Understanding French Interrogative Pronouns
French interrogative pronouns (pronoms interrogatifs) are used to ask questions about people, things, or to make choices. They replace the unknown element in a question.
Main interrogative pronouns:
- QUI: who, whom (for people)
- QUE: what (for things - direct object)
- QUOI: what (for things - after prepositions)
- LEQUEL/LAQUELLE/LESQUELS/LESQUELLES: which one(s)
Key functions:
- Subject questions: Qui est là? (Who is there?)
- Object questions: Que veux-tu? (What do you want?)
- Prepositional questions: Avec quoi? (With what?)
- Choice questions: Lequel choisis-tu? (Which one do you choose?)
Why interrogative pronouns matter:
- Essential communication: Ask questions naturally
- Avoid repetition: Replace unknown elements
- Precise questioning: Different pronouns for different contexts
- Advanced French: Show sophisticated language use
Basic patterns:
- QUI + verb: Qui parle? (Who speaks?)
- QUE + subject + verb: Que fais-tu? (What are you doing?)
- Preposition + QUOI: Avec quoi? (With what?)
- LEQUEL + agreement: Lequel veux-tu? (Which one do you want?)
Understanding interrogative pronouns is crucial for effective French communication.
Examples
PERSON: Qui est cette femme? (Who is this woman?)
THING: Que regardes-tu? (What are you looking at?)
PREPOSITION: De quoi parles-tu? (What are you talking about?)
CHOICE: Laquelle préfères-tu? (Which one do you prefer?)
QUI - Who/Whom (People)
QUI is used for people in both subject and object positions:
QUI Usage Patterns
| Pronoun | Conjugation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Subject | Qui + verb | Qui parle? (Who speaks?) |
| Direct object | Qui + subject + verb | Qui vois-tu? (Whom do you see?) |
| After preposition | Preposition + qui | Avec qui sors-tu? (With whom are you going out?) |
| Qui est-ce qui | Emphatic subject | Qui est-ce qui chante? (Who is singing?) |
| Qui est-ce que | Emphatic object | Qui est-ce que tu connais? (Whom do you know?) |
Examples
SUBJECT: Qui arrive ce soir? (Who is arriving tonight?)
OBJECT: Qui invites-tu à la fête? (Whom are you inviting to the party?)
PREPOSITION: Pour qui travailles-tu? (For whom do you work?)
EMPHATIC: Qui est-ce qui a téléphoné? (Who called?)
QUE - What (Things - Direct Object)
QUE is used for things as direct object:
QUE Usage Patterns
| Pronoun | Conjugation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Direct object | Que + subject + verb | Que fais-tu? (What are you doing?) |
| Inversion | Que + verb + subject | Que dit-il? (What does he say?) |
| Qu'est-ce que | Emphatic form | Qu'est-ce que tu veux? (What do you want?) |
| Qu'est-ce qui | Subject form | Qu'est-ce qui se passe? (What is happening?) |
Examples
SIMPLE: Que lis-tu? (What are you reading?)
EMPHATIC: Qu'est-ce que tu lis? (What are you reading?)
SUBJECT: Qu'est-ce qui fait ce bruit? (What is making this noise?)
INVERSION: Que veut-elle? (What does she want?)
QUOI - What (After Prepositions)
QUOI is used for things after prepositions:
QUOI Usage Patterns
| Pronoun | Conjugation | English |
|---|---|---|
| After preposition | Preposition + quoi | Avec quoi? (With what?) |
| De quoi | About what | De quoi parles-tu? (What are you talking about?) |
| À quoi | To what | À quoi penses-tu? (What are you thinking about?) |
| Standalone | Quoi? | Quoi? (What? - informal) |
Examples
INSTRUMENT: Avec quoi écris-tu? (What are you writing with?)
TOPIC: De quoi avez-vous besoin? (What do you need?)
THINKING: À quoi sert cet outil? (What is this tool for?)
INFORMAL: Tu dis quoi? (What are you saying?)
LEQUEL - Which One(s)
LEQUEL agrees in gender and number and asks for choice:
LEQUEL Agreement Forms
| Pronoun | Conjugation | English |
|---|---|---|
| lequel | masculine singular | Lequel veux-tu? (Which one do you want?) |
| laquelle | feminine singular | Laquelle préfères-tu? (Which one do you prefer?) |
| lesquels | masculine plural | Lesquels choisis-tu? (Which ones do you choose?) |
| lesquelles | feminine plural | Lesquelles achètes-tu? (Which ones are you buying?) |
Examples
MASCULINE: Lequel de ces livres lis-tu? (Which of these books are you reading?)
FEMININE: Laquelle de ces voitures préfères-tu? (Which of these cars do you prefer?)
PLURAL M: Lesquels de ces films as-tu vus? (Which of these movies have you seen?)
PLURAL F: Lesquelles de ces chansons aimes-tu? (Which of these songs do you like?)
LEQUEL with Prepositions
LEQUEL contracts with à and de:
LEQUEL Contractions
| Pronoun | Conjugation | English |
|---|---|---|
| auquel | à + lequel | Auquel penses-tu? (Which one are you thinking of?) |
| à laquelle | à + laquelle | À laquelle participes-tu? (Which one are you participating in?) |
| duquel | de + lequel | Duquel parles-tu? (Which one are you talking about?) |
| de laquelle | de + laquelle | De laquelle as-tu besoin? (Which one do you need?) |
Examples
CONTRACTION: Auquel de ces projets travailles-tu? (Which of these projects are you working on?)
NO CONTRACTION: À laquelle de ces universités postules-tu? (Which of these universities are you applying to?)
DE CONTRACTION: Duquel de ces restaurants viens-tu? (Which of these restaurants are you coming from?)
PLURAL: Desquels parlez-vous? (Which ones are you talking about?)
Formal vs Informal Questions
Different levels of formality in interrogative pronouns:
Formality Levels
| Pronoun | Conjugation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Very formal | Que faites-vous? | What are you doing? |
| Standard | Qu'est-ce que vous faites? | What are you doing? |
| Informal | Vous faites quoi? | What are you doing? |
| Very informal | Tu fais quoi? | What are you doing? |
Examples
FORMAL: Qui désirez-vous voir? (Whom do you wish to see?)
INFORMAL: Tu veux voir qui? (Who do you want to see?)
Complex Interrogative Structures
Advanced patterns with interrogative pronouns:
Examples
DOUBLE QUESTION: Qui fait quoi? (Who does what?)
INDIRECT: Je ne sais pas qui vient. (I don't know who is coming.)
RELATIVE: C'est celui dont je parle. (It's the one I'm talking about.)
EXCLAMATION: Comme c'est beau! (How beautiful it is!)
Common Mistakes
Here are frequent errors students make:
1. QUE vs QUOI: Using que after prepositions instead of quoi
2. Agreement errors: Wrong agreement with lequel forms
3. Contraction mistakes: Not contracting lequel with à/de
4. Formality mix-up: Using wrong formality level
Examples
❌ Avec que écris-tu? → ✅ Avec quoi écris-tu?
Wrong: use quoi (not que) after prepositions
❌ Lequel de ces filles? → ✅ Laquelle de ces filles?
Wrong: lequel must agree with feminine noun
❌ À lequel penses-tu? → ✅ Auquel penses-tu?
Wrong: must contract à + lequel = auquel
❌ Qu'est-ce qui tu fais? → ✅ Qu'est-ce que tu fais?
Wrong: use que (not qui) for object questions