French Question Formation: Intonation, Est-ce que, Inversion

• French questions can be formed in several ways

Intonation

• Raising the intonation at the end of a statement transforms it into a question
• This is the simplest way to ask a question in French
• Suitable for informal conversations
• Example: "Tu vas bien ?" (You are well?) said with a rising intonation

Est-ce que

• Adding "Est-ce que" at the beginning of a statement turns it into a question
• Word order remains the same as in the statement
• "Est-ce que" doesn't have a direct translation; it's a grammatical tool
• Example: "Est-ce que tu vas bien ?" (Are you well?)
• "Est-ce que" becomes "Est-ce qu'" before a vowel sound
• Example: "Est-ce qu'il arrive ?" (Is he arriving?)

Inversion

• Inversion involves swapping the subject and verb
• A hyphen is placed between the verb and subject pronoun
• Example: "Vas-tu bien ?" (Are you well?)
• If the verb ends in a vowel and the subject is "il", "elle", or "on", a "-t-" is inserted for pronunciation
• Example: "Parle-t-il français ?" (Does he speak French?)
• If the subject is a noun, the noun is placed at the beginning of the sentence, and the corresponding pronoun is used after the verb
• Example: "Marie parle-t-elle français ?" (Does Marie speak French?)
• Inversion is generally considered more formal

Question Words

• Question words (qui, que, quoi, où, quand, comment, pourquoi, combien) are used to ask specific questions
• "Qui" (who): refers to people
• Example: "Qui est là ?" (Who is there?)
• "Que" (what): used before a verb, often becomes "Qu'" before a vowel
• Example: "Que fais-tu ?" (What are you doing?) / "Qu'est-ce que tu fais ?" (What are you doing?)
• "Quoi" (what): used at the end of a sentence or after a preposition
• Example: "Tu fais quoi ?" (What are you doing?) / "À quoi penses-tu ?" (What are you thinking about?)
• "Où" (where): refers to location
• Example: "Où vas-tu ?" (Where are you going?)
• "Quand" (when): refers to time
• Example: "Quand arrives-tu ?" (When are you arriving?)
• "Comment" (how): refers to manner or condition
• Example: "Comment vas-tu ?" (How are you?)
• "Pourquoi" (why): refers to reason
• Example: "Pourquoi pleures-tu ?" (Why are you crying?)
• "Combien" (how much/many): followed by "de" before a noun
• Example: "Combien de livres as-tu ?" (How many books do you have?)
• "Lequel/Laquelle/Lesquels/Lesquelles" (which one/ones)
• Example: "Lequel préfères-tu?" (Which one do you prefer?)

Negation in Questions

• To form a negative question, "ne...pas" (or "n'…pas" before a vowel) surrounds the verb
• With "Est-ce que": "Est-ce que tu ne vas pas bien ?" (Are you not well?)
• With inversion: "Ne vas-tu pas bien ?" (Are you not well?)

Conjugation

• Conjugation is the process of changing verb forms to agree with the subject
• French verbs are grouped into three main categories: -er verbs, -ir verbs, and -re verbs
• Regular -er verbs: Examples include parler (to speak), manger (to eat), aimer (to like)
• Regular -ir verbs: Examples include finir (to finish), choisir (to choose)
• Regular -re verbs: Examples include vendre (to sell), attendre (to wait)
• Irregular verbs: Verbs that do not follow the regular conjugation patterns

Present de l'indicatif

• The present tense (présent de l'indicatif) expresses actions happening now or habitual actions
• -er verb endings: -e, -es, -e, -ons, -ez, -ent
• Example: "parler" (to speak) - je parle, tu parles, il/elle/on parle, nous parlons, vous parlez, ils/elles parlent
• -ir verb endings: -is, -is, -it, -issons, -issez, -issent
• Example: "finir" (to finish) - je finis, tu finis, il/elle/on finit, nous finissons, vous finissez, ils/elles finissent
• -re verb endings: -s, -s, -, -ons, -ez, -ent
• Example: "vendre" (to sell) - je vends, tu vends, il/elle/on vend, nous vendons, vous vendez, ils/elles vendent
• Common irregular verbs include: être (to be), avoir (to have), aller (to go), faire (to do/make), and venir (to come)
• "Être" (to be): je suis, tu es, il/elle/on est, nous sommes, vous êtes, ils/elles sont
• "Avoir" (to have): j'ai, tu as, il/elle/on a, nous avons, vous avez, ils/elles ont
• "Aller" (to go): je vais, tu vas, il/elle/on va, nous allons, vous allez, ils/elles vont
• "Faire" (to do/make): je fais, tu fais, il/elle/on fait, nous faisons, vous faites, ils/elles font
• "Venir" (to come): je viens, tu viens, il/elle/on vient, nous venons, vous venez, ils/elles viennent

Le Passé Récent

• The passé récent expresses an action that has just happened
• Formed using "venir de" + infinitive of the verb
• "Venir" is conjugated in the present tense
• Example: "Je viens de manger" (I have just eaten)
• "Tu viens de partir" (You have just left)
• "Il vient d'arriver" (He has just arrived)
• "Nous venons de finir" (We have just finished)
• "Vous venez de commencer" (You have just started)
• "Ils viennent de téléphoner" (They have just called)

Le Futur Proche

• The futur proche expresses an action that will happen in the near future
• Formed using "aller" + infinitive of the verb
• "Aller" is conjugated in the present tense
• Example: "Je vais manger" (I am going to eat)
• "Tu vas partir" (You are going to leave)
• "Il va arriver" (He is going to arrive)
• "Nous allons finir" (We are going to finish)
• "Vous allez commencer" (You are going to start)
• "Ils vont téléphoner" (They are going to call)