In formal situations, such as journalism, literature, or very polite conversation, French uses inversion to ask questions. Instead of using est-ce que or raising your intonation, you simply swap the verb and the subject pronoun.
Basic Inversion
Let's imagine you are on a television show (une émission) and want to ask (poser) a question:
| I would like to ask a question during the show. | Je voudrais poser une question pendant l'émission. |
To form an inverted question, place the verb first, followed by a hyphen (-), and then the subject pronoun. This is very common with the formal vous.
| Do you have a recent album? | Avez-vous un album récent ? |
| Are you participating in the tour? | Participez-vous à la tournée ? |
| Are you ready for the tour? | Êtes-vous prêt pour la tournée ? |
The "-t-" in Third-Person Inversion
When inverting a verb with il, elle, or on, French requires the sounds to flow smoothly. If the verb ends in a vowel (like a or chante), you must insert a -t- between the verb and the pronoun.
| Does he sing in English? | Chante-t-il en anglais ? |
| Does she have a role in the new film? | A-t-elle un rôle dans le nouveau film ? |
However, if the verb already ends in a consonant like t or d, you do not add the extra t. You just use a standard hyphen.
| Are they participating in the new show? | Participent-ils à la nouvelle émission ? |
Conducting an Interview
Now you have all the tools to conduct a formal interview (une interview) with a singer (un chanteur) or a writer (un écrivain).
| Do you want to ask the singer a question? | Voulez-vous poser une question au chanteur ? |
| Does he have an interview with a writer? | A-t-il une interview avec un écrivain ? |
