Purpose

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to form French questions using all three common methods, and choose the appropriate one for the register.

Lesson Explanation

French has genuinely three distinct ways to form a yes/no question, ranging from most casual to most formal.

The most casual method uses rising intonation alone, with no change in word order — the statement and question are identical except for the voice rising at the end: Tu viens? (You’re coming?) This is genuinely common in casual speech but avoided in writing.

The most common all-purpose method adds est-ce que (literally “is it that”) to the front of a normal statement, with no word-order change: Est-ce que tu viens? (Are you coming?) This works in nearly any register and is genuinely the safest default for learners.

The most formal method uses inversion, swapping the subject and verb: Viens-tu? (Are you coming?) A genuinely important detail: when the verb form ends in a vowel sound and the subject is “il/elle/on,” a -t- is inserted between them purely for pronunciation: Parle-t-il? (Does he speak? — the inserted “-t-” avoids two vowel sounds colliding).

W-question words combine with any of these three methods: Où est-ce que tu vas? / Où vas-tu? (Where are you going?) — both correct, differing only in register.

Practice Questions