{"id":118825,"date":"2023-03-15T00:15:28","date_gmt":"2023-03-15T04:15:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/learn\/common-french-questions\/"},"modified":"2025-02-24T22:45:35","modified_gmt":"2025-02-25T03:45:35","slug":"common-french-questions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/french\/common-french-questions\/","title":{"rendered":"Common French Questions for Everyday Life"},"content":{"rendered":"

Asking questions is obviously an important part of communication in French. With this starter guide and a little initiative on your end, you’ll be on your way to asking questions in French<\/a> with ease.<\/p>\n

We’ll help you construct a “yes” or “no” question, and questions that begin with the “where,” “what,” “who,” “when” and more.\u00a0\u00a0After that, you’ll find a list of the 19 most common French questions (and a few tips on how to answer them, too).<\/p>\n

We’ve also covered some more conversation basics in the FluentU French YouTube video<\/a> below:<\/p>\n

<\/lite-youtube><\/p>\n

[fluentu-toc skip=4]<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

French Questions for Everyday Use<\/h2>\n

Remember to use vous<\/strong> <\/em> when the situation calls for more formality (or also when you\u2019re asking a group of multiple people their names). Use tu<\/strong> <\/em>when the situation is more casual\/informal.<\/p>\n

If there are variations for both formality levels, we share them below.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Introductions and Small Talk<\/h3>\n

1. Comment vous appelez-vous ? \/ <\/em>Comment tu t\u2019appelles ? \u2014 <\/em>What’s your name?\u00a0<\/h4>\n

If you\u2019re the one being asked, you can respond by saying:<\/p>\n

Je m\u2019appelle \u2014 <\/em>My name is\u2026<\/p>\n

It’s one of the easiest and fastest ways to start making new friends!<\/p>\n

2.<\/strong> Comment allez-vous ? \/\u00a0<\/em>Comment \u00e7a va ? \/\u00a0<\/em>\u00c7a va ? \u2014 <\/em>How are you?<\/h4>\n

Comment allez-vous ?\u00a0<\/em>is the formal way of asking how someone is. Comment \u00e7a va ?\u00a0<\/em>is more informal, with \u00c7a va ?\u00a0<\/em>being the most informal, but also very common.\u00a0<\/p>\n

To answer you you can say:<\/p>\n

Je vais bien, et vous ? \u2014 <\/em>I’m doing well, and you? (formal)<\/p>\n

Bien, merci <\/em> \u2014 Good, thank you.<\/p>\n

\u00c7a va (bien) \u2014 <\/em>I’m doing well.<\/p>\n

Pas trop mal \u2014 <\/em>Not bad.<\/p>\n

Go ahead and choose your formality level based on the situation.\u00a0<\/p>\n

3. <\/strong>Comment \u00e7a s’\u00e9crit ? <\/em>\u2014 How do you spell that?<\/h4>\n

If you’re the one being asked how to spell something, it’s always helpful to know how the letters of the alphabet are pronounced in French<\/a>.<\/p>\n

4.\u00a0<\/strong>D’o\u00f9 venez-vous ? \/\u00a0<\/em>D’o\u00f9 viens-tu ? \u2014\u00a0<\/em>Where do you\u00a0come<\/strong> from?\u00a0<\/h4>\n

There are two versions of based on whether you use the verb venir <\/em>\u00a0(to come) or\u00a0\u00eatre <\/em>\u00a0(to be).<\/p>\n

So another variation of this question would be:<\/p>\n

D’o\u00f9 \u00eates-vous ? \u2014\u00a0<\/em>Where\u00a0are<\/strong>\u00a0you from? (formal)<\/p>\n

Tu es d’o\u00f9 ? \u2014\u00a0<\/em>Where\u00a0are<\/strong>\u00a0you from? (informal)<\/p>\n

If someone asks you, all you have to do is say:<\/p>\n

Je viens de… \u2014 <\/em>I come<\/strong> from…<\/p>\n

Je suis de… <\/em> \u2014 I am<\/strong> from…<\/p>\n

5.\u00a0<\/strong>Quel \u00e2ge avez-vous ? <\/em>\u00a0\/\u00a0Quel \u00e2ge as-tu ? \u00a0<\/em>\u2014 How old are you?\u00a0<\/h4>\n

In English, we say “How old are you?”\u00a0<\/strong>But in French, the construction literally means “What age do you have?”<\/p>\n

