What are common mistakes with Les pronoms interrogatifs?

Confusing que/quoi/quel; forgetting quel agreement. 🇬🇧 English speakers: English 'what' covers que, quoi, and quel — learners struggle to choose the right one. 🇷🇺 Russian speakers: Russian question words (кто, что, где, когда) map fairly well. The que/quoi distinction is the hardest. 🇨🇿 Czech speakers: Czech question words (kdo, co, kde, kdy) are similar. The quel agreement and que/quoi distinction are new.

Les pronoms interrogatifs | French Grammar A1

Les pronoms interrogatifs

A1 — Pronoms

Question words: qui, que, quoi, où, comment, quand, pourquoi, combien

Can ask basic questions using French question words

Question words: qui, que, quoi, où, comment, quand, pourquoi, combien

Examples

Comment tu t'appelles ? — What's your name?
Quelle heure est-il ? — What time is it?
Pourquoi est-ce que tu apprends le français ? — Why are you learning French?

PronomsA1

Les pronoms interrogatifs

Question words: qui, que, quoi, où, comment, quand, pourquoi, combien

Learning Goal

Can ask basic questions using French question words

Exam Skills:Compréhension oraleProduction orale

Look at these examples. Can you spot the grammar pattern?

Comment tu t'appelles ?

What's your name?

Quelle heure est-il ?

What time is it?

Pourquoi est-ce que tu apprends le français ?

Why are you learning French?

Pay attention to the highlighted parts. What do they have in common?

Les mots interrogatifs permettent de poser des questions ouvertes :

Mot	Sens	Exemple
qui	who	Qui est-ce ?
que / qu'est-ce que	what	Qu'est-ce que tu fais ?
où	where	Où habites-tu ?
quand	when	Quand est-ce que tu pars ?
comment	how	Comment allez-vous ?
pourquoi	why	Pourquoi tu pleures ?
combien	how much/many	Combien ça coûte ?
quel(le)	which/what	Quelle heure est-il ?

Quel s'accorde en genre et nombre : quel (m.sg.), quelle (f.sg.), quels (m.pl.), quelles (f.pl.).

Apply this grammar in A1 course exercises

Practice Exercises

Confusing que/quoi/quel; forgetting quel agreement. 🇬🇧 English speakers: English 'what' covers que, quoi, and quel — learners struggle to choose the right one.

Common Error Patterns

Used wrong question word

qui=who, que/quoi=what, où=where, quand=when, comment=how, pourquoi=why, combien=how much, quel=which.

Wrong form of quel/quelle

Quel must agree: quel (m.sg), quelle (f.sg), quels (m.pl), quelles (f.pl).

Comment tu t'appelles ?

What's your name?

Comment = how. Literally 'How do you call yourself?' — a key A1 phrase.

Quelle heure est-il ?

What time is it?

Quelle (feminine) agrees with heure (feminine). Quel/quelle = which/what + noun.

Pourquoi est-ce que tu apprends le français ?

Why are you learning French?

Pourquoi = why. 'Est-ce que' is a common way to form questions without inversion.

Practice in course

Apply this grammar in A1 course exercises

A1 Course

← Back to topics

Put it into practice

Try a free exercise from the course

Frequently asked questions

When is Les pronoms interrogatifs used?: Les mots interrogatifs permettent de poser des questions ouvertes :
How is Les pronoms interrogatifs formed?: Quel s'accorde en genre et nombre : quel (m.sg.), quelle (f.sg.), quels (m.pl.), quelles (f.pl.).
What are common mistakes with Les pronoms interrogatifs?: Confusing que/quoi/quel; forgetting quel agreement. 🇬🇧 English speakers: English 'what' covers que, quoi, and quel — learners struggle to choose the right one. 🇷🇺 Russian speakers: Russian question words (кто, что, где, когда) map fairly well. The que/quoi distinction is the hardest. 🇨🇿 Czech speakers: Czech question words (kdo, co, kde, kdy) are similar. The quel agreement and que/quoi distinction are new.