Interrogatives

1. The Interrogative may be formed by beginning a sentence with est-ce que (est-ce qu' before a vowel or vowel sound):

   C'est votre chapeau. (It is your hat.)
   Est-ce que c'est votre chapeau? (Is it your hat?)

2. A question may also be formed by inverting the subject pronoun and the verb and joining them with a hyphen:

   Vous quittez le pays. (You are leaving the country.)
   Quittez-vous le pays? (Are you leaving the country?)

   If the subject pronoun is il, elle, or on and the verb ends in a vowel, a -t- is inserted between the verb and the pronoun:

   Elle marche lentement. (She walks slowly.)
   Marche-t-elle lentement? (Is she walking slowly?)

   When the subject is a noun, the noun is retained before the inverted verb and pronoun:

   Le jardin est en fleurs. (The garden is in bloom.)
   Le jardin est-il en fleurs? (Is the garden in bloom?)

   Quand and comment are used with either the inversion or est-ce que:

   Quand faites-vous les courses? Quand est-ce que vous faites les courses?
   (When are you going to the store?)

See Also:

• Double Object Pronouns
• Verbs
• Phrases
• Sentences and Clauses