In French you have to answer by saying:<\/p>\n

J’ai vingt ans. \u2014 <\/strong><\/em>I’m 20 years old.<\/p>\n

Or, literally, “I have 20 years.”<\/p>\n

6.\u00a0<\/strong>Qu’est-ce que vous \u00e9tudiez ? <\/em>\/\u00a0Qu’est-ce que tu \u00e9tudies ? <\/em> \u2014 What do you study?\u00a0<\/strong><\/h4>\n

This one is commonly asked by university students around the world! If you’re asked this, don’t panic, just repeat after me:<\/p>\n

J’\u00e9tudie… <\/em> \u2014 I study…<\/p>\n

J’\u00e9tudie le fran\u00e7ais. <\/em> \u2014 I study French.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Socializing and Making Conversation<\/h3>\n

Now that you’ve successfully gone through the introductory phase, you might want to ask some more conversational questions. Here are some common starter questions to get you going.<\/p>\n

7.\u00a0<\/strong>Qu’est-ce que tu vas faire ce week-end ? <\/em>\u2014 What are you going to do this weekend?<\/h4>\n

If you’re the one being asked, you can start off with Je vais… <\/em>and carry on with whatever activity you’ll be doing this weekend, using the infinitive form of the verb. For example:<\/p>\n

Je vais sortir avec des amis <\/em> \u2014 <\/em><\/strong>I’m going to go out with some friends.<\/p>\n

8.\u00a0<\/strong>Tu veux sortir avec nous ce soir ? \u2014\u00a0<\/em>Do you want to go out with us tonight?\u00a0<\/h4>\n

When asking the question, replace nous <\/em>(us)\u00a0<\/em>with moi <\/em>(me) and you can ask someone out on a date, either romantic or platonic.<\/p>\n

To respond to this question, you can say:<\/p>\n

Pourquoi pas ! \u00a0\u2014\u00a0<\/em>Why not!<\/p>\n

Je ne peux pas, d\u00e9sol\u00e9 ! \u2014 <\/em>I can’t, sorry!<\/p>\n

9. <\/strong>\u00c0 quelle heure commence le concert ? <\/em>\u2014 When does the concert start? \/ \u00c0 quelle heure se termine le concert ? <\/em>\u2014 When does the concert end?<\/strong><\/h4>\n

You can respond simply by saying something like:<\/p>\n

Le concert commence \u00e0 huit heures et se termine \u00e0 dix heures et demie. \u2014 <\/em>The concert starts at eight o’clock and ends at 10:30.<\/p>\n

From asking what time a concert starts to what time a boring lecture ends, you’ll want this question in your toolbox.<\/p>\n

10.\u00a0<\/strong>Qu’est-ce qui s’est pass\u00e9 ? \u2014\u00a0<\/em>What happened?<\/h4>\n

A sample response would be:<\/p>\n

Je suis tomb\u00e9 malade <\/em> \u2014 I got sick.<\/p>\n

The answer is said in the past tense, just like the question.<\/p>\n

11.\u00a0<\/strong>Quel est votre passe-temps pr\u00e9f\u00e9r\u00e9\u00a0? \/<\/em>\u00a0Quel est ton passe-temps pr\u00e9f\u00e9r\u00e9\u00a0? <\/em>\u2014 What is your hobby?\u00a0<\/h4>\n

There’s no better way to get to know someone than by finding out\u00a0what their favorite hobby is. To respond, you can say:<\/p>\n

Mon passe-temps pr\u00e9f\u00e9r\u00e9\u00a0est… <\/em> \u2014 My favorite hobby is…\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

J’aime jouer au football. <\/em> \u2014 I love playing soccer.<\/p>\n

Asking for Information<\/h3>\n

Asking for information is important. Here are some of the most common questions for doing so.<\/p>\n

12.\u00a0<\/strong>Parlez-vous anglais ? <\/em>\u2014 Do you speak English?\u00a0<\/h4>\n

Another variation of this question could be:<\/p>\n

Est-ce qu’il y a quelqu’un qui parle anglais ? <\/em>\u2014 Is there someone here who speaks English?<\/p>\n

When you’re in a place where the native language is not the same as your native tongue, it’s always helpful to know how to ask this question.<\/p>\n

13.\u00a0<\/strong>Quelle heure est-il ? <\/em>\u2014 What time is it?<\/h4>\n

To answer, you can say:\u00a0<\/p>\n

Il est onze heures du matin. \u2014 <\/em>It’s 11 a.m.<\/p>\n

Here’s more on how to tell time in French<\/a>, just in case you need a little refresher!<\/p>\n

14.\u00a0<\/strong>\u00c0 quelle heure part le train pour Marseille ? \u2014\u00a0<\/em>What time does the train depart for Marseille?<\/h4>\n

