Understanding French Interrogative Adjectives
French interrogative adjectives ask "which" or "what" and must agree in gender and number with the noun they modify.
The complete system:
- quel (masculine singular): quel livre? (which book?)
- quelle (feminine singular): quelle voiture? (which car?)
- quels (masculine plural): quels livres? (which books?)
- quelles (feminine plural): quelles voitures? (which cars?)
Key characteristics:
- Agreement: Must match the noun in gender and number
- Position: Usually directly before the noun
- Usage: For asking about specific choices or identification
- Pronunciation: All forms sound the same [kɛl]
These adjectives are essential for asking questions about specific items, making choices, and seeking clarification in French.
Examples
Quel âge as-tu? (What age are you? / How old are you?)
Agreement with "âge" (masculine singular)
Quelle est ta couleur préférée? (What is your favorite color?)
Agreement with "couleur" (feminine singular)
Quels sports pratiques-tu? (Which sports do you practice?)
Agreement with "sports" (masculine plural)
QUEL - Masculine Singular
QUEL is used with masculine singular nouns:
Examples
Quel livre lis-tu? (Which book are you reading?)
Quel jour sommes-nous? (What day is it?)
Quel temps fait-il? (What's the weather like?)
Quel est ton nom? (What is your name?)
Common Expressions with QUEL
Frequently used phrases:
Quel âge? (What age?), Quel temps? (What weather?)
Quel dommage! (What a pity!), Quel plaisir! (What a pleasure!)
QUELLE - Feminine Singular
QUELLE is used with feminine singular nouns:
Examples
Quelle heure est-il? (What time is it?)
Quelle voiture préfères-tu? (Which car do you prefer?)
Quelle est ta profession? (What is your profession?)
Quelle belle journée! (What a beautiful day!)
Common Expressions with QUELLE
Frequently used phrases:
Quelle heure? (What time?), Quelle chance! (What luck!)
Quelle surprise! (What a surprise!), Quelle histoire! (What a story!)
QUELS - Masculine Plural
QUELS is used with masculine plural nouns:
Examples
Quels films aimes-tu? (Which films do you like?)
Quels sont tes hobbies? (What are your hobbies?)
Quels livres as-tu lus? (Which books have you read?)
Quels beaux enfants! (What beautiful children!)
Plural Agreement
Must agree with plural masculine nouns:
Quels pays as-tu visités? (Which countries have you visited?)
Quels sont tes projets? (What are your plans?)
QUELLES - Feminine Plural
QUELLES is used with feminine plural nouns:
Examples
Quelles couleurs préfères-tu? (Which colors do you prefer?)
Quelles sont tes matières préférées? (What are your favorite subjects?)
Quelles langues parles-tu? (Which languages do you speak?)
Quelles belles fleurs! (What beautiful flowers!)
Feminine Plural Agreement
Must agree with plural feminine nouns:
Quelles chaussures portes-tu? (Which shoes are you wearing?)
Quelles sont tes vacances préférées? (What are your favorite vacations?)
Agreement Rules and Patterns
Interrogative adjectives follow strict agreement rules:
Agreement Patterns
| Pronoun | Conjugation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine singular | quel + masc. sing. noun | quel livre, quel homme |
| Feminine singular | quelle + fem. sing. noun | quelle voiture, quelle femme |
| Masculine plural | quels + masc. plural noun | quels livres, quels hommes |
| Feminine plural | quelles + fem. plural noun | quelles voitures, quelles femmes |
Agreement with Compound Nouns
Agreement follows the main noun:
Quel grand-père? (Which grandfather?)
Quelle grand-mère? (Which grandmother?)
Question Formation with Interrogative Adjectives
Different ways to form questions with QUEL:
Examples
Quel livre lis-tu? (Which book are you reading?) - Standard order
Tu lis quel livre? (You're reading which book?) - Informal
Quel est ton livre préféré? (What is your favorite book?) - With être
C'est quel livre? (It's which book?) - Very informal
Formal Question Structure
Standard interrogative word order:
Quelle heure est-il? (What time is it?)
Quels sont tes plans? (What are your plans?)
Informal Question Structure
Statement word order with rising intonation:
Tu préfères quelle couleur? (Which color do you prefer?)
Il est quelle heure? (What time is it?)
QUEL with ÊTRE - Special Constructions
QUEL is often used with the verb ÊTRE:
Examples
Quel est ton nom? (What is your name?)
Quelle est ta nationalité? (What is your nationality?)
Quels sont tes hobbies? (What are your hobbies?)
Quelles sont tes couleurs préférées? (What are your favorite colors?)
Identity Questions
Asking for identification or specification:
Quel est ce bruit? (What is that noise?)
Quelle est cette odeur? (What is that smell?)
Exclamatory Uses of QUEL
QUEL can express exclamation (What a...!):
Examples
Quel beau temps! (What beautiful weather!)
Quelle belle maison! (What a beautiful house!)
Quels beaux enfants! (What beautiful children!)
Quelles jolies fleurs! (What pretty flowers!)
Exclamatory Structure
QUEL + adjective + noun for exclamations:
Quel dommage! (What a pity!)
Quelle surprise! (What a surprise!)
QUEL vs Other Question Words
Distinguishing QUEL from other interrogatives:
Question Word Comparison
| Pronoun | Conjugation | English |
|---|---|---|
| quel/quelle/quels/quelles | which/what + noun | Quel livre? (Which book?) |
| que/qu'est-ce que | what (object) | Que fais-tu? (What are you doing?) |
| qui | who | Qui est-ce? (Who is it?) |
| où | where | Où vas-tu? (Where are you going?) |
QUEL vs QUE
QUEL modifies nouns, QUE stands alone:
Quel livre? (Which book?) - modifies "livre"
Que lis-tu? (What are you reading?) - stands alone
Common Expressions and Idioms
Fixed expressions with interrogative adjectives:
Examples
Quel âge as-tu? (How old are you?)
Quelle heure est-il? (What time is it?)
Quel temps fait-il? (What's the weather like?)
Quelle est la date? (What's the date?)
Time and Age Expressions
Common questions about time and age:
Quel jour sommes-nous? (What day is it?)
Quelle saison préfères-tu? (Which season do you prefer?)
Regional and Stylistic Variations
Usage variations in different contexts:
Formal vs Informal
Different question structures:
Formal: Quel livre préférez-vous?
Informal: Tu préfères quel livre?
Regional Differences
Some variation in question formation:
Standard: Quelle heure est-il?
Quebec: Il est quelle heure?
Common Mistakes with Interrogative Adjectives
Here are frequent errors students make:
1. Agreement errors: Wrong gender or number agreement
2. Confusing with QUE: Using QUE instead of QUEL with nouns
3. Position mistakes: Wrong word order in questions
4. Missing agreement: Forgetting to match noun characteristics
Examples
❌ Quel voiture? → ✅ Quelle voiture?
Wrong: "voiture" is feminine, needs "quelle"
❌ Quels couleur? → ✅ Quelles couleurs?
Wrong: "couleurs" is feminine plural, needs "quelles"
❌ Que livre lis-tu? → ✅ Quel livre lis-tu?
Wrong: use QUEL when modifying a noun
❌ Quel sont tes hobbies? → ✅ Quels sont tes hobbies?
Wrong: "hobbies" is plural, needs "quels"