What is the word order in a French inverted question?

Question word, ne, object pronouns, verb hyphenated to the subject pronoun, pas, then the rest of the sentence. Pourquoi ne me l'as-tu pas dit ? shows every slot filled at once.

Where does pas go in an inverted question?

After the subject pronoun, because the pronoun has become part of the verb block: n'est-il pas là ?, ne viens-tu pas ? Ne stays in front of the pronouns and the verb, exactly where it is in a statement.

When do I add -t- in an inversion?

When the verb form ends in a vowel and the subject is il, elle, or on: a-t-il, va-t-elle, parle-t-on, ira-t-elle. Never after a consonant, so est-il, fait-elle, and ont-ils take no extra t.

Where do object pronouns go?

In front of the conjugated verb, in their usual order, before the inverted block: me le prêtes-tu ?, lui en avez-vous parlé ?, ne nous l'a-t-il pas promis ? Inversion moves the subject only.

Can a noun be the subject of an inverted question?

Yes, in two ways. After où, quand, comment, or combien it can follow the verb directly: quand arrive le train ? Otherwise it stays in front and is echoed by a pronoun: ton frère est-il là ?

French grammar · Advanced

Inversion Word Order in French: Where Every Piece Goes

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

An inverted French question has a fixed order: question word, then ne, then any object pronouns, then the verb hyphenated to its subject pronoun, then pas, then the rest. Once you know the slots, even a sentence as crowded as pourquoi ne me l'as-tu pas dit ? assembles itself.

Pourquoi ne me l'as-tu pas dit ?

Why didn't you tell me?

What it is

Inversion moves only one thing: the subject pronoun, which jumps behind the conjugated verb and attaches to it with a hyphen. Everything else — the negation, the object pronouns, the participle — stays in the position it occupies in a statement. That is why the order looks complicated and is in fact entirely predictable.

Tu ne me l'as pas dit. → Ne me l'as-tu pas dit ? — You didn't tell me. → Didn't you tell me?

How to spot it

Read the statement version first, then move the subject pronoun to the other side of the verb. Nothing else needs to be touched.

Ne viens-tu pas ? — Aren't you coming?
Le lui as-tu rendu ? — Did you give it back to him?
Y a-t-il quelqu'un ? — Is anyone there?
Ton frère est-il rentré ? — Has your brother come home?

The hyphen joins the verb to the subject pronoun and to nothing else. Object pronouns are never hyphenated in a question.

Inversion Word Order Quick Reference

The slots, in order

Element	Position	Example
Question word	first	Quand partez-vous ?
ne	before the pronouns	Ne viens-tu pas ?
Object and reflexive pronouns	immediately before the verb	Te l'a-t-il rendu ?
Conjugated verb	before the subject, with a hyphen	As-tu compris ?
-t-	between a final vowel and il / elle / on	Va-t-elle mieux ?
Subject pronoun	straight after the hyphen	Pourquoi part-il si tôt ?
pas	after the subject pronoun	N'est-il pas là ?
Participle or infinitive	after the whole block	As-tu pu le joindre ?

Common Inversion Word Order Examples in French

The order in progressively fuller sentences:

Bare Inversion

Viens-tu ?: Are you coming?
Sait-elle la vérité ?: Does she know the truth?
Partons-nous maintenant ?: Are we leaving now?
Comprenez-vous la consigne ?: Do you understand the instruction?

The verb keeps its ordinary ending: viens-tu with an s, exactly as in tu viens.

With a Negation

Ne viens-tu pas avec nous ?: Aren't you coming with us?
N'a-t-elle rien dit ?: Didn't she say anything?
N'êtes-vous jamais allé en Bretagne ?: Have you never been to Brittany?
Ne le savais-tu pas ?: Didn't you know?

Ne stays in front of everything, and pas or its replacement comes after the subject pronoun.

With Object Pronouns

Me le prêtes-tu ?: Will you lend it to me?
Lui en avez-vous parlé ?: Have you spoken to him about it?
Te souviens-tu de cette soirée ?: Do you remember that evening?
Ne nous l'avait-il pas promis ?: Hadn't he promised us that?

The pronouns keep the order they would have in a statement; inversion does not reshuffle them.

With a Noun Subject

Où habite ta sœur ?: Where does your sister live?
Quand arrive le prochain train ?: When does the next train arrive?
Pourquoi ton frère ne répond-il pas ?: Why isn't your brother answering?
Les invités sont-ils déjà arrivés ?: Have the guests already arrived?

Simple inversion after où, quand, comment, and combien; otherwise the noun stays first and a pronoun does the inverting.

The Rules Behind the Order

Five mechanical facts, each of which explains one of the slots in the table above.

The Hyphen Marks the Inversion, Nothing Else

It links the conjugated verb to the subject pronoun that has moved behind it. Object pronouns stay in front of the verb and are written as separate words, so l'as-tu vu has one hyphen, not two.

L'as-tu vu partir ?

Did you see him leave?

One hyphen, between verb and subject.

