Interrogative Pronouns For Intermediate learners
What Are Interrogative Pronouns (Les pronoms interrogatifs) in French?
Words that substitute questions for nouns are known as interrogative pronouns (les pronoms interrogatifs). They let the speaker ask who, what, or which one(s) rather than directly naming a person or an object.
Interrogative pronouns in English include who, whom, what, and which. Interrogative pronouns are crucial in French because they enable the speaker to determine whether the question refers to a person or an object, as well as the noun's function in the sentence (subject or object).
The most common French interrogative pronouns are:
qui
que / quoi
lequel / laquelle / lesquels / lesquelles
The Pronoun qui (who / whom)
Qui is used to ask questions about people only. It can refer to the person doing the action or the person receiving the action. Importantly, its form never changes, which makes it easier to use.
Qui as the subject (who)
When qui is the subject, it replaces the person performing the action. In this case, it is placed directly before the verb, and no extra structure is needed.
Qui parle ?
Who is speaking?
Qui arrive ce soir ?
Who is arriving tonight?
Qui a cassé la fenêtre ?
Who broke the window?
Qui as the object (whom / who)
When qui is the object, it replaces the person affected by the action. It often appears after a verb or after a preposition (à, avec, pour, de…). For example:
Qui as-tu rencontré ?
Who did you meet? (object)
Qui est-ce que tu appelles ?
Who are you calling?
Tu parles à qui ?
Who are you talking to?
In everyday spoken French, qui is very often placed at the end of the sentence, which sounds more natural.
Avec qui viens-tu ?
Who are you coming with?
The Pronouns que and quoi (what)
Que and quoi are used to ask questions about things, ideas, or actions, never people.
The choice between que and quoi depends mainly on where the pronoun appears in the sentence.
Que (what) – before the verb
Que (or qu' before a vowel) is used in more structured or neutral sentences. It is placed before the verb and often appears with est-ce que, or in inverted questions. Here are the examples:
Que fais-tu ?
What are you doing?
Que alone is more formal and used in writing.
Qu'est-ce que tu veux ?
What do you want?
In spoken French, you often use qu'est-ce que instead of inversion.
Quoi (what) – after the verb or a preposition
Quoi is used when the pronoun comes after the verb, or follows a preposition. It is very common in spoken French. Take a look at the examples:
Tu fais quoi ?
What are you doing?
Tu penses à quoi ?
What are you thinking about?
De quoi parlez-vous ?
What are you talking about?
The Pronoun lequel (which one / which ones)
Lequel is used when there is a choice among specific options. It agrees in gender and number with the noun it replaces.
Form | Gender & Number |
|---|---|
lequel | masculine singular |
laquelle | feminine singular |
lesquels | masculine plural |
lesquelles | feminine plural |
Lequel choisis-tu ?
Which one are you choosing?
Laquelle préfères-tu ?
Which one do you prefer?
Lesquels sont corrects ?
Which ones are correct?
Lesquelles sont ouvertes ?
Which ones are open?
Lequel is very common after prepositions like de, à, avec, pour.
De lequel parles-tu ?
Which one are you talking about?
À laquelle penses-tu ?
Which one are you thinking of?
Avec lesquels travailles-tu ?
Which ones do you work with?
Comparing Sentences With and Without Pronouns
This comparison helps understand how interrogative pronouns replace nouns.
Tu vois ce film. → Que vois-tu ?
You see this movie. → What do you see?
Tu parles à Marie. → À qui parles-tu ?
You are talking to Marie. → Who are you talking to?
Tu choisis cette robe. → Laquelle choisis-tu ?
You are choosing this dress. → Which one are you choosing?
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