To ask what time anything is happening, just start the question off with \u00c0 quelle heure… <\/em>(At what time…)<\/p>\n

Responding to a question like this is as easy as saying:<\/p>\n

Le train part \u00e0 quinze heures. \u2014 <\/em>The train departs at 3 p.m.<\/p>\n

Remember, the 24-hour clock system is what is used in France, unlike in the U.S.!<\/p>\n

15.\u00a0<\/strong>Quel temps fait-il aujourd’hui ? \u2014 <\/em>What’s the weather like today?<\/h4>\n

If you use your phone and ask Siri this question, she’ll likely respond with something like:<\/p>\n

Il fait chaud. \u2014 <\/em>It’s hot.<\/p>\n

Il fait froid. <\/em> \u2014 It’s cold.<\/p>\n

Make sure you check more weather-related French words and phrases<\/a>, too!<\/p>\n

16.\u00a0<\/strong>Quel jour sommes-nous ? <\/em>\u2014 What day is it?<\/h4>\n

This literally means “What day are we at?” in French. If someone asks you this question, you can say, for example:<\/p>\n

Nous sommes lundi. <\/em> \u2014 It’s Monday.<\/p>\n

C’est lundi. <\/em> \u2014 It’s Monday.<\/p>\n

Here are all the days of the week in French<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

17.\u00a0<\/strong>O\u00f9 se trouve… ? <\/em>\/ O\u00f9 est… ? <\/em>\u2014 Where is…?<\/h4>\n

The first one literally means “Where is (this specific thing) found\/situated?”\u00a0<\/p>\n

Another variation of this question would be:<\/p>\n

Est-ce que vous savez o\u00f9 je peux trouver… ? <\/em>\u2014 Do you know where I can find… ?<\/p>\n

A common response would be:<\/p>\n

\u00c7a se trouve au deuxi\u00e8me \u00e9tage. <\/em> \u2014 That’s on the second floor.<\/p>\n

You can also use this when shopping or when you want to ask where you can find the restroom, a specific classroom, etc.<\/p>\n

18.\u00a0<\/strong>Comment va-t-on \u00e0… ? \u00a0<\/em>\u2014 How do I get to…?<\/h4>\n

To respond, you can say, for example:<\/p>\n

Il faut aller tout droit. <\/em>\u00a0\u2014You have to go straight.<\/p>\n

D\u00e9sol\u00e9, mais je ne sais pas. \u2014\u00a0<\/em>I’m sorry, but I don’t know.<\/p>\n

Here’s some more info about\u00a0asking for and giving directions in French<\/a>!<\/p>\n

19.\u00a0<\/strong>Combien \u00e7a co\u00fbte ? \u2014\u00a0<\/em>How much does this cost?<\/h4>\n

The answer might be:<\/p>\n

\u00c7a co\u00fbte sept euros. \u2014 <\/em>It costs seven euros.\u00a0<\/p>\n

How to Ask French Questions<\/h2>\n

Asking Yes-or-no Questions<\/h3>\n

The simplest questions are those that need a \u201cyes\u201d or \u201cno\u201d answer. To ask questions like these, we can choose from a few alternatives.<\/p>\n

Using est-ce que <\/em><\/strong><\/h4>\n

The\u00a0most formal way<\/a>\u00a0to ask a question is to take a declaratory sentence and add\u00a0est-ce que<\/em>\u00a0which in English would be something like \u201cis it that.\u201d Let\u2019s take a look at the sentence:<\/p>\n

Vous \u00eates australien. <\/em> \u2014 You are Australian.<\/p>\n

This is a statement that we can turn into a question as follows:<\/p>\n

Est-ce que vous \u00eates australien ? <\/em> \u2014 Are you Australian?<\/p>\n

Here is a\u00a0helpful YouTube video<\/a> to help you get the hang of asking these kinds of questions.<\/p>\n

Changing your tone<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Especially\u00a0in informal situations<\/a>, with \u201cyes\u201d and \u201cno\u201d questions you can just keep the same word order of the statement and\u00a0raise the tone\u00a0on the last word of the question. In this case we have:<\/p>\n

Vous \u00eates australien. <\/em> \u2014 You are Australian.<\/p>\n

Vous \u00eates australien ? <\/em> \u2014 Are you Australian?<\/p>\n

Changing word order<\/strong><\/h4>\n

I find\u00a0est-ce que<\/em>\u00a0incredibly simple to use, but you can also just\u00a0invert the subject and verb<\/a>\u00a0of your sentence. Check out the following statement:<\/p>\n

