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A2 · Grammaire16 / 16
L'interrogation totale et partielle
Three ways to ask yes/no questions, plus all the question words
What you’ll learn
French has three register levels for asking questions — from casual (rising intonation) to standard (est-ce que) to formal (inversion). You also need question words for WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHEN, WHY, HOW, HOW MANY. At A2, you should be comfortable with all three registers and all the question words.
Explanation
Yes/no questions — three registers
All three mean the same thing. The difference is formality.
| Register | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Informal (spoken) | statement + rising intonation ↗ | Tu viens ? ↗ |
| Standard | Est-ce que + statement | Est-ce que tu viens ? |
| Formal | Inversion: verb-subject | Viens-tu ? |
In everyday speech, most French people use intonation or 'est-ce que'. Inversion sounds formal or written. But you should recognize all three.
Question words (interrogation partielle)
These ask for specific information — not just yes/no.
| Word | Asks about | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Qui | person (who) | Qui est-ce ? — Who is it? |
| Que / Qu'est-ce que | thing (what) | Qu'est-ce que tu fais ? |
| Où | place (where) | Où habites-tu ? |
| Quand | time (when) | Quand est-ce que tu pars ? |
| Comment | manner (how) | Comment tu t'appelles ? |
| Pourquoi | reason (why) | Pourquoi tu pleures ? |
| Combien (de) | quantity (how many/much) | Combien ça coûte ? |
| Quel(le)(s) | which / what (+ noun) | Quelle heure est-il ? |
Combining question words with registers
Each question word works with all three registers.
- Tu habites où ? (informal) — Where do you live?
- Où est-ce que tu habites ? (standard) — Where do you live?
- Où habites-tu ? (formal) — Where do you live?
In informal French, the question word often goes at the END: 'Tu habites OÙ ?', 'Tu fais QUOI ?', 'Tu pars QUAND ?'. In standard/formal, it goes at the START.
Practice · 5 exercises
1
Which is the FORMAL way to ask 'Do you speak French?'
2
___ est-ce que tu fais ce soir ? (what)
3
___ de langues parles-tu ? (how many)
4
In informal spoken French, where does the question word usually go?
5
Associe les éléments :
Qui→ ?
Quand→ ?
Comment→ ?
Combien→ ?