Conversation

Everyday French questions: three ways to ask.

French questions can be formal, neutral, or very conversational. You do not need every structure at once, but you should recognize the main three.

1. Intonation

The easiest spoken pattern is a statement with rising intonation.

• Tu viens ? Are you coming?
• Vous avez une table ? Do you have a table?

2. Est-ce que

Est-ce que turns a statement into a clear question. It is useful, neutral, and beginner-friendly.

• Est-ce que tu parles anglais ? Do you speak English?
• Est-ce que c'est ouvert ? Is it open?

3. Inversion

Inversion sounds more formal or written: Parlez-vous français ? Do you speak French? It is useful to recognize, even if you do not use it much at first.

Question words

Start with the essentials: où where, quand when, comment how, pourquoi why, combien how much or how many.

Où est la gare ? Where is the station? Combien ça coûte ? How much does it cost?

For daily speaking, intonation and est-ce que will carry you far.