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### 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**).

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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.

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### 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**.

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### Asking "why" and answering with "because"

To ask "why", use the question word **pourquoi**.

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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.

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### "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.

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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.

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### 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!

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Standard questions (est-ce que)

adjective

adverb

conjunction

contraction

determiner

interjection

noun

numeral

particle

phrase

prep

preposition

pronoun

sentence

verb

Singular 'to be' and indefinite articles (je suis un...)

Singular definite articles (le, la, l')

Identifying vs. describing (c'est vs. il est)

Feminine adjective agreement (+e)

Plural pronouns and 'to be' (nous sommes, vous êtes)

Formal and informal you (tu vs. vous)

Plural nouns and indefinite articles (des... -s)

Plural definite articles (les)

Plural adjective agreement (+s)

Stressed pronouns (moi, toi, lui)

The verb "to have" singular (j'ai, tu as, il a)

The verb "to have" plural (nous avons, vous avez, ils ont)

There is / there are (il y a)

Basic verbal negation (ne... pas)

Negating "there is" (il n'y a pas de)

Regular -er verbs singular (je parle, tu parles, il parle)

Regular -er verbs plural (nous parlons, vous parlez, ils parlent)

The verb "to be called" (s'appeler)

Yes/no questions with intonation (Tu parles ?)

Yes/no questions with "Est-ce que" (Est-ce que tu parles ?)

Informal questions (qui, que, quoi)

Singular possessives (mon, ton, son)

Plural possessives (notre, votre, leur)

Demonstrative adjectives (ce, cet, cette, ces)

Adjective placement

Numbers 1 to 20

Numbers 21 to 100

Age and physical states (avoir)

The verb to go (aller)

The preposition to/at (à, au, aux)

Question word for location (où)

Prepositions for cities and countries (à, en, au, aux)

The verb to come (venir)

The preposition from/of (de, du, des)

Question word for origin (d'où)

The verb to do/make (faire)

Days of the week (lundi, mardi)

Telling time (il est... heure)

Question words for time (quand, à quelle heure)

The verb to take or have (prendre)

The verb to drink (boire)

Partitive articles (du, de la, de l')

Zero quantity (pas de)

Expressions of quantity (un peu de, beaucoup de)

Asking how much or how many (combien, combien de)

Very vs. a lot (très, beaucoup)

The verb to want (vouloir)

Polite requests (je voudrais)

The verb to be able to (pouvoir)

Obligation (devoir)

General obligation (il faut)

Why and because (pourquoi, parce que)

Expressing purpose (pour)

Reflexive pronouns (me, te, se, nous, vous)

Daily routine verbs (se lever, s'habiller)

Adverbs of frequency (parfois, rarement)

Never (ne... jamais)

Regular -ir verbs (choisir, finir)

Regular -re verbs (attendre, répondre)

Irregular -ir verbs (sortir, partir, dormir)

Informal 'we' (on)

The imperative mood

Direct object pronouns (le, la, les, l')

The near future (aller + infinitive)

The recent past (venir de + infinitive)

The passé composé with avoir

Irregular past participles (eu, été, fait, pris, vu)

The passé composé with être

The negative passé composé (ne ... pas)

Saying goodbye

Please, sorry and thank you

Which / what (quel)

The indefinite adjective (tout, tous)

Irregular feminine adjectives (-euse, -ve)

Double consonant adjectives (-enne, -ette)

Feminine adjective endings (-ère, -trice)

Irregular plurals (-x)

Plurals ending in -al (-aux)

Present tense stem changes (e to è)

Accent stem changes (é to è)

Double consonant verbs (appeler, jeter)

Verbs ending in -yer (payer, envoyer)

Irregular communication verbs (dire, lire)

Irregular action verbs (écrire, mettre)

Knowing facts vs. familiarity (savoir, connaître)

Question	Answer
where	où
who is it?	qui est-ce
what is it?	qu'est-ce que c'est
what (in questions)	qu'est-ce que
the survey	le sondage
Where do you do the survey?	Où est-ce que vous faites le sondage ?
The supermarket is doing an interesting survey.	Le supermarché fait un sondage intéressant.
Where do they live now?	Où est-ce qu'ils habitent maintenant ?
when	quand
to start	commencer
When does the match start?	Quand est-ce que le match commence ?
The vacation starts soon.	Les vacances commencent bientôt.
When do you travel?	Quand est-ce que tu voyages ?
why	pourquoi
Why does she study French?	Pourquoi est-ce qu'elle étudie le français ?
because	parce que
She listens because it is important.	Elle écoute parce que c'est important.
Why don't you understand?	Pourquoi est-ce que tu ne comprends pas ?
Because there is no teacher.	Parce qu'il n'y a pas de professeur.
how much / how many	combien
to cost	coûter
How much does the book cost?	Combien est-ce que le livre coûte ?
How much does the room cost?	Combien est-ce que la chambre coûte ?
How many brothers do you have?	Combien de frères est-ce que vous avez ?
the question	la question
Do you have a question?	Est-ce que tu as une question ?
We are preparing a survey with a lot of questions.	Nous préparons un sondage avec beaucoup de questions.
to find	trouver
Where do we find a nice restaurant?	Où est-ce qu'on trouve un restaurant sympa ?
What do you find in the bag?	Qu'est-ce que tu trouves dans le sac ?
What are you preparing for dinner?	Qu'est-ce que vous préparez pour le dîner ?
What are you listening to?	Qu'est-ce que tu écoutes ?
What is it? It is a present.	Qu'est-ce que c'est ? C'est un cadeau.
There is a thing here. What is it?	Il y a une chose ici. Qu'est-ce que c'est ?
Who is it? It is a colleague.	Qui est-ce ? C'est un collègue.
There is a man here. Who is it?	Il y a un homme ici. Qui est-ce ?
to find again, to meet up with	retrouver
I am meeting a friend at the café.	Je retrouve un ami au café.
Where are we meeting the teacher?	Où est-ce que nous retrouvons le professeur ?

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