76- How to Ask Questions in French (Part II)
Listen to this lesson to learn how to ask questions in French. 🤓
In this episode (part II), we'll learn how to ask open-ended questions (specific information answers). Make sure you’ve listened to last week’s episode (Part I) before this one :)
If you’d prefer to listen on the go, listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
Links & Cheat Sheet
Lesson cheatsheet: How to Ask Questions in French (Part II) 📝
Lesson exercises: French Exercises Library 📚
Transcript
Intro: Welcome to the French Made Easy podcast, where I give you all the basics you need to speak French clearly and confidently. I'm your host, Mathilde, and I'm a French teacher, mumpreneur, and bread and cheese lover. Join me as I dive into all things French for beginners, and deliver to you bite-sized and easy-to-follow lessons every Tuesday. Let's get started, "on commence"!
Hello everyone! 💙 Welcome back to the French Made Easy podcast! This is episode number 76, numéro 76!
So today's episode is part II of our lesson on how to ask questions in French.
So two things before we start this lesson.
The first thing is that I won't be publishing new podcast episodes for the next few weeks. I'm working on some amazing new French Made Easy projects for you, so I need to take a mini-break from the podcast to focus on these. I prefer to let everyone know in advance that it's all good; I’m not going anywhere, I'll be back on the podcast with new episodes very soon!
Thing number 2, that you hear in each episode, but that's for those who are new to the podcast: make sure you have your lesson's cheat sheet in front of you during the lesson. After the lesson, head over to the French Made Easy library to practice what you've learned today. All the links are in the episode notes.
So last week, we learned how to ask close-ended questions (which require a yes or no answer), and this week, we'll look at open-ended questions (which require specific information.)
Super important; if you haven't listened to the part I yet, please go and listen to episode 75 first; otherwise, you will get lost.
Alright. So the good news is that for open-ended questions, the methods are the exact same ones as the close-ended questions.
We are going to use the intonation method, the "est-ce que" method, and the simple inversion method that we learned last week!
Hence why you really need to have understood part I of this lesson.
The difference for open-ended questions is that we're going to add interrogative words to our questions.
Interrogative or questions words are words like "où" (where), "quoi" (what), "quand" (where), etc. There are so many interrogative words; we're not going to see them all today; otherwise, this lesson might last for 3 hours!
Also, there are many rules and exceptions about interrogative words that we cannot possibly learn in one lesson. But we will learn a few exceptions that I think are important to know at this stage of your learning.
So let's start with...
METHOD #1: INTONATION
When using the intonation method to ask a question, you raise your voice at the end of the question. Plus, you add an interrogative word for open-ended questions, usually at the end of the question.
It looks like this: subject + verb + interrogative word + ?
Par exemple: Tu vas où ? (Where are you going?)
⚠️ An important note here: With the intonation method and the interrogative word "pourquoi" (why) you need to add "pourquoi" at the beginning of the question.
Par exemple: "Pourquoi tu pleures ? (Why are you crying?)
METHOD #2: “EST-CE QUE”
When using the "est-ce que" method, you add "est-ce que" at the beginning of a question. Plus, you add an interrogative word for open-ended questions, at the beginning of the question, before "est-ce que"!
It looks like this: Interrogative word + est-ce que + subject + verb.
Par exemple: Où est-ce que tu vas ? (Where are you going?)
A reminder that before a vowel, "est-ce que" changes to "est-ce qu'."
⚠️ An important note here: with the "est-ce que" method and the interrogative word "quoi" (what) you need to change quoi to "qu'"
Par exemple: Qu'est-ce que tu manges ? (What are you eating?) Don't say "Quoi est-ce que tu manges ?" that's incorrect.
METHOD #3: SIMPLE INVERSION
When using the simple inversion method, you switch the order between the subject pronoun and the verb. Plus, you add a hyphen in between the subject pronoun and the verb. Plus, you add an interrogative word for open-ended questions at the beginning of the sentence.
It looks like this: Interrogative word + verb + hyphen + subject pronoun.
Par exemple: Où vas-tu ? (Where are you going?)
⚠️ With the simple inversion method and the interrogative word "quoi" (what), you need to change "quoi" to "que."
Par exemple: Que manges-tu ? (What are you eating?) Don't write, and I say write because it's mainly used in writing: "Quoi manges-tu ?"
Ok, I think that's enough for today!
RECAP’
So let's do a recap'
So the methods to ask open-ended questions are the exact same ones as the close-ended questions, but you add a question word.
Method #1: Intonation. Raise your voice at the end of the question and add an interrogative word. (Usually at the end of the question.): "Tu vas où ?" (Where are you going?)
Method #2: "Est-ce que". Add "est-ce que" at the beginning of a question and add an interrogative word before "est-ce que.": "Où est-ce que tu vas ?" (Where are you going?)
Method #3: Simple inversion. Switch the order between the subject pronoun and the verb with a hyphen in between. Plus, add an interrogative word at the beginning of the sentence. Où vas-tu ? (Where are you going?)
Et c’est tout! That’s it! This is the end of today's lesson; obviously, feel free to re-listen to this episode as many times as you’d like. Remember to go and download your exercises so you can practice what you've learned today. Without practice, it's had to retain. If you enjoyed today's lesson, please let me know in the comments on my website!
A reminder that I won't be publishing new episodes for the next few weeks but don't you worry, I'll be back very very soon!
Merci beaucoup, et à bientôt!