Learn French: Est-ce qu'il voyage bientôt ?

Est-ce qu'il voyage bientôt ?

Is he traveling soon?

Breakdown of Est-ce qu'il voyage bientôt ?

est-ce que

is it that / do / does (question marker)

Questions & Answers about Est-ce qu'il voyage bientôt ?

Why does it say qu'il instead of que il?

When que is followed by a word starting with a vowel (like il), the e is dropped and replaced with an apostrophe. So, Est-ce que il becomes Est-ce qu'il. This makes the words flow together more smoothly when speaking.

What does Est-ce que literally mean in this sentence?

Literally, it translates to "Is it that". But you don't translate it word-for-word! It is simply a fixed phrase you put at the start of a sentence to turn it into a yes/no question. Il voyage means "He is traveling", so adding Est-ce que makes it "Is he traveling?".

The translation says "Is he traveling", but where is the French word for "is"?

French doesn't use an "is doing something" structure like English does. The single present tense verb voyage translates to both "travels" and "is traveling". You never use the French word for "is" (est) to say someone is currently doing an action!

Can I just ask this by saying Il voyage bientôt ?

Yes! In casual spoken French, people often just make a statement and raise their voice at the end to make it a question. Using Est-ce que is just a slightly more standard way to make it instantly clear that you are asking a question right from the start.