Vous allez au parc. <\/em> \u2014 You go to the park.<\/p>\n

If we wanted to make this a question we could just say:<\/p>\n

Allez-vous au parc ? <\/em> \u2014 Do you go to the park?<\/p>\n

This is an equally valid way to ask questions, and you might find it easier than using\u00a0est-ce que<\/em>. Note the hyphen between the verb and subject.<\/p>\n

To get a hang of inversion questions\u2014especially those pesky hyphens\u2014the best method is lots of practice. Luckily there are lots of great resources for this online, such as\u00a0this quiz<\/a>.<\/p>\n

French Question Words<\/h3>\n

For slightly more complex questions, let’s have a look at how to ask questions using question words in French.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWho\u201d questions<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The French word for \u201cwho\u201d is qui. <\/em>\u00a0Let\u2019s start with a simple question:<\/p>\n

Qui est-il ? <\/em> \u2014 Who is he?<\/p>\n

The simplest way to ask this question is to\u00a0put\u00a0qui<\/em>\u00a0at the beginning of the sentence<\/strong>\u00a0and then invert the\u00a0subject and verb\u00a0with a hyphen as we did above.<\/p>\n

Inverting the subject and verb is the most common way to ask questions involving\u00a0qui,<\/em>\u00a0but let\u2019s look at a more complicated example.<\/p>\n

We could also use\u00a0qui\u00a0<\/em>to form a question using your old friend,\u00a0est-ce que:<\/em><\/p>\n

Qui est-ce qui lit ? <\/em> \u2014 Who is reading?<\/p>\n

This is a great moment to explain that\u00a0est-ce que<\/em>\u00a0is only used when what follows it\u00a0could be a complete sentence\u00a0<\/strong>(subject + verb + object). That\u2019s why a question like\u00a0qui est-il ?<\/em>\u00a0doesn\u2019t include\u00a0est-ce que.<\/em><\/p>\n

But in the question\u00a0qui est-ce qui lit ? <\/em>we have a subject and verb that could be a complete sentence, so we add the\u00a0est-ce que<\/em>, but of course\u00a0since the answer to this question is a person and the subject of the sentence, we say\u00a0est-ce qui<\/em>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

In the case where the answer to the question is both a person and direct object, we say\u00a0qui est-ce que<\/em>, for example:<\/p>\n

Qui est-ce que tu connais ici ? <\/em> \u2014 Who do you know here?<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u201d and \u201cwhich\u201d questions<\/strong><\/h4>\n

In French, \u201cwhat\u201d can be translated as que \u00a0<\/em>or quoi, <\/em> and \u201cwhich\u201d can be translated in several ways\u00a0depending on the number and gender\u00a0of the subject it modifies: quel, quels, quelle, quelles.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s look at an example involving\u00a0que<\/em>.\u00a0Usually\u00a0que<\/em>\u00a0uses\u00a0est-ce que<\/em>\u00a0as follows:<\/p>\n

Qu\u2019est-ce que c\u2019est ? <\/em> \u2014 What is it\/this?<\/p>\n

This extremely common question breaks down as follows:\u00a0<\/p>\n

Que<\/em>\u00a0+\u00a0est-ce que<\/em> + subject + verb<\/p>\n

We\u2019ll put\u00a0est-ce que<\/em>\u00a0right after the question word in the majority of questions in French.<\/p>\n

In addition to\u00a0que,<\/em> we also have the option of using the\u00a0less formal alternative quoi. <\/em>\u00a0For example:<\/p>\n

C\u2019est quoi \u00e7a ? <\/em> \u2014 What is it\/this?<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen\u201d questions<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The French word for \u201cwhen\u201d is quand, <\/em>\u00a0and as you can expect, we can make questions\u00a0using our hack.<\/p>\n

Quand est-ce que tu veux aller au cin\u00e9ma ? <\/em> \u2014 When do you want to go to the movies?<\/p>\n

Note how we put\u00a0est-ce que<\/em>\u00a0after the question word here, since what comes afterward could be a stand-alone sentence.<\/p>\n

We could also just\u00a0change the order of the words<\/strong>\u00a0and use raised intonation:<\/p>\n

Vous arrivez quand ? <\/em> \u2014 When will you arrive?<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere\u201d questions<\/strong><\/h4>\n

\u201cWhere\u201d is translated as o\u00f9 <\/em>\u00a0(note the accent). To ask where something is, you can formulate a question like:<\/p>\n

