
7. Voir (too see)
8. Savoir (to know)
9. Vouloir (to want)
10.Venir (to come)
11. Falloir (to be necessary)
12. Devoir (must)
13. Croire (to believe)
14. Trouver (to find)
15. Donner (to give)
16. Prendre (to take)
17. Parler (to speak)
18. Aimer (to love, to like)
19. Passer (to pass)
20. Mettre (to put)
21. Demander (to ask)
22. Tenir (to hold)
23. Sembler (to seem)
24. Laisser (to let)
25. Rester (to stay)
26. Penser (to think)
27. Entendre (to hear)
28. Regarder (to look)
29. Répondre (to answer)
30. Rendre (to return)
31. Connaître (to know)
32. Paraître (to appear)
33. Arriver (to arrive)
34. Sentir (to feel)
35. Attendre (to wait)
36. Vivre (to live)
37. Chercher (to search)
38. Sentir (this time meant as “to smell”)
39. Comprendre (to understand)
40. Porter (to carry)
41. Devenir (to become)
42. Entrer (to enter)
43. Retenir (to keep)
44. Écrire (to write)
45. Appeler (to call)
46. Tomber (to fall)
47. Reprendre (to resume; to recapture)
48. Commencer (to begin)
49. Suivre (to follow)
50. Montrer (to show)
51. Partir (to leave)
52. Mourir (to die)
53. Ouvrir (to open)
54. Lire (to read)
55. Arrêter (to stop)
56. Servir (to serve)
57. Jeter (to throw)
58. Recevoir (to receive)
59. Monter (to go up)
60. Lever (to raise)
61. Agir (to act)
62. Perdre (to lose)
63. Écouter (to listen)
64. Continuer (to continue)
65. Sourire (to smile)
66. Apercevoir (to perceive)
67. Reconnaître (to recognize)
68. Ajouter (to add)
69. Jouer (to play)
70. Marcher (to walk)
71. Garder (to keep)
72. Manquer (to miss)
73. Retrouver (to retrieve)
74. Descendre (to go down)
75. Rappeler (to remind)
76. Quitter (to quit)
77. Tourner (to turn)
78. Finir (to finish)
79. Crier (to scream)
80. Courir (to run)
81. Permettre (to allow)
82. Songer (to think of sth)
83. Offrir (to offer)
84. Présenter (to present)
85. Apprendre (to learn)
86. Souffrir (to suffer)
87. Exister (to exist)
88. Envoyer (to send)
89. Expliquer (to explain)
90. Manger (to eat)
91. Valoir (to be worth sth)
92. Oublier (to forget)
93. Rentrer (to go back)
94. Pousser (to push)
95. Occuper (to occupy)
96. Compter (to count)
97. Empêcher (to prevent)
98. Plaire (to please)
99. Travailler (to work)
100. S’écrier (to exclaim)
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