What are the three ways to ask a question in French?

Intonation alone, which keeps statement order and just rises at the end: tu viens. Est-ce que in front of the statement: est-ce que tu viens. And inversion of verb and subject: viens-tu. They mean the same thing and differ in formality.

What does est-ce que actually mean?

Literally is it that, but it functions purely as a question marker and is not translated. Its usefulness is that the rest of the sentence stays untouched, so est-ce que vous avez réservé is simply vous avez réservé with a label on the front.

Why is there a t in a-t-il?

Because a ends in a vowel and il begins with one, and French dislikes the collision. The t is inserted purely for sound, with a hyphen on each side. The same happens in va-t-elle and parle-t-on, but not in part-il, which already ends in a consonant.

How do I say what in a French question?

Use qu'est-ce que when what is the object: qu'est-ce que tu veux. Use qu'est-ce qui when what is the subject: qu'est-ce qui se passe. After a preposition, and at the end of a spoken question, what becomes quoi: de quoi parles-tu, tu fais quoi.

Is it rude to ask a question with just intonation?

Not at all, but it is informal. Tu viens is perfectly normal with friends and family. When you are addressing someone you do not know, est-ce que vous venez or venez-vous fits the situation better.

French grammar · Beginner

How to Ask Questions in French: Intonation, Est-ce Que, and Inversion

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

French offers three ways to ask the same question: raise your voice at the end, put est-ce que in front, or swap the verb and subject round. They mean the same thing and differ only in formality, which is why choosing between them is a question of register rather than grammar.

Est-ce que tu as vu mon parapluie ?

Have you seen my umbrella?

What it is

English builds questions by moving an auxiliary to the front, and where there is no auxiliary it invents one with do. French has no equivalent of do, so it uses three other strategies instead: intonation alone, a fixed question marker, or inversion of verb and subject. All three are correct, and they sit at different points on a scale from casual to formal.

Tu viens ? Est-ce que tu viens ? Viens-tu ? — Are you coming? (informal, neutral, formal)

How to spot it

Decide first whether you want yes or no, or a piece of information. Then pick the level of formality, and the structure follows.

Tu as faim ? — Are you hungry? (intonation only)
Est-ce que tu as faim ? — Are you hungry? (neutral)
As-tu faim ? — Are you hungry? (formal)
Où est-ce que tu vas ? — Where are you going? (question word plus est-ce que)

In French typography a space goes in front of the question mark: Tu viens ? rather than Tu viens?

Questions Quick Reference

The same question at every level of formality

Method	Register	Example	English
intonation	informal, spoken	Tu viens ?	Are you coming?
est-ce que	neutral, works everywhere	Est-ce que tu viens ?	Are you coming?
inversion	formal, written	Viens-tu ?	Are you coming?
n'est-ce pas	checking agreement	Tu viens, n'est-ce pas ?	You're coming, aren't you?
question word + est-ce que	neutral	Où est-ce que tu vas ?	Where are you going?
question word + inversion	formal	Où vas-tu ?	Where are you going?
question word at the end	very informal	Tu vas où ?	Where are you going?

Common Questions Examples in French

Questions of every shape:

Yes or No

Tu as fini tes devoirs ?: Have you finished your homework?
Est-ce que vous avez réservé ?: Have you booked?
Avez-vous une carte des vins ?: Do you have a wine list?
Il est déjà parti, n'est-ce pas ?: He's already left, hasn't he?

There is nothing to translate the English do or did. The verb stays exactly as it is in the statement.

Asking for Information

Où habites-tu ?: Where do you live?
Quand est-ce qu'ils arrivent ?: When are they arriving?
Pourquoi es-tu en retard ?: Why are you late?
Combien coûte le billet ?: How much is the ticket?

The question word always comes first in careful French, and est-ce que can follow it to avoid inversion.

Who and What

Qui a téléphoné ?: Who called?
Qui est-ce que tu attends ?: Who are you waiting for?
Qu'est-ce qui se passe ?: What's going on?
Qu'est-ce que tu fais ce soir ?: What are you doing tonight?

Qui asks about people and never changes. Que has to become qu'est-ce que or qu'est-ce qui depending on its job.

Questions With a Preposition

Avec qui pars-tu ?: Who are you leaving with?
De quoi parlez-vous ?: What are you talking about?
À qui as-tu écrit ?: Who did you write to?
Pour quelle raison a-t-il refusé ?: Why did he refuse?

The preposition stays glued to the front of the question. French cannot leave it at the end the way English does.

How French Questions Are Built

Each of the three methods has one small rule attached, and once you know all three you can move freely between registers.

Est-ce Que Goes in Front of an Untouched Statement

The most useful thing about est-ce que is that nothing else in the sentence changes. Write the statement, put est-ce que in front, and you have a question. It elides to est-ce qu' before a vowel.

Est-ce qu'elle a compris la question ?

Did she understand the question?

est-ce que + normal sentence.

