Guide to Interrogative Pronouns in French

In French, interrogative pronouns are used to form questions. They replace nouns or noun phrases in questions and help gather specific information. There are four main interrogative pronouns in French: qui, que, quoi, and lequel. Understanding how and when to use each interrogative pronoun is key to forming questions correctly.

1. Qui (Who/Whom)

Qui is used to ask for the subject of a sentence or the person performing an action.

Example:

• Qui est-ce ? (Who is it?)
• Qui est-ce que tu admires ? (Who do you admire?)

Note: When qui is the object of the sentence, it is followed by a verb and then the subject.

2. Que (What/Which/Whom)

Que is used to ask for the direct object of a sentence or the object of an action.

Example:

• Que fais-tu ? (What are you doing?)
• Qu'est-ce que tu veux ? (What do you want?)

Note: When que is followed by a verb, it contracts to qu'.

3. Quoi (What)

Quoi is used as an interrogative pronoun when there is no verb after it. It is often used at the end of a sentence.

Example:

• Il ne sait pas quoi dire. (He doesn't know what to say.)
• Tu fais quoi ? (What are you doing?)

Note: Quoi can also be used after prepositions, such as avec quoi (with what), pour quoi (for what), etc.

4. Lequel (Which/Whom)

Lequel is used to specify or ask about someone or something from a specific set of options or choices.

Example:

• Lequel de ces livres préfères-tu ? (Which one of these books do you prefer?)
• Sur lequel de ces sièges peux-tu t'asseoir ? (Which of these chairs can you sit on?)

Note: Lequel agrees in gender and number with the noun it refers to. It has different forms (lequel, laquelle, lesquels, lesquelles) depending on the noun it replaces.

Remember that interrogative pronouns are used to form questions. They are not used in statements or affirmative sentences.

With these four interrogative pronouns, you will be able to form questions more effectively in French. Practice using them in various contexts to improve your skills.