Yes or no questions
In everyday spoken French, the easiest way to ask a yes or no question is to make a standard statement and simply raise your pitch at the end.
You don't need to change the word order. It is exactly like asking "You are eating?" in English.
| Are you eating a croissant? | Tu manges un croissant ? |
| Is the tea hot? | Le thé est chaud ? |
Talking about meals
When talking about having a meal or a drink, the French commonly use the verb prendre. It literally means "to take," but translates to "to have" in the context of food.
| Is he having tea with a croissant? | Il prend le thé avec un croissant ? |
| Are you having breakfast now? | Tu prends le petit-déjeuner maintenant ? |
You can also use the verb préparer to talk about making meals like le déjeuner (lunch) or le dîner (dinner).
| Are you preparing lunch for them? | Vous préparez le déjeuner pour eux ? |
Negative questions
You can use this exact same rising intonation with negative sentences to ask "Aren't you...?" or "Is it not...?". Just frame your negative statement using ne ... pas and raise your voice at the end.
| Is dinner not ready? | Le dîner n'est pas prêt ? |
| Do they not like tea? | Ils n'aiment pas le thé ? |
Drinking
While you will often hear prendre used for having a drink (like prendre le thé), you can also use the specific verb boire (to drink).
| Are you drinking the milk? | Tu bois le lait ? |
| Do you drink tea for lunch? | Tu bois le thé pour le déjeuner ? |
