Grammar / A1 : Beginner / Basic questions
Basic questions
Rising intonation, est-ce que, simple inverted form.
Three forms, one meaning, different registers
French has three ways to turn a statement into a question. The choice between them does not change the meaning (it changes the register. The same question can be asked at three social levels:)
Tu viens ? intonation (informal)
Est-ce que tu viens ? est-ce que (neutral)
Viens-tu ? inversion (formal)
All three mean: "Are you coming?"
For most learners at A1 level, est-ce que is the most practical form to master first. It works in almost every context and requires no structural change to the statement. Intonation questions are easy but informal. Inversion is correct and elegant but introduces additional rules that take time to apply confidently.
1. Form 1 : Intonation
The simplest question form: keep the word order of the statement exactly as it is, and raise the pitch of your voice at the end. In writing, the question mark signals the interrogation. This form is universal in informal spoken French and very common in text messages and casual writing.
| Statement | Question (intonation) |
|---|---|
| Tu parles français. | Tu parles français ? (Do you speak French?) |
| Il vient demain. | Il vient demain ? (Is he coming tomorrow?) |
| Vous avez une réservation. | Vous avez une réservation ? (Do you have a reservation?) |
| Elle habite à Paris. | Elle habite à Paris ? (Does she live in Paris?) |
| C'est possible. | C'est possible ? (Is that possible?) |
💡 In very casual spoken French, you will also hear the question introduced by C'est que or simply signalled by context and tone rather than by any specific structure. Intonation questions are not slang; they are standard informal French used by all speakers.
2. Form 2 : Est-ce que
Est-ce que (literally "is it that") is placed at the very start of the question, before the subject and verb. The rest of the sentence remains in the same word order as a statement. This form works in all contexts and is particularly recommended for learners because it requires no restructuring of the sentence.
Before a vowel or silent h, que becomes qu'.
| Statement | Question (est-ce que) |
|---|---|
| Tu parles français. | Est-ce que tu parles français ? |
| Il vient demain. | Est-ce qu'il vient demain ? (elision before il) |
| Vous avez une réservation. | Est-ce que vous avez une réservation ? |
| Elle aime le café. | Est-ce qu'elle aime le café ? |
| On peut entrer. | Est-ce qu'on peut entrer ? (Can we come in?) |
💡 Est-ce que is the safest all-purpose question form for learners. It requires no changes to word order, no inversion rules, and no hyphen. In exams and speaking tasks, using est-ce que correctly is always accepted and never penalised for being "too simple".
3. Form 3 : Inversion
In inversion, the subject pronoun and the conjugated verb swap positions. A hyphen always connects them. This form is formal and appears frequently in written French, administrative language, and careful speech.
| Statement | Question (inversion) |
|---|---|
| Tu parles français. | Parles-tu français ? |
| Vous avez une réservation. | Avez-vous une réservation ? |
| Nous pouvons partir. | Pouvons-nous partir ? |
| Ils habitent ici. | Habitent-ils ici ? |
| Elle aime voyager. | Aime-t-elle voyager ? (see below) |
The -t- rule
When a verb form ends in a vowel and the subject is il, elle or on, a -t- is inserted between the verb and the pronoun. This is a purely phonetic rule: French avoids two vowel sounds running directly into each other.
| Verb ends in vowel + il/elle/on | Result |
|---|---|
| il parle → Parle + il | Parle-t-il ? (Does he speak?) |
| elle mange → Mange + elle | Mange-t-elle ? (Is she eating?) |
| on va → Va + on | Va-t-on ? (Are we going?) |
| il a → A + il | A-t-il ? (Does he have?) |
| elle habite → Habite + elle | Habite-t-elle ici ? (Does she live here?) |
💡 No -t- is needed when the verb form already ends in -t or -d: il vient → Vient-il ? / il prend → Prend-il ? / il dit → Dit-il ? The existing consonant already provides the link.
Inversion with a noun subject
When the subject is a noun (not a pronoun), the noun stays before the verb, and the corresponding pronoun is added after the verb with a hyphen. The sentence therefore has both the noun and the pronoun.
Marie parle-t-elle français ? (Does Marie speak French?)
Votre ami vient-il ce soir ? (Is your friend coming tonight?)
Le directeur est-il disponible ? (Is the director available?)
Les enfants ont-ils mangé ? (Have the children eaten?)
A note on je with inversion
Inverting with je produces awkward-sounding forms in most verbs (e.g. parlé-je ? sounds archaic). In practice, use est-ce que instead whenever the subject is je.