Inversion Needs a Pronoun Subject

Verb-subject inversion works cleanly with pronouns: viens-tu, avez-vous, part-il. With a noun subject you either repeat it as a pronoun, ton frère vient-il, or drop inversion and use est-ce que.

Ton frère vient-il ce soir ?

Is your brother coming tonight?

Invert with pronouns only.

A -t- Appears Between Two Vowels

If inversion would leave a vowel next to a vowel, French inserts a t with hyphens on both sides. That is why a-t-il, va-t-elle, and parle-t-on exist, while part-il and vient-il need nothing because they already end in a consonant.

A-t-elle reçu mon message ?

Did she get my message?

Vowel + vowel → insert -t-.

The Question Word Takes Its Preposition With It

English strands prepositions at the end: who are you going with. French moves the preposition to the front along with its question word, giving avec qui, de quoi, pour combien.

Sur quoi comptes-tu pour finir à temps ?

What are you counting on to finish in time?

Preposition first, always.

Que and Qui Behave Very Differently

Qui works for people whether it is the subject or the object, and it can stand alone: qui parle, qui vois-tu. Que cannot stand at the front of a spoken question, so it expands into qu'est-ce qui for a subject and qu'est-ce que for an object.

Qu'est-ce qui t'inquiète ?

What's worrying you?

qui stays short, que expands.

Common Mistakes with Questions

Incorrect: Est-ce que veux-tu du café ? — Would you like some coffee?

Correct: Est-ce que tu veux du café ? — Would you like some coffee?

Est-ce que already marks the sentence as a question, so inverting as well marks it twice. Choose one method and leave the rest of the sentence in statement order.

Incorrect: Qu'est-ce que se passe ? — What's going on?

Correct: Qu'est-ce qui se passe ? — What's going on?

The thing you are asking about is the subject of se passer, so the second half has to be qui. Qu'est-ce que is only for an object.

Incorrect: A il compris la question ? — Did he understand the question?

Correct: A-t-il compris la question ? — Did he understand the question?

The verb ends in a vowel and il begins with one, so French inserts a t with hyphens to keep the two apart.

Incorrect: Tu pars avec qui avec ? — Who are you going with?

Correct: Avec qui pars-tu ? — Who are you going with?

A French preposition travels to the front with its question word and appears once. Leaving a copy at the end is an English habit with no French equivalent.

Inversion in Detail

Inversion is the trickiest of the three methods, and three details cover almost everything that can go wrong.

The inserted -t-

When the verb ends in a vowel and the pronoun begins with one, a t goes in between with hyphens on both sides.

A-t-il téléphoné ?: Did he call?
Va-t-elle mieux aujourd'hui ?: Is she feeling better today?
Parle-t-on anglais ici ?: Does anyone speak English here?
Y a-t-il un problème ?: Is there a problem?

This t is purely there for pronunciation and has no meaning. It never appears with tu, nous, or vous.

Inversion with a noun subject

Either name the subject and then invert with a matching pronoun, or, with a short verb such as être, aller, coûter, or faire, invert the noun directly.

Ta sœur habite-t-elle toujours à Lille ?: Does your sister still live in Lille?
Où est ta sœur ?: Where's your sister?
Combien coûtent ces gants ?: How much are these gloves?
Que fait ton père ?: What does your father do?

Direct inversion of a noun works best when the verb is short and nothing follows it.

Inversion with je

French avoids inverting je with most verbs, keeping it for a small set of common ones, and uses est-ce que otherwise.

Puis-je vous aider ?: May I help you?
Suis-je en retard ?: Am I late?
Dois-je signer ici ?: Should I sign here?
Est-ce que je peux entrer ?: Can I come in?

Puis-je is a special form used only in this inversion; the ordinary present is je peux.

Questions FAQs

What are the three ways to ask a question in French?: Intonation alone, which keeps statement order and just rises at the end: tu viens. Est-ce que in front of the statement: est-ce que tu viens. And inversion of verb and subject: viens-tu. They mean the same thing and differ in formality.
What does est-ce que actually mean?: Literally is it that, but it functions purely as a question marker and is not translated. Its usefulness is that the rest of the sentence stays untouched, so est-ce que vous avez réservé is simply vous avez réservé with a label on the front.
Why is there a t in a-t-il?: Because a ends in a vowel and il begins with one, and French dislikes the collision. The t is inserted purely for sound, with a hyphen on each side. The same happens in va-t-elle and parle-t-on, but not in part-il, which already ends in a consonant.
How do I say what in a French question?: Use qu'est-ce que when what is the object: qu'est-ce que tu veux. Use qu'est-ce qui when what is the subject: qu'est-ce qui se passe. After a preposition, and at the end of a spoken question, what becomes quoi: de quoi parles-tu, tu fais quoi.
Is it rude to ask a question with just intonation?: Not at all, but it is informal. Tu viens is perfectly normal with friends and family. When you are addressing someone you do not know, est-ce que vous venez or venez-vous fits the situation better.