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Excusez-moi, madame, laquelle de ces caisses est ouverte ?

Excusez-moi, madame, laquelle de ces caisses est ouverte ?
Excuse me, ma’am, which of these checkouts is open?

Breakdown of Excusez-moi, madame, laquelle de ces caisses est ouverte ?

être
to be
de
of
ces
these
me
me
ouvert
open
madame
ma'am
lequel
which
la caisse
the checkout
excuser
to excuse
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Questions & Answers about Excusez-moi, madame, laquelle de ces caisses est ouverte ?

Why is it Excusez-moi and not Je m’excuse here?

Excusez-moi is the normal polite way to say Excuse me when you want to get someone’s attention or politely interrupt.

Je m’excuse literally means I excuse myself, and although native speakers do say it in some situations, learners are often taught that Excusez-moi is the safer and more natural choice here.

So in this sentence, Excusez-moi is being used as a polite opener before asking a question.

Why does excusez end in -ez?

Because excusez is the vous form of the verb excuser.

Here it is being used in the imperative:

  • excuse-moi = excuse me, when speaking to one person informally
  • excusez-moi = excuse me, when speaking politely to one person or to more than one person

Since the sentence includes madame, the speaker is clearly being polite, so vous is the right form.

Why is there a hyphen in Excusez-moi?

In French, when an object pronoun comes after an affirmative imperative, it is attached with a hyphen.

So:

  • Excusez-moi
  • Regardez-le
  • Donnez-moi

That hyphen is standard spelling in this structure.

Why is madame included?

Madame is a polite form of address, like ma’am or madam in English.

It shows that the speaker is talking respectfully to a woman, probably a shop employee. In this sentence, it helps set the tone as polite and formal.

It is not grammatically necessary, but it is socially useful.

Why is it laquelle and not quelle?

Laquelle means which one and replaces a noun that is already understood from the context.

Here, the noun is caisse. Since the speaker is choosing among several checkouts, French uses laquelle = which one.

Compare:

  • Quelle caisse est ouverte ? = Which checkout is open?
  • Laquelle de ces caisses est ouverte ? = Which one of these checkouts is open?

So laquelle is used because the noun does not need to be repeated.

Why is it laquelle specifically, and not another form like lequel?

Because laquelle agrees with the noun it refers to, and caisse is feminine singular.

The forms are:

  • lequel = which one? for masculine singular
  • laquelle = which one? for feminine singular
  • lesquels = which ones? for masculine plural
  • lesquelles = which ones? for feminine plural

Since one caisse is being referred to, and caisse is feminine, laquelle is the correct form.

Why is it de ces caisses?

De ces caisses means of these checkouts or more naturally in English, among these checkouts.

It shows that the speaker is choosing from a specific set:

  • laquelle de ces caisses = which one of these checkouts

The word ces means these or those, depending on context. Here it points to some visible checkout lanes.

What does caisse mean here?

In everyday French, caisse can have several meanings depending on context, including box, case, or cash register.

In a shop or supermarket, une caisse usually means:

  • the checkout
  • the cash register
  • the till

So in this sentence, ces caisses means these checkout lanes/registers, not literal boxes.

Why is it est ouverte?

This means is open.

French often uses être + adjective to describe a state:

  • La porte est ouverte = The door is open
  • Le magasin est ouvert = The shop is open

Here:

  • est = is
  • ouverte = open

So est ouverte describes the condition of the checkout.

Why does ouverte end in -e?

Because ouverte agrees with caisse, which is feminine singular.

The adjective changes form:

  • ouvert = masculine singular
  • ouverte = feminine singular
  • ouverts = masculine plural
  • ouvertes = feminine plural

Since une caisse is feminine, French uses ouverte.

Could you also say Quelle caisse est ouverte ?

Yes, absolutely. Quelle caisse est ouverte ? is very natural.

The difference is mainly in structure and emphasis:

  • Quelle caisse est ouverte ? = Which checkout is open?
  • Laquelle de ces caisses est ouverte ? = Which one of these checkouts is open?

The version with laquelle de ces caisses sounds a bit more specific, as if you are pointing to a particular group of checkouts.

Is this a formal sentence?

Yes. It sounds polite and appropriate for speaking to a stranger, especially in a shop.

The clues are:

  • Excusez-moi uses vous
  • madame is a polite form of address

A less formal version might be used with a friend, but in this context the formal version is the normal one.

What would the informal version be?

If you were speaking informally to one person you know well, you would use tu:

  • Excuse-moi, laquelle de ces caisses est ouverte ?

But in real life, you would usually not use tu with a stranger in a shop. The original sentence with Excusez-moi, madame is much more appropriate.

How is laquelle pronounced?

Laquelle is pronounced roughly like la-kel.

A simple guide for the whole sentence is:

  • Excusez-moi ≈ eks-kü-zay mwa
  • madame ≈ ma-dam
  • laquelle ≈ la-kel
  • de ces caisses ≈ duh say kess
  • est ouverte ≈ ay oo-vert

A few useful notes:

  • The ll in laquelle does not sound like English l + y here; it is just an l sound.
  • caisse sounds like kess.
  • ouverte ends with a pronounced t sound.
Why doesn’t French use inversion here?

Because this is already a perfectly normal question structure in French.

The sentence is:

  • Laquelle de ces caisses est ouverte ?

French often forms questions simply with rising intonation, especially in everyday speech. This is completely standard.

A more formal alternative could be:

  • Laquelle de ces caisses est-elle ouverte ?

That version is more formal and a bit heavier. The original sentence is natural and common.