LVC: Est-ce que

Est-ce que

Learning how to form questions is an important part of language learning. In this section we will learn how to form questions with the expression "est-ce que."

**Key Terms**
Key Terms
est-ce que	this phrase indicates a question, kind of like do in English
comment	how
où	where
pourquoi	why
quand	when
qu'est-ce que	what
qui	who
avec qui	with whom

How to pronounce:

The key terms listed above (with the exception of est-ce que) are interrogative adverbs and are used to ask questions.

This chart lays out the framework for questions with est-ce que.

Let's practice by working from this basic sentence: Tu vas à l'école.

Tu vas à l'école.
question word		subject	verb	rest of sentence
	est-ce que	Tu	vas	à l'école
Comment	est-ce que	tu	vas	à l'école
	est-ce que	tu	vas	à l'école
Pourquoi	est-ce que	tu	vas	à l'école
Quand	est-ce que	tu	vas	à l'école
Que (qu'*)	est-ce que	tu	fais	à l'école
Qui	est-ce que	tu	vois	à l'école
Qui **			va	à l'école
Avec qui	est-ce que	tu	vas	à l'école

*With que, drop the e and add ' (the apostrophe) when the next word begins with a vowel or silent h.

** Note the different form when qui is the subject of the question.

Download a printable version (no audio) Links to an external site..

Est-ce que literally means "is it that." Thus, "Est-ce que tu vas à l'école" literally means "Is it that you go to school." You can also think of "est-ce que" this way:

Do you go to school?

In French, you would NEVER say: Fais-tu aller à l'école? That makes no sense in French. You say: "Est-ce que tu vas à l'école"?

Practice

Now it's time to practice forming questions with est-ce que. Be sure to complete the activities below.

Need even more practice?

Download the handout Est-ce que and Question Words Links to an external site. for additional practice.

Practice Activities

Activity 1:

Activity 2:

Activity 3: