Standard questions with "est-ce que"
In the previous lesson, you saw how to ask "what" at the beginning of a sentence using qu'est-ce que. You can actually add est-ce que after almost any question word to form a standard question!
The structure is simple: Question Word + est-ce que + Subject + Verb. Let's start with où (where), which is perfect for conducting a survey (un sondage).
Just like you saw previously, the que at the end of est-ce que must drop its "e" and become qu' if the following word starts with a vowel.
Asking "when" with "quand"
To ask when something happens—such as when a match or an event starts (commencer)—use the exact same pattern with the question word quand.
Asking "why" and answering with "because"
To ask "why", use the question word pourquoi.
To answer a "why" question, use parce que (because). Just like que, the word que in parce que will contract to qu' before a vowel.
"How much" and "how many"
The word combien means both "how much" and "how many". When asking how much something costs (coûter), simply use combien est-ce que followed by the item and the verb.
To ask "how many" of a specific thing, use the phrase combien de followed by the noun, and then add est-ce que. Note that de stays as de (or d' before a vowel) and does not change to des, even when the noun is plural.
Asking questions & finding answers
You now have all the tools to ask a question (une question) and find (trouver) the answers you need in everyday conversations!
