Breakdown of Est-ce qu'il voyage bientôt ?
il
he
est-ce que
is it that / do / does (question marker)
voyager
to travel
bientôt
soon
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"?
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.
Learn Est-ce qu'il voyage bientôt and more in French
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free