Bonjour! I’m Shota.
Are you learning French and confused by how to ask questions or where to put pronouns like “me,” “it,” or “to him”? Don’t worry — I’ll explain it step-by-step using simple English!
❓ How to Ask Questions in French
French has 3 simple ways to ask a question:
- 1. Just raise your voice at the end (like in English)
➤ Tu vas bien? = Are you okay? - 2. Add “Est-ce que” at the beginning
➤ Est-ce que tu aimes le café? = Do you like coffee? - 3. Swap verb and subject (inversion)
➤ Aimes-tu le café? = Do you like coffee? (formal or in writing)
💡 TIP: For beginners, “Est-ce que” is the easiest and most common way!
🗣 Common Question Words
| French | English | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Quand | When | Quand est-ce que tu arrives ? |
| Où | Where | Où vas-tu ? |
| Pourquoi | Why | Pourquoi il part ? |
| Comment | How | Comment ça va ? |
| Combien | How many / much | Combien ça coûte ? |
| Qu’est-ce que | What | Qu’est-ce que tu fais ? |
📦 Where to Put Pronouns (like “it” or “him”)
In English, we say “I see it” or “He gives me the book.”
In French, pronouns go before the verb (not after like in English).
👉 Example:
💬 Je le vois. = I see it
What if it’s negative? (“don’t” or “not”)
Then use this order: ne + pronoun + verb + pas
💬 Je ne le vois pas. = I don’t see it
📚 When There Are TWO Pronouns
1) me / te / nous / vous → 2) le / la / les → 3) lui / leur → verb
- Je te le donne. = I give it to you
- Il me la montre. = He shows it to me
📝 Mini Quiz
- How do you say “Are you okay?” using est-ce que?
- Translate: “I don’t see it.”
- Translate: “He gives it to her.”
✅ Quiz Answers
- Est-ce que tu vas bien?
- Je ne le vois pas.
- Il le lui donne.
📌 Summary
- You can ask questions by tone, “est-ce que,” or inversion
- Question words come first (where, why, when…)
- Pronouns come before the verb
- In negative sentences: ne + pronoun + verb + pas
Thanks for reading! In my next article, I’ll explain how to use commands and emphasis in French.
À bientôt!