Learn French: Le dîner n'est pas prêt ?

In spoken French, you can turn a regular statement like Le dîner n'est pas prêt into a question just by making your voice go up at the end. In writing, the question mark does the same job. This is a very common and casual way to ask yes/no questions.

Can I make a question negative just by adding n'est pas?

Exactly! Just like in English, you can ask negative questions to show surprise. You take the standard negative statement (putting n' and pas around the verb est) and simply add a question mark at the end or raise your pitch when speaking.

Why is it written as n'est instead of ne est?

When the word ne is followed by a verb starting with a vowel, like est, the e drops out and is replaced by an apostrophe. This is called elision, and it makes the words flow together smoothly without two vowel sounds bumping into each other.

Does prêt change if the thing that is ready is feminine?

Yes! Adjectives in French change to match the gender of the noun. Because le dîner is masculine, we use prêt. If we were asking about a feminine word, like a salad (la salade), we would add an e to make it prête.