Question 1

Where is the question word before est-ce que in this sentence?

Accepted Answer

The question word is que (what). Because the next word begins with a vowel, que drops its letter 'e' and becomes qu'. Joined with est-ce que, it makes the common phrase qu'est-ce que.

Question 2

Why is c'est at the very end of the question?

Accepted Answer

Breaking it down literally, Qu' (what) + est-ce que (is it that) + c'est (it is) translates to 'What is it that it is?'. Adding c'est at the end is the standard French way to ask 'What is it?' or 'What is that?'.

Question 3

Why does the answer start with C'est instead of Il est?

Accepted Answer

When you identify a thing using a noun that has an article like un or la, you use c'est (it is). Because the answer introduces un cadeau (a present), using il est would be incorrect here.

Question 4

How do you pronounce the eau in cadeau?

Accepted Answer

The letters eau combined in French always make a single, rounded 'O' sound. You pronounce cadeau roughly like 'cad-oh'.

Qu'est-ce que c'est ? C'est un cadeau.

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