French Grammar: Asking Questions – Inversion

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French Grammar: Asking Questions - Inversion

French Grammar: Asking Questions – Inversion

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French Grammar: Asking Questions – Inversion
la grammaire française: poser les questions – l’inversion

Asking questions is an important skill in any language, including French!  We ask questions to find out information, clarify information, and learn more detailed information.  There are several ways to ask questions in French.  Some questions are Yes-No Questions and others are Interrogatives.

The present document explains the specific questioning technique of inversion.  In French statements, the subject pronoun always precedes the conjugated verb.  With inversion, questions are formed by reversing this order.  So in a question using inversion, the conjugated verb precedes the subject pronoun, and the two are joined by a hyphen.

Study:

Asking questions is an important skill in any language, including French!  We ask questions to find out information, clarify information, and learn more detailed information.  There are several ways to ask questions in French.  Some questions are Yes-No Questions and others are Interrogatives.

The present document explains the specific questioning technique of inversion.  In French statements, the subject pronoun always precedes the conjugated verb.  With inversion, questions are formed by reversing this order.  So in a question using inversion, the conjugated verb precedes the subject pronoun, and the two are joined by a hyphen.  Rising voice intonation occurs at the end of a question using inversion.

INVERSION WITH YES-NO QUESTIONS:

Tu travailles beaucoup.
You (informal) work a lot.

Travailles-tu beaucoup?
Do you (informal) work a lot?

Vous étudiez souvent.
You all study often.

Étudiez-vous souvent?
Do you all study often?

In speaking and in writing, the letter ‘-t-‘ must be added between a conjugated verb ending in -e or –a and the subject pronouns il, elle, and on.  This is done in order to separate the final vowel of the conjugated verb and the initial vowel of the subject pronoun il, elle, and on.  In speaking, that letter ‘t’ is pronounced. The result is a smooth rather than choppy pronunciation between the words that sounds better to the French-speaker’s ear.

Il aime danser.
He likes to dance.

Aime-t-il danser?
Does he like to dance?

On va à la bibliothèque cet après-midi.
We are going to the library this afternoon.

Va-t-on à la bibliothèque cet après-midi?
Are we going to the library this afternoon?

When using inversion in the third person plural (ils, elles), the final ‘t’ of the verb is also pronounced.  Again, this is done in order to produce a smooth rather than choppy pronunciation between the verb and the subject pronoun that sounds better to a French-speaker’s ear.

Bénoit et Victor, travaillent-ils le week-end?
Do Bénoit and Victor work on week-ends?

Il y a becomes Y a-t-il in inverted form.  The inverted form of C’est is Est-ce.

Y a-t-il un restaurant dans ce quartier?
Is there a restaurant in this neighborhood?

Est-ce un restaurant cher?
Is it an expensive restaurant?

Inversion is very rarely used in the first person singular (je) form.

In compound tenses such as the passé composé, it is only the auxiliary verb that is inverted with the subject pronoun.  The past participle remains at the end of the inverted structure.

Ils ont visité le musée.
They visited the museum.

Ont-ils visité le musée?
Did they visit the museum?

Elle est restée à la maison hier soir.
She stayed home last night.

Est-elle restée à la maison hier soir?
Did she stay home last night?

Inversion is used much more frequently in written French than in spoken French.  In spoken French, inversion is used most often with certain common verbs, including être, avoir, aller, faire, devoir, pouvoir, savoir, and vouloir.  When used in spoken French with verbs other than these, inversion tends to sound very formal.  Not surprisingly, then, it is most commonly used when speaking in the second person (vous) form.

Vous parlez français.
You (formal) speak French.

Parlez-vous français?
Do you (formal) speak French?

Vous voulez étudier l’histoire.
You (formal) want to study history.

Voulez-vous étudier l’histoire?
Do you (formal) want to study history?

When the subject of a sentence is a noun instead of a pronoun, the noun is stated first.  The conjugated verb is then inverted with the pronoun which corresponds to that noun.  The noun itself is never inverted with the conjugated verb.

