MFLE

French Reference Grammar - Verb forms

The interrogative (question form)

There are three ways to construct a question: 

  • use 'est-ce que' before the affirmative form 
  • invert the subject and the verb, ie turn subject and verb around so that the verb comes first 
  • use a raised intonation at the end of the statement, thus turning it into a question.

The interrogative by using est-ce que

Literally, this expression means ‘is it that?’ This formula can be used in English, though it is a bit clumsy. 'Is it that the sun is a vast cloud of hydrogen?' is a perfectly understandable question, though one not likely to be encountered often!

In French, the simplest and very frequently used way of formulating a question is to put 'est-ce que' in front of the verb form. For example: 'Est-ce que tu regardes le livre, Michel?': 'Are you looking at the book, Michael?'

  • *Remember: in front of a vowel, the expression will be abbreviated: 'Est-ce qu’il pleut?': 'Is it raining?'

The interrogative by using inversion

This can also be done in English. 

'Stands the church clock at ten to three? And is there honey still for tea?' 

Inversion in French can only be used when the subject is a pronoun. When that is the case, simply invert the verb - put the subject pronoun after the verb. 

'Regardes-tu le livre, Michel?': 'Are you looking at the book, Michael?' 

'Regardez-vous les livres, les enfants?': 'Are you looking at your books, children?'

  • However, you cannot invert the first person singular form. You must always use 'est-ce que' with 'je'.

    For example, 'Est-ce que je signe ici?': 'Do I sign here?'

  • Note also, with 'il', 'elle' and 'on' you must insert the letter 't' for ease of pronunciation. It also stays in the written form.
    • 'Regarde-t-il?'
    • 'Regarde-t-elle?' 
    • 'Regarde-t-on?'

The interrogative by intonation

This formula for asking a question is also very frequently used. It is only applicable in spoken form, though it will appear in dialogue in novels. It simply means that a normal statement is turned into a question by raising the voice at the end.

Note that raising the voice does not mean increasing the volume; it is an upturn in the stress pattern of the sentence which turns the statement into a question.