SHIKSHAYA NAMAH:

A Unit of Something New Charitable Trust

La Langue FRANCAIS (The FRENCH Language)

L’INTERROGATION
Trouvez / Posez la Question

There are usually two types of questions related to the topic of Interrogation:

1. Changez/Mettez les phrases à la forme interrogative - In these cases we only need to put the
given statement in the form of the question.
Example : Ans. Il parle anglais. (He speaks English)
Que - Est-ce qu'il parle anglais ? (He speaks English?)

2. Trouvez la Question/ Posez des questions - In these cases we need to find the question of the
given statement.
Example : Ans. Il parle anglais. (He speaks English)
Que - Quelle langue est-ce qu'il parle. (Which language does he speaks?)

These notes are for Trouvez la Question/ Posez des questions

For trouvez la question, one should learn the list of basic adverbs of Interrogations -

QUAND?
QUI? POURQUOI?
(WHEN?)
(WHO?)
(WHY?)

COMMENT?
ADVERBS OF
COMBIEN DE ….
(HOW?) INTERROGATION (HOW MANY?)

OÙ?
QUEL/ QUELLE/ QUELS/ QUELLES
(WHERE?)
(WHICH?)

Except these main adverbs of Interrogation, we have various other adverbs of Interrogation, few
of them are combined with prepositions –
 D'ou - From where?
 Depuis Quand - Since when?
 Quoi - What / Which?
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 SHIKSHAYA NAMAH:
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La Langue FRANCAIS (The FRENCH Language)

 En Quoi? - In which? (Mainly used with the material)
 De quoi ? - About what ?
 Pour qui ? - For whom ?
 Avec qui? - with whom?
 À quelle heure - At what time?

How to put adverbs of Interrogation in question in all the three forms -

INTONATION
In intonation adverbs of Interrogation are placed in the end.
Examples -
 Answer : Je viens à 10h.
Question : Tu reviens quand ?
 Answer : Nous allons au bureau.
Question : Vous allez où ?

EST-CE QUE
In intonation adverbs of Interrogation are placed in the beginning followed by est-ce que and then
the remaining question.
Examples -
 Answer : Je viens à 10h.
Question : Quand est-ce que tu reviens ?
 Answer : Nous allons au bureau.
Question : Où est-ce que vous allez ?

Note : Que in est-ce que changes to qu', if the noun/pronoun immediately after est-ce que starts
with a vowel.

INVERSION
In intonation adverbs of Interrogation are placed in the beginning followed by the inversion of verb
and pronoun and then the remaining question.
Examples -
 Answer : Je viens à 10h.
Question : Quand reviens – tu ?
 Answer : Nous allons au bureau.
Question : Où allez – vous ?

Note :
 With Il and Elle, if the verb does not end with t/d and ends with 'e' i.e., a vowel. We insert 't'
in between.
 Inversion cannot be done with Pronoun 'Je'. To make a question with Je, one should use
Intonation or Est-ce que.

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 SHIKSHAYA NAMAH:
A Unit of Something New Charitable Trust

La Langue FRANCAIS (The FRENCH Language)

 If we have a noun or name of person mentioned, we cannot do the inversion directly. We
need to replace it with the pronoun in the answer.
 Inversion for Il y a is Y-a-t-il

IMPORTANT POINTS for Trouvez la Question :

 Qu'est-ce que c'est ? (What is this ?)

When we have C'est/ Ce sont followed by an object, we always use Qu'est ce que c'est as the
question.
 Ans. C'est un stylo/ Ce sont des stylos.
Ques. Qu'est-ce que c'est ?

 Qui est - ce? (Who is this?)

When we have C'est/ Ce sont followed by a person, we always use Qui est - ce as the question.
 Ans. C'est Paul/ Ce sont mes amis.
 Ques. Qui est – ce ?

 Ça coûte combien ? / Combien ça coute ?

When we are talking about the cost of something, we can use any of these questions.
 Ans. La jupe, Ça coûte 20 euros.
 Que. La jupe, ça coute combien ?

 ......... en quoi?
When the answer states the type of material for an object, we use en quoi as the question.
 Ans. La table est en bois.
 Que. La table est en quoi ?

 Pourquoi?
Pourquoi is an adverb of Interrogation used when the answer states the reasoning or an excuse.
Mostly, when we have 'parce - que/qu' (because) in the answer, we use Pourquoi.
 Ans. Je reste à Delhi parce - qu'il fait beau ici.
 Que. Pourquoi restes - tu à Delhi ?

 Combien de ........?
1. Combien de is an adverb used when we are talking about the quantity of something.
2. Combien de can only be followed by the noun we are talking about.
 Ans. Il y a vingt chocolats dans le sac.
 Que. Combien de chocolats y - a - t - il dans le sac ?

 Quel/ Quelle/ Quels/ Quelles

1. All the above are used for asking 'Which' in the question and are differentiated on the basis of the
noun and gender.
2. It is always followed by a noun or verb être.

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 SHIKSHAYA NAMAH:
A Unit of Something New Charitable Trust

La Langue FRANCAIS (The FRENCH Language)

Masculine Feminine
Singular Quel Quelle
Plural Quels Quelles

 Qu'est ce que ........

1. We use qu'est ce que ...... followed by the remaining question, when we have what are you/do
you, what does he/she.... etc. as the question.
 Ans. J'achète des pommes.
 Que. Qu'est-ce que tu achètes ?

2. Qu'est-ce que changes to qu'est ce qui if the word next to que is a verb.
 Ans. La règle de grammaire sont difficiles.
 Que. Qu'est ce qui est difficile ?

KISHIKA KAPOOR
+91 8800612758
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