What does quel mean in French?

It covers both what and which, and it always goes with a noun. Quel âge as-tu means how old are you, literally what age do you have, and quelle couleur préfères-tu means which colour do you prefer. It has four written forms: quel, quelle, quels, quelles.

How do I know whether to write quel, quelle, quels, or quelles?

Find the noun the question is about and copy its gender and number. Quel train, masculine singular; quelle voiture, feminine singular; quels amis, masculine plural; quelles idées, feminine plural. All four are pronounced the same way, so this only matters in writing.

What's the difference between quel and lequel?

Quel is an adjective and needs its noun: quel manteau prends-tu, which coat are you taking. Lequel is a pronoun that replaces the noun: lequel prends-tu, which one are you taking. Lequel also merges with prepositions, giving auquel and duquel.

Why is it quel est ton nom and not qu'est-ce que ton nom?

Qu'est-ce que asks what something is in general terms, so it wants a definition. When you are asking for a specific piece of information attached to a noun, French uses quel with être: quel est ton nom, quelle est la date, quels sont les horaires.

How do you say what a in French?

Just quel plus the noun, with no article at all: quel dommage, what a shame; quelle idée, what an idea; quelle belle surprise, what a lovely surprise. French also allows comme or ce que with a full clause: comme c'est beau, how beautiful it is.

French grammar · Beginner

Quel in French: The Interrogative Adjectives and How They Agree

Written by Camille Laurent, Lead French Curriculum Editor · Reviewed May 2026

Quel, quelle, quels, and quelles are the French interrogative adjectives, covering what and which. They always accompany a noun, either directly (quel livre) or across the verb être (quel est ton nom), and they agree with that noun in gender and number.

Quelle est ton adresse ?

What's your address?

What it is

Quel is the French way of asking what or which when a noun is involved. Because it is an adjective rather than a pronoun, it is not one word but four: the form has to match the gender and number of the noun being asked about, even when that noun sits several words away.

Quel jour ? Quelle heure ? Quels amis ? Quelles couleurs ? — What day? What time? Which friends? Which colours?

How to spot it

Find the noun the question is about, then match quel to it. The noun decides the ending; the answer you expect has nothing to do with it.

Quel bus dois-je prendre ? — Which bus should I take? (bus is masculine)
Quelle heure est-il ? — What time is it? (heure is feminine)
Quels sont tes projets ? — What are your plans? (projets is masculine plural)
Quelles chaussures mets-tu ? — Which shoes are you wearing? (chaussures is feminine plural)

All four forms sound identical in speech. The distinction only shows up in writing, and in liaison before a vowel: quels amis is pronounced with a z sound.

Interrogative Adjectives Quick Reference

The four forms and where each one goes

Form	Agrees with	Example	English
quel	masculine singular	Quel jour sommes-nous ?	What day is it?
quelle	feminine singular	Quelle heure est-il ?	What time is it?
quels	masculine plural	Quels films aimes-tu ?	Which films do you like?
quelles	feminine plural	Quelles langues parlez-vous ?	Which languages do you speak?
quel + être	the noun after être	Quelle est la question ?	What's the question?
preposition + quel	the noun that follows	À quelle heure ?	At what time?
Quel + noun	an exclamation	Quelle surprise !	What a surprise!

Common Interrogative Adjectives Examples in French

Quel in the four places it turns up:

Straight Before Its Noun

Quel livre veux-tu emprunter ?: Which book do you want to borrow?
Quelle robe préfères-tu ?: Which dress do you prefer?
Quels documents faut-il apporter ?: Which documents do I need to bring?
Quelles questions vas-tu poser ?: Which questions are you going to ask?

No article comes between quel and the noun. Quel le livre is impossible.

Separated From Its Noun by Être

Quel est ton nom de famille ?: What's your surname?
Quelle est la capitale de l'Australie ?: What's the capital of Australia?
Quels sont les avantages ?: What are the advantages?
Quelles sont vos coordonnées ?: What are your contact details?

Être is the only verb that lets quel stand apart from its noun, and the noun still controls the agreement.

After a Preposition

À quelle heure part le train ?: What time does the train leave?
De quel pays vient-elle ?: Which country does she come from?
Dans quelle rue habites-tu ?: Which street do you live on?
Pour quelle raison a-t-il démissionné ?: For what reason did he resign?

The preposition goes at the front of the question. French never leaves it stranded at the end the way English does.

In Exclamations

Quelle chance !: What luck!
Quel dommage !: What a shame!
Quelle bonne idée !: What a good idea!
Quels beaux yeux !: What beautiful eyes!

Here quel means what a, and there is no French equivalent of that a. The noun follows immediately.

How Quel Works

Quel behaves like any other French adjective, which explains both its four forms and its refusal to stand on its own.

It Agrees With the Noun, Not the Answer

The gender you need comes from the noun in the question, not from the person or thing that answers it. Quelle est votre profession takes quelle because profession is feminine, whether you are addressing a man or a woman.

Quelle est votre profession, monsieur ?

