Asking questions is fundamental to any conversation. In French, there are a few ways to do it. We'll look at the three most common structures, starting with the simplest.

That's right. You can turn a statement into a question just by raising your intonation at the end of the sentence. In writing, you just add a question mark. It’s the most common way to ask questions in casual, spoken French.

The words and their order are exactly the same. Only the rising pitch of your voice at the end makes it a question.

Another very common way to form a question is to add the phrase est-ce que to the beginning of a statement. Think of it as a verbal question mark you put at the start of a sentence. It immediately signals that you're about to ask something.

This method is useful because you don't have to change the word order of the original statement. Just add est-ce que.

Notice that when que is followed by a word starting with a vowel (like il), it shortens to qu'. This is a mandatory contraction called an elision.

The third way to ask a question is called inversion. It involves flipping the order of the subject pronoun and the verb, and connecting them with a hyphen. This structure is generally considered more formal and is used more often in writing than in casual conversation.

Here’s how it works with the same sentences.

In the second example, a "-t-" is inserted between the verb and the pronoun. This happens when the verb ends in a vowel and the pronoun begins with one. The extra "t" is purely for pronunciation, making it easier to say Aime-t-il instead of the awkward Aime-il.

Let's see all three methods side-by-side using a new sentence: Vous allez au cinéma. (You are going to the movies.)

Each method is correct, but the one you choose depends on the situation. For everyday chats, intonation and est-ce que are your best friends. For more formal settings, inversion is a good option.

Ready to test your knowledge?

Understanding these three basic structures gives you the power to ask about almost anything in French.