French Skill:Questions 2

Questions 2
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Language	French
Skills	273
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Questions 2 is the twenty-second skill (assuming read left to right) in the language tree for French. It has two lessons and teaches more question words and structures for questions.

Grammar Notes

Inversion 2

As mentioned in Questions 1, you can use est-ce que to create a closed (yes/no) question but open questions use question words and the other type of inversion*, where the verb and the subject switch places:

• Est-ce qu'il aime les chats? -> Aime-t-il les chats?
• Est-ce que tu veux un gâteau? -> Veux-tu un gâteau?

Notice in the first example that a -t- has been placed between the verb and the subject. This is called the t euphonique and is used whenever the verb ends in a vowel and the subject begins with a vowel as well. It makes it easier to pronounce.

When the subject of the sentence is not a pronoun, you'll need to place it before the inversion and put a pronoun that matches the subject in gender and number:

• Les chiens mangent-ils? = Are the dogs eating?
• La fille aime-t-elle les bonbons? = Does the girl like candies?

*You can use est-ce que instead of this type of inversion if you want, but it is considered informal to do so.

Lessons

Lesson 1

• combien = how many
• comment = how
• où = where

Lesson 2

• quel(le)(s) = which
• pourquoi = why
• de quoi = about what
• à qui = to whom

References

Duolingo Lesson: www.duolingo.com/skill/fr/Questions-2