2A Forming Questions and Expressing Negation

Question 1

1

Use “EST-CE QUE…” directly before a statement to turn it into a question.

If the next word begins with a VOWEL SOUND, use “EST-CE QU’ “

Answer 1

EXAMPLE

EST-CE QUE vous parlez français?
(Do you speak French?)

EST-CE QU’il aime dessiner?
(Does he like to draw?)

questions with EST-CE QUE are somewhat formal

Question 2

2

End a statement with “N’EST-CE PAS?” (isn’t that right?) or “D’ACCORD?” (ok?)

Answer 2

EXAMPLE

nous mangeons à midi, N’EST-CE PAS?
(we eat at noon, don’t we?)

on commence à deux heures, D’ACCORD?
(we’re starting at two o’clock, ok?)

this method can be formal OR informal

Question 3

3

invert the order of the subject pronoun and the verb and place a hyphen between them.
If the verb ENDS IN A VOWEL and the subject pronoun begins with one (IL, ELLE, or ON), insert “-T-“ between the verb and pronoun to make pronunciation easier

Answer 3

EXAMPLE

PARLEZ-VOUS français?
(do you speak french?)

MANGE-T-IL à midi?
(does he eat at noon?)

EST-ELLE étudiante?
(Is she a student?)

Question 4

If the subject is a NOUN rather than a pronoun, place the noun at the BEGINNING of the question followed by the inverted verb and pronoun.

Answer 4

EXAMPLE

LE PROFESSEUR PARLE-T-IL français?
(does the professor speak french?)

ERICA ARRIVE-T-ELLE demain?
(does Erica arrive tomorrow?)

Question 5

The inverted form of
“IL Y A” is “Y A-T-IL”

“C’EST” becomes “EST-CE”

Answer 5

EXAMPLE

Y A-T-IL une horloge dans la classe?
(is there a clock in the class?)

EST-CE le professeur de lettres?
(is he the humanities professor?)

Question 6

use POURQUOI to ask “why?”

Answer 6

EXAMPLE

POURQUOI retrouves-tu Sophie ici?
why are you meeting Sophie here?

Question 7

use PARCE QUE (PARCE QU’ before a vowel sound) to answer “because”

Answer 7

EXAMPLE

PARCE QU’elle habite près d’ici
because she lives near here

Question 8

you can use EST-CE QUE after POURQUOI to form a question.

with EST-CE QUE, you don’t use inversion

Answer 8

EXAMPLE

POURQUOI détestes-tu la chimie?
(why do you have Chemistry?)

POURQUOI EST-CE QUE tu détestes la chimie?
(why do you hate Chemistry?)

Question 9

to make sentences NEGATIVE, place “NE” (N’ before a vowel sound) before the conjugated verb

use PAS after it

Answer 9

EXAMPLE

je NE DESSINE PAS bien
(I don’t draw well)

elles N’éTUDIENT PAS la chimie
(they don’t study chemistry)

Question 10

in the construction ~conjugated verb + infinitive~ NE (N’) comes before the conjugated verb and PAS after it

Answer 10

Abdel N’AIME PAS éTUDIER
(Abdel doesn’t like to study)

Vous NE DéTESTEZ PAS TRAVAILLER?
(you don’t hate to work?)

Question 11

In questions with inversion, place NE before the inversion and PAS after it

Answer 11

EXAMPLE

Abdel N’AIME-T-IL PAS étudier?
(doesn’t Abdel like to study?)

NE DéTESTEZ-VOUS PAS travailler?
(Don’t you hate to work?)

Question 12

use SI instead of OUI to contradict a negative question

Answer 12

EXAMPLE

-parles-tu à Daniel?
(Are you talking to Daniel?)

-Oui.
(yes)

-NE PARLES-TU PAS à Daniel?
(Aren’t you talking to Daniel?)

-SI!
(yes ~I am~ !)