Les étudiants passent un examen aujourd’hui.
The students are taking an exam today.

Les étudiants, passent-ils un examen aujourd’hui?
Are the students taking an exam today?

David a réussi dans le cours.
David passed the class.

David, a-t-il réussi dans le cours?
Did David pass the class?

INVERSION WITH INTERROGATIVES:

QUI (Who[m]) can be used with inversion

(a) when it’s the direct object of a verb; or (b) when it’s used with a preposition:

a) Qui invitez-vous?
Whom are you (formal) inviting?

b) Avec qui vas-tu au cinéma?
With whom are you (informal) going to the movie?

QUE or QU’ (What?) can be used with inversion when it’s the direct object of an inverted verb:

Que veut-il?
What does he want?

Qu’avez-vous fait?
What did you (formal) do?

After a preposition, QUE/ QU’ becomes QUOI.  QUOI can also be used with inversion:

De quoi parlent-elles?
What are they talking about?

(Note that, unlike in English, a preposition will never come at the end of a French statement or question!)

When QUEL / QUELLE or QUELS / QUELLES (Which?) is followed by a noun, inversion can be used with the conjugated verb and corresponding subject pronoun that follow:

Quelle matière préfères-tu?
Which subject do you prefer?

LEQUEL / LAQUELLE and LESQUELS / LESQUELLES (Which one[s]) can also be used in an inverted question:

Lequel a-t-il choisi?
Which one did he choose?

Inversion can also be used with the following interrogative question words:

QUAND? : When?

Quand arrivons-nous?
When do we arrive?

OÙ? : Where?

Où habitez-vous?
Where do you (formal) live?

D’OÙ? : From where?

D’où viennent-ils?
Where do they come from?

COMMENT? : How?

Comment allez-vous?
How are you (formal)?

COMBIEN DE? : How much? / How many?

Combien de soeurs a-t-elle?
How many sisters does she have?

POURQUOI? : Why?

Pourquoi pleures-tu?
Why are you (informal) crying?

À QUELLE HEURE? : At what time?

À quelle heure allons-nous dîner?
At what time are we going to eat dinner?

NOTE: When answering any type of question, always pay attention to the subject pronoun used in the question. The subject pronoun in the answer will be based on which subject pronoun was used in the question.

If the question is asked of “you”, the answer is in the “I” form; If the question asks “he”, then the answer will also be “he”, etc.

Here is a complete listing:

If the question asks: JE
In the answer, use: TU or VOUS (depending on your relationship with the speaker)

If the question asks: TU
In the answer, use: JE

If the question asks: IL
In the answer, use: IL

If the question asks: ELLE
In the answer, use: ELLE

If the question asks: NOUS
In the answer, use: NOUS or VOUS (depending on whether or not you yourself are part of the group)

If the question asks: VOUS
In the answer, use: JE or NOUS (depends on whether the question is asked of just you or of you + others)

If the question asks: ILS
In the answer, use: ILS

If the question asks: ELLES
In the answer, use: ELLES

Adapt:

Aimes-tu nager?
Do you (informal) like to swim?

Oui, j’aime nager.
Yes, I like to swim.

Avez-vous des devoirs ce soir?
Do y’all have homework tonight?

Non, nous n’avons pas de devoirs ce soir.
No, we don’t have homework tonight.

Voyagez-vous beaucoup?
Do you (formal) travel a lot?

Oui, je voyage beaucoup.
Yes, I travel a lot.

Sont-ils étudiants?
Are they students?

Oui, ils sont étudiants.
Yes, they are students.

Étudiez-vous le français?
Do you (formal) study French?

Oui, j’étudie le français.
Yes, I study French.

Est-elle américaine?
Is she American?

Oui, elle est américaine.
Yes, she is American.

Danse-t-elle bien?
Does she dance well?

Non, elle ne danse pas trop bien.
No, she doesn’t dance too well.

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