Insert -t- Only Between Two Vowels

If the verb form ends in a vowel and the subject is il, elle, or on, add -t-: a-t-il, va-t-elle, parle-t-on, arrivera-t-il. If it already ends in a consonant, no t is added, which is why est-il, prend-elle, and sont-ils have none.

Comment va-t-elle depuis l'opération ?

How has she been since the operation?

Vowel + il/elle/on → -t-.

The Negation Splits Around the Whole Block

Ne goes in front of the pronouns and the verb; pas goes after the inverted subject. The subject pronoun is therefore inside the negation, which is the one genuine change inversion makes to the sentence.

Ne vous a-t-on rien proposé ?

Weren't you offered anything?

ne … verb-subject … pas.

Compound Tenses Invert the Auxiliary

The auxiliary carries the person, so it is the auxiliary that swaps with the pronoun. The past participle stays at the end, after pas if there is one, and agrees as usual.

N'est-elle pas encore partie ?

Hasn't she left yet?

Invert avoir or être, not the participle.

Noun Subjects Have Two Strategies

Simple inversion puts the noun straight after the verb, and works after où, quand, comment, and combien when nothing follows. Complex inversion leaves the noun in front and echoes it with a pronoun, and is always available.

Quand ta cousine arrive-t-elle ?

When is your cousin arriving?

Verb + noun, or noun + verb-pronoun.

Common Mistakes with Inversion Word Order

Incorrect: Ne viens pas-tu ? — Aren't you coming?

Correct: Ne viens-tu pas ? — Aren't you coming?

The subject pronoun attaches directly to the verb, and pas comes after the pair. Putting pas first breaks the block that the hyphen is holding together.

Incorrect: As-tu le vu ? — Did you see him?

Correct: L'as-tu vu ? — Did you see him?

Object pronouns go in front of the conjugated verb, before the inverted block begins. They never follow the subject pronoun in a question.

Incorrect: Est-t-il déjà là ? — Is he here already?

Correct: Est-il déjà là ? — Is he here already?

The inserted -t- exists only to separate two vowels. Est already ends in a consonant, so adding another t gives a form that does not exist.

Incorrect: Où ta sœur habite ? — Where does your sister live?

Correct: Où habite ta sœur ? — Where does your sister live?

With a noun subject you need one of the two inversion strategies: put the noun after the verb, or keep it in front and echo it — où ta sœur habite-t-elle ? Leaving the noun in front with no pronoun is only possible in casual speech.

Three Areas That Need Their Own Rules

The pronoun je, noun subjects after a quotation, and the pronunciation of the inverted block.

Inversion with je

Only a short list of verbs inverts with je, and they are all one syllable. Everything else uses est-ce que.

Puis-je vous aider ?: May I help you?
Ai-je bien compris ?: Have I understood correctly?
Dois-je signer ici ?: Should I sign here?
Que sais-je ?: What do I know?

Suis-je, vais-je, and dis-je complete the list. For any other verb, use est-ce que je.

After a quotation, nouns invert freely

In the clause that identifies a speaker, a noun subject can go straight after the verb with no pronoun and no hyphen problems.

« Je refuse », répondit le témoin.: "I refuse," the witness replied.
« Attention », cria le conducteur.: "Careful," shouted the driver.
« Bien sûr », ajouta-t-elle.: "Of course," she added.

With a pronoun, the hyphen and the -t- rules come back: ajouta-t-elle, dit-il, murmurai-je.

How the block is pronounced

Inversion creates liaisons that do not exist in the statement version, and final consonants that are normally silent become audible.

Vient-il ce soir ?: Is he coming tonight? (the t is pronounced)
Prend-elle le train ?: Is she taking the train? (the d sounds like a t)
Sont-ils prêts ?: Are they ready? (the t links to ils)

This is why the -t- of va-t-il exists at all: French wants a consonant between the verb and the pronoun.

Inversion Word Order FAQs

What is the word order in a French inverted question?: Question word, ne, object pronouns, verb hyphenated to the subject pronoun, pas, then the rest of the sentence. Pourquoi ne me l'as-tu pas dit ? shows every slot filled at once.
Where does pas go in an inverted question?: After the subject pronoun, because the pronoun has become part of the verb block: n'est-il pas là ?, ne viens-tu pas ? Ne stays in front of the pronouns and the verb, exactly where it is in a statement.
When do I add -t- in an inversion?: When the verb form ends in a vowel and the subject is il, elle, or on: a-t-il, va-t-elle, parle-t-on, ira-t-elle. Never after a consonant, so est-il, fait-elle, and ont-ils take no extra t.
Where do object pronouns go?: In front of the conjugated verb, in their usual order, before the inverted block: me le prêtes-tu ?, lui en avez-vous parlé ?, ne nous l'a-t-il pas promis ? Inversion moves the subject only.
Can a noun be the subject of an inverted question?: Yes, in two ways. After où, quand, comment, or combien it can follow the verb directly: quand arrive le train ? Otherwise it stays in front and is echoed by a pronoun: ton frère est-il là ?