# French Question Words — Qui, Que, Où, and How to Ask Questions

> The French question words are **qui** (who), **que** and **quoi** (what), **où** (where),
> **quand** (when), **pourquoi** (why), **comment** (how), **combien** (how much/many) and
> **quel** (which). Nine words — plus three sentence patterns that turn them into real
> questions: intonation, **est-ce que**, and inversion.

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Updated: 2026-08-27

## The nine question words at a glance

| French | Pronunciation | English | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| qui | KEE | who | *Qui est-ce ?* — who is that? |
| que | KUH | what | *Que fais-tu ?* — what are you doing? |
| quoi | KWAH | what — after a preposition, or alone | *Tu fais quoi ?* / *C'est quoi ?* |
| où | OO | where | *Où est la gare ?* — where is the station? |
| quand | KAHN | when | *Quand est-ce que tu pars ?* — when are you leaving? |
| pourquoi | poor-KWAH | why | *Pourquoi pas ?* — why not? |
| comment | koh-MAHN | how | *Comment ça marche ?* — how does it work? |
| combien | kohm-BYAN | how much / how many | *Ça coûte combien ?* — how much does it cost? |
| quel / quelle / quels / quelles | KELL | which, what — before a noun | *Quelle heure est-il ?* — what time is it? |

Note the accent: **où** means "where"; **ou** without the accent means "or". They sound
identical, so the accent is the only thing that tells a reader which you meant.

## Three ways to build the same question

French has three separate machines for building a question, and they all produce the same
meaning. The choice says how casual you are being — not what you are asking. All three,
doing "Where do you live?":

1. **Intonation — just say it.** *Tu habites où ?* Statement word order, question word on
   the end, voice rising. This is what you hear in cafés and text messages.
2. **Est-ce que — the everyday all-rounder.** *Où est-ce que tu habites ?* **Est-ce que**
   (pronounced ess-kuh, as one word) is a flag you plant in front of a statement to turn it
   into a question. Nothing else moves. It works with every question word and never sounds
   wrong.
3. **Inversion — formal and written.** *Où habites-tu ?* Verb and subject swap places and
   are joined with a hyphen.

Honestly: real spoken French runs on 1 and 2. Inversion belongs to writing, to formal
situations, and to set phrases everyone uses — *Comment allez-vous ?*, *Quelle heure
est-il ?*, *Quel âge as-tu ?* Learn those whole, and build everything else with
**est-ce que**.

**Qu'est-ce que is just "what".** *Qu'est-ce que c'est ?* looks like four words; it means
*What is that?* and is said as one sound: kess-kuh SAY. Learn the noise, not the pieces.

## Que, quoi and quel

**Que** and **quoi** both mean "what". The difference is position, not meaning.

- **que** goes before the verb: *Que veux-tu ?* (what do you want?), *Que fais-tu ?*
- **quoi** goes after a preposition or stands alone, usually at the end: *Tu veux quoi ?*,
  *Avec quoi ?*, *C'est quoi ?*

**Quel** is an adjective: it changes shape to match the noun that follows, and it is the one
you use before a noun.

| Form | Goes with | Example |
|---|---|---|
| quel | masculine, one thing | *quel jour* — which day |
| quelle | feminine, one thing | *quelle heure* — what time |
| quels | masculine, several | *quels livres* — which books |
| quelles | feminine, several | *quelles couleurs* — which colours |

All four are pronounced KELL. The endings are for the page, not for the ear.

## Hear them asked at learner speed

The Cocoon French video **How to Ask Questions in French** takes these patterns slowly, in a
story you can follow without translating:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qsX7I9RxUcI

More free lessons on the channel: https://youtube.com/@cocoonfrench

## FAQ

**What are the French question words?**
Nine: qui (who), que and quoi (what), où (where), quand (when), pourquoi (why), comment
(how), combien (how much or how many) and quel (which or what, before a noun).

**What does est-ce que mean?**
Nothing on its own — it has no translation. Est-ce que (say it as one word, ess-kuh) is a
spoken question marker: plant it in front of a statement and the statement becomes a
question. *Tu habites ici* → *Est-ce que tu habites ici ?*

**What is the difference between que and quoi?**
Both mean "what"; the difference is position. Que goes before the verb (*Que veux-tu ?*);
quoi goes after a preposition or stands alone (*Tu veux quoi ?*, *Avec quoi ?*,
*C'est quoi ?*).

**Is inversion formal in French?**
Yes. *Où habites-tu ?* belongs to writing and formal speech. Conversation uses intonation
(*Tu habites où ?*) or est-ce que (*Où est-ce que tu habites ?*). Set phrases such as
*Comment allez-vous ?* and *Quelle heure est-il ?* keep inversion everywhere.

**How do you say "What is that?" in French?**
Qu'est-ce que c'est ? — pronounced kess-kuh SAY. The casual spoken version is C'est quoi ?

## Related guides

- French possessive adjectives: https://cocoonfrench.com/guides/french-possessive-adjectives
- Imparfait vs passé composé: https://cocoonfrench.com/guides/imparfait-vs-passe-compose
- Common French phrases: https://cocoonfrench.com/guides/common-french-phrases
- All guides: https://cocoonfrench.com/guides