O\u00f9 est mon chat ? <\/em> \u2014 Where is my cat?<\/p>\n

Again, remember that we only use\u00a0est-ce que<\/em>\u00a0when what follows could be a complete sentence (subject + verb + object). That\u2019s why a sentence like\u00a0O\u00f9 est mon chat?<\/em>\u00a0doesn\u2019t include\u00a0est-ce que<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Note the difference between the last sentence and this one:<\/p>\n

O\u00f9 est-ce que tu veux aller ? <\/em> \u2014 Where do you want to go?<\/p>\n

Here we have a complete sentence, tu veux aller, <\/em>following\u00a0est-ce que,\u00a0<\/em>whereas in the first sentence, we only had a subject:\u00a0mon chat.<\/em><\/p>\n

Finally, we can simplify our question, eliminating the\u00a0est-ce que<\/em>\u00a0and using the hyphen:<\/p>\n

O\u00f9 veux-tu aller ? \u2014 <\/em>Where do you want to go?<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy\u201d questions<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Asking \u201cwhy\u201d is one of the most important things you can ask. The French translation is pourquoi. <\/em>\u00a0Let\u2019s look at an example:<\/p>\n

Pourquoi est-ce que vous mangez trop ? <\/em> \u2014 Why do you eat too much?<\/p>\n

Once again, the same formula used above applies to why questions: you can use inversion and drop the\u00a0est-ce que<\/em>\u00a0to ask the question in a different way.<\/p>\n

Pourquoi mangez-vous trop ? \u2014 <\/em>Why do you eat too much?<\/p>\n

\u201cHow\u201d questions<\/strong><\/h4>\n

We\u2019ve covered the principal \u201cwho, what, when, where and why\u201d questions, but there are other question words, such as \u201chow,\u201d or comment. <\/em>\u00a0Check this out:<\/p>\n

Comment est-ce qu\u2019on sort d\u2019ici ? <\/em> \u2014 How do we get out of here?<\/p>\n

As always, we can also ask questions by reversing the subject and verb. For example:<\/p>\n

Comment parle-t-on l\u00e0-bas ? <\/em> \u2014 How do people speak there?<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s stop for a quick teaching moment. You might be asking, \u201cW<\/strong>hy is there a t<\/em> between parle<\/em> and on<\/em>?\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

When we ask a question by inverting the verb and the subject, if the last letter of the conjugated verb<\/a>\u00a0is a vowel as well as the first letter of the subject, we have to add a\u00a0t<\/em>\u00a0that acts as a sort of pronunciation break.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow many\u201d questions<\/strong><\/h4>\n

In French, we have a word for \u201chow many\u201d: combien. <\/em>\u00a0Let\u2019s check out a complete example:<\/p>\n

Combien de chats est-ce qu\u2019il y a dans la maison ? \u2014 <\/em>How many cats are there in the house?<\/p>\n

This sentence looks complicated, but it isn\u2019t.\u00a0Let\u2019s break it into pieces:<\/p>\n

Combien de<\/em>\u00a0+ plural\u00a0<\/strong>noun<\/strong> + est-ce que<\/em> + il y a <\/em>\u00a0+ dans la maison ?\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

The\u00a0est-ce qu\u2019il y a<\/em>\u00a0is like saying \u201care there\u201d. Notice the\u00a0de<\/em>\u00a0after\u00a0combien<\/em>. This is always used, whether the subject that follows is\u00a0countable or uncountable.<\/p>\n

We can also replace the\u00a0est-ce qu\u2019il y a<\/em>\u00a0with\u00a0y a-t-il<\/em>\u00a0which also means \u201care there\u201d:<\/p>\n

Combien de chats y a-t-il dans la maison ? <\/em><\/p>\n

Finally, we can start with\u00a0il y a<\/em>\u00a0as follows:<\/p>\n

Il y a combien de chats dans la maison ? <\/em><\/p>\n

How to Practice Asking and Answering French Questions<\/strong><\/h2>\n

With a language exchange partner, of course.\u00a0And\u00a0finding one is now easier than ever<\/a>. Don’t be afraid to go out there and ask! Most people are all too happy to help a learner.<\/p>\n

If you aren\u2019t interested in finding a language partner, you can practice French questions by using language-learning apps<\/a>, programs and courses. FluentU<\/a> is a great option as you can see how these words and phrases are really used by native speakers.\u00a0

FluentU<\/strong> takes authentic videos\u2014like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks\u2014and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.<\/p>\r\n

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You can try FluentU for free for 2 weeks. Check out the website or download the iOS app<\/a> or Android app.<\/a><\/p>\r\n

P.S. Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month.)<\/a><\/i>\r\n<\/p>\r\n

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