Interrogative Words in French

In French, interrogative words help us ask questions. Let’s look at some important words and how to use them:

List of Interrogative Words:

1. Qui - Who

   • Example: Qui est là ? (Who is there?)

2. Que (or Qu'est-ce que) - What

   • Example: Que fais-tu ? (What are you doing?)

3. Où - Where

   • Example: Où vas-tu ? (Where are you going?)

4. Quand - When

   • Example: Quand arrives-tu ? (When are you arriving?)

5. Comment - How

   • Example: Comment ça va ? (How is it going?)

6. Pourquoi - Why

   • Example: Pourquoi es-tu en retard ? (Why are you late?)

Key Grammar Points

• Present Tense Conjugation:

  • Regular verbs change a little based on their endings:
    • -er verbs: parler → je parle
    • -ir verbs: finir → je finis
    • -re verbs: vendre → je vends

• Irregular Verbs:

  • These verbs are special and don't follow the regular rules:
    • être → je suis (to be)
    • avoir → j'ai (to have)
    • aller → je vais (to go)
    • faire → je fais (to do)

• Definite and Indefinite Articles:

  • Use le, la, l' for definite (the), and un, une for indefinite (a/an).

• Adjective Agreement:

  • Adjectives should match the gender (masculine or feminine) and number (singular or plural) of nouns.
  • For example:
    • un livre intéressant (an interesting book)
    • des livres intéressants (interesting books)

• Negative Sentences:

  • To make a sentence negative, put ne before the verb and pas after it.
  • For example:
    • Je ne sais pas. (I don’t know.)

By practicing these interrogative words and understanding the basic grammar rules, you can ask and answer questions in French!