Instead of: Puis-je entrer ? (very formal, uncommon)
Use: Est-ce que je peux entrer ? (Can I come in?) (natural and correct)
Or: Je peux entrer ? (informal but widely understood)
4. Which form to use : a practical guide
| Situation | Recommended form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Friends, family, casual conversation | Intonation or est-ce que | Tu viens ? / Est-ce que tu viens ? |
| Strangers, shops, general situations | Est-ce que | Est-ce que vous avez ce modèle en noir ? |
| Professional, formal situations | Inversion or est-ce que | Avez-vous une réservation ? / Est-ce que vous avez une réservation ? |
| Written French (letters, emails) | Inversion | Pourriez-vous me contacter ? |
| Subject is je | Est-ce que always | Est-ce que je peux vous aider ? |
5. Negative questions
Negative questions are formed by applying the ne…pas rule to any of the three question forms. They can express surprise, seek confirmation, or check an assumption.
| Form | Negative question |
|---|---|
| Intonation | Tu ne parles pas français ? (You don't speak French?) |
| Est-ce que | Est-ce que tu ne parles pas français ? |
| Inversion | Ne parles-tu pas français ? (formal) |
Tu n'as pas faim ? (Aren't you hungry?)
Il ne vient pas ce soir ? (Isn't he coming tonight?)
Est-ce que vous n'avez pas de chambre disponible ? (Don't you have a room available?)
6. Oui or Si : the crucial distinction
This is one of the most important points in basic French, and one that many learners miss. In French, the word you use to say "yes" depends on what kind of question or statement you are responding to.
oui = yes, in response to a positive question or statement
si = yes, contradicting a negative question or statement
non = no, in response to any question
| Question or statement | Affirmative response | Negative response |
|---|---|---|
| Tu parles français ? (positive) | Oui, je parle français. | Non, je ne parle pas français. |
| Tu ne parles pas français ? (negative) | Si, je parle français. (Yes, I do!) | Non, je ne parle pas français. |
| Il ne vient pas ce soir. (negative statement) | Si, il vient. (Yes he is!) | Non, tu as raison. (No, you're right.) |
| Tu n'as pas faim ? (negative) | Si, j'ai faim. (Yes, I am hungry!) | Non, je n'ai pas faim. |
⚠ Saying oui in response to a negative question is an error in French: it sounds unnatural and confusing. When someone says Tu n'aimes pas le café ? and you do like coffee, the correct response is Si !, not Oui.
Compare with English: "Don't you like coffee?" — "Yes, I do." French expresses this "yes, I do" with si, not oui.
7. Tag questions
French has several ways to add a tag to the end of a statement to seek confirmation, similar to "isn't it?", "right?" or "don't you?" in English.
| Tag | Register | Example |
|---|---|---|
| n'est-ce pas ? | Formal, written | Vous parlez français, n'est-ce pas ? (You speak French, don't you?) |
| non ? | Neutral, everyday | Tu viens demain, non ? (You're coming tomorrow, right?) |
| c'est bien ça ? | Neutral, seeking confirmation | Le rendez-vous est à midi, c'est bien ça ? (The appointment is at noon, is that right?) |
| hein ? | Very informal, spoken only | T'as faim, hein ? (You're hungry, right?) |
8. The three forms side by side
Here are the same questions expressed in all three forms, so you can see the structural differences clearly.
| Intonation | Est-ce que | Inversion |
|---|---|---|
| Tu parles français ? | Est-ce que tu parles français ? | Parles-tu français ? |
| Il est médecin ? | Est-ce qu'il est médecin ? | Est-il médecin ? |
| Elle a une voiture ? | Est-ce qu'elle a une voiture ? | A-t-elle une voiture ? |
| Vous voulez du café ? | Est-ce que vous voulez du café ? | Voulez-vous du café ? |
| On peut entrer ? | Est-ce qu'on peut entrer ? | Peut-on entrer ? |
9. Key points
✓ Three question forms: intonation (informal) / est-ce que (neutral) / inversion (formal)
✓ All three mean the same thing (the choice is about register, not meaning)
✓ Est-ce que is the safest form for learners: no word order change, works in all contexts
✓ Inversion: verb + hyphen + subject pronoun, Parles-tu ? Avez-vous ?
✓ The -t- rule: verb ends in vowel + il/elle/on → insert -t-: Parle-t-il ? Mange-t-elle ?
✓ With a noun subject in inversion: noun stays, pronoun added, Marie parle-t-elle ?
✓ With je: use est-ce que, Est-ce que je peux entrer ?
✓ oui = yes (after positive question) / si = yes (contradicting a negative question or statement)
✓ Tag questions: n'est-ce pas ? (formal) / non ? (everyday) / hein ? (very informal)