What's your occupation, sir?

Match the noun in the question.

It Cannot Stand Alone

Because quel is an adjective, it needs a noun somewhere in the sentence. If you want to ask which one with no noun in sight, you have to switch to the pronoun lequel.

Quelle voiture est la tienne ?

Which car is yours?

Adjective, so always with a noun.

Être Is the Only Verb That Can Come Between

In quel est le problème, quel is separated from problème by the verb. That construction works with être and nothing else, which is why you say quel est ton avis but quel avis as-tu, not quel as-tu comme avis.

Quels sont les horaires du musée ?

What are the museum's opening hours?

quel + être + noun.

Quel Asks for a Selection, Not a Definition

Quel expects the answer to pick something out of a range of possibilities. When you want a definition or an explanation instead, French uses qu'est-ce que rather than quel: quel est ce bruit asks which noise, qu'est-ce que c'est asks what a thing is.

Quel est ce bruit ?

What's that noise?

Pick one out → quel.

In Exclamations It Absorbs the Article

English says what a mess, with an article between what and the noun. French puts nothing there at all, so quel bordel and quelle journée have no un or une. The exclamation mark takes a space in front of it in French typography.

Quelle journée !

What a day!

quel + noun, no article.

Common Mistakes with Interrogative Adjectives

Incorrect: Quel est ton adresse ? — What's your address?

Correct: Quelle est ton adresse ? — What's your address?

Adresse is feminine, so the form has to be quelle. Because quel is separated from its noun by est, learners often forget to check the gender at all.

Incorrect: Qu'est-ce que ton numéro de téléphone ? — What's your phone number?

Correct: Quel est ton numéro de téléphone ? — What's your phone number?

English uses what for both, but French reserves qu'est-ce que for asking what something is. When a specific noun follows, the question word is quel.

Incorrect: Quel un beau jardin ! — What a beautiful garden!

Correct: Quel beau jardin ! — What a beautiful garden!

The a of what a has no French counterpart. Quel already carries the whole construction, so adding un is one word too many.

Incorrect: J'ai deux valises. Quelle veux-tu ? — I have two suitcases. Which one do you want?

Correct: J'ai deux valises. Laquelle veux-tu ? — I have two suitcases. Which one do you want?

Once the noun has dropped out of the question, quel has nothing to agree with and cannot be used. The pronoun laquelle takes over.

Quel Outside the Direct Question

Three constructions reuse the same four forms, and two of them are not questions at all.

Exclamations

Quel plus a noun with no article is the standard way to exclaim about something, corresponding to English what a.

Quelle horreur !: How awful!
Quel talent !: What talent!
Quelle belle journée !: What a beautiful day!
Quels menteurs !: What liars!

An adjective can slip in between: quel beau geste. The article still never appears.

Indirect questions

Inside a larger sentence, quel keeps its agreement but loses the inversion and the question mark.

Je me demande quelle heure il est.: I wonder what time it is.
Dis-moi quel train tu prends.: Tell me which train you're taking.
On ne sait pas quelles seront les conséquences.: We don't know what the consequences will be.

Quel is one of the few question words that survives into an indirect question unchanged; que becomes ce que instead.

Quel que soit: whatever, whichever

Quel que plus the subjunctive of être means whatever or no matter what, and quel still agrees with the noun that follows.

Quel que soit ton choix, je te soutiens.: Whatever your choice, I'll support you.
Quelles que soient les difficultés, nous continuerons.: Whatever the difficulties, we'll carry on.
Quels que soient les résultats, tu as bien travaillé.: Whatever the results, you worked hard.

Two words here, quel que, unlike the single word quelque meaning some. The verb soit or soient agrees with the noun as well.

Interrogative Adjectives FAQs

What does quel mean in French?: It covers both what and which, and it always goes with a noun. Quel âge as-tu means how old are you, literally what age do you have, and quelle couleur préfères-tu means which colour do you prefer. It has four written forms: quel, quelle, quels, quelles.
How do I know whether to write quel, quelle, quels, or quelles?: Find the noun the question is about and copy its gender and number. Quel train, masculine singular; quelle voiture, feminine singular; quels amis, masculine plural; quelles idées, feminine plural. All four are pronounced the same way, so this only matters in writing.
What's the difference between quel and lequel?: Quel is an adjective and needs its noun: quel manteau prends-tu, which coat are you taking. Lequel is a pronoun that replaces the noun: lequel prends-tu, which one are you taking. Lequel also merges with prepositions, giving auquel and duquel.
Why is it quel est ton nom and not qu'est-ce que ton nom?: Qu'est-ce que asks what something is in general terms, so it wants a definition. When you are asking for a specific piece of information attached to a noun, French uses quel with être: quel est ton nom, quelle est la date, quels sont les horaires.
How do you say what a in French?: Just quel plus the noun, with no article at all: quel dommage, what a shame; quelle idée, what an idea; quelle belle surprise, what a lovely surprise. French also allows comme or ce que with a full clause: comme c'est beau, how beautiful it is.