First thing to remember : there are two main types of questions :
1. Interrogation on the whole sentence ( = yes/no questions)
2. Partial interrogation ( => use of some interrogative words or pronouns)
a) on the circumstances of the action (interrogative words)
b) on the subject or the object of the action (interrogative pronouns)
Example:
Fabrice habite à Paris. Il réussit toujours très bien à l'examen de biologie parce qu'il étudie beaucoup. Il étudie 4 heures par jour.
I. Interrogation on the whole sentence.
To form a yes/no question (the answer to the question can only be yes or no) :
either you put "est-ce que" in front of the sentence:
Est-ce qu'il réussit toujours très bien à l'examen de biologie?
- or you use the inversion, which means that you invert the order of subject and verb and put an hyphen between them:
Réussit-il toujours très bien, à l'examen de biologie?
Note that when you have a first name you have to put it first and then use the corresponding pronoun:
Fabrice, habite-t-il à Paris?
Also note that if a third person singular verb form (with "il", "elle" or "on") ends in a vowel you have to add an extra -t- between the verb and the pronoun in order to make the pronunciation easier.
Generally questions using inversion are mostly used in written French (except for some widely used expressions such as : Comment allez-vous?, Quel temps fait-il?, etc.) and those using "est-ce que" in spoken French.
II. 1. Partial interrogation on the circumstances of the action.
Just like in English, what you have to do is put the right interrogative word (where, when, how, why, how much/many,...)
first and then proceed as usual (either put "est-ce que" or use the inversion).
Où est-ce que Fabrice habite? or: Où Fabrice habite-t-il?
Il habite à Paris.
Quand est-ce que Fabrice réussit à l'examen de biologie à la fac ?
Il réussit toujours à l'examen de biologie à la fac.
Comment est-ce que Fabrice réussit à l'examen de biologie à la fac ?
Il réussit très bien à l'examen de biologie.
Pourquoi est-ce que Fabrice réussit à l'examen de biologie à la fac ?
Il réussit parce qu'il étudie beaucoup.
Combien d'heures par jour étudie-t-il ?
Il étudie 4 heures par jour.
Examples :
Arnaud joue assez bien de la guitare.
Il parle d'un ami.
Arnaud aime Debussy.
Il est joue souvent avec un ami.
Il aime la musique.
Arnaud joue aussi au foot.
Arnaud parle à un ami.
Il parle de la musique.
II.2. Partial interrogation on the subject or the object of the action.
a) the subject
If you want to ask a question on the subject of the action, you have to use the pronoun "qui" (= who in English).
This type of question is a little special because "qui" here is the subject, which means that you're not going to have an inversion between the verb and the personal subject pronoun ((je, tu, ...) since you don't have one...).
Just remember that you have the same thing in English : Who plays the guitar?
Qui joue assez bien de la guitare ? or: Qui est-ce qui joue assez bien de la guitare ?
Arnaud joue assez bien de la guitare.
(Note that here it is easier to use inversion. Nevertheless, if you want to use the other one, don't forget to switch to "qui" :
"qui est-ce qui...").
b) the object
When you want to ask a question about the object of the action, you first have to find out whether it is a direct or an indirect object, and then whether it's animate (somebody, an animal, anything that can move on its own) or inanimate (something or an idea).
Review the difference between direct and indirect object.
- the animate direct object
When the object is animate, the interrogative pronoun is "qui". You put it at the beginning of the sentence and then you use as usual either the inversion or "est-ce que":
Qui Arnaud aime-t-il ? Qui est-ce qu'Arnaud aime ?
Arnaud aime Debussy.
- the inanimate direct object
When the object is inanimate, the interrogative pronoun is "que":
Qu'aime-t-il ? Qu'est-ce qu'il aime ?
Il aime la musique.
- the animate indirect object
You are dealing with an animate object, so you know that the interrogative pronoun is going to be "qui", but since it is an indirect object you're going to have to put the preposition at the beginning of the sentence.
A qui Arnaud parle-t-il? A qui est-ce qu'Arnaud parle ?
Il parle à un ami.
De qui parle-t-il ? De qui est-ce qu'il parle ?
Il parle d'un ami.
Avec qui joue-t-il souvent ? Avec qui est-ce qu'il joue ?
Il joue avec un ami.
- the inanimate indirect object
Since you have an indirect object, you know that you have to put the right preposition at the beginning of the question.
And because of this preposition, you have to switch the interrogative pronoun to "quoi" (instead of "que" for the inanimate
direct object).
A quoi joue-t-il ? A quoi est-ce qu'il joue ?
Il joue au foot.
De quoi parle-t-il ? De quoi est-ce qu'il parle ?
Il parle de la musique.
DO & IO
The differences between a direct and an indirect object.
* Direct object
It's the complement which indicates the object of the action expressed by the verb.
Les étudiants regardent le match.
* Indirect object
It also indicates the object of the action expressed by the verb, but its structure is different ; the verb is linked to its complement by a preposition (in French : à, de, etc.).
Il parle à Pierre.
Il joue de la guitare.
* Be careful
A direct object in French may be an indirect object in English and vice versa.
Il regarde sa montre. (direct object)
He is looking at his watch. (indirect object)
Il téléphone à un ami. (indirect object)
He is calling a friend. (direct object)
So when you have to find whether a complement is a direct or an indirect object in French you shouldn't translate into English.
You have to look at the French sentence and see its construction.
* Don't forget that sometimes the preposition is "hidden":
Il joue au foot. "au foot" is an indirect object ; remember that "au" is the contraction of "à + le".
Il joue du piano. "du piano" is an indirect object ; "du=de+le".
So even if you don't actually "see" a preposition doesn't mean that there is not one. The questions for the preceding sentences
are going to be:
A quoi joue-t-il?
De quoi joue-t-il?
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