Asking Questions In French With Est-ce Que (french Essentials Lesson 30)

Tutorial Transcript

Bonjour! Today we are going to learn how to ask a question in French using EST-CE QUE. Ok! As you may have noticed over the last few lessons on questions, we have used EST-CE QUE quite a bit. Today we are going to learn how to use EST-CE QUE on its own without an interrogative pronoun. So we use EST-CE QUE to ask a question. There is no translation if you wish for this expression: it is simply an easy way of turning a sentence into a question and I’m going to teach you how to do that. So the word order of the sentence remains exactly the same and you just add EST-CE QUE in front of it. Now EST-CE QUE could be translated word for word as “is it that” but literally, in English, it means nothing, does it? I just want you to be aware: French people use EST-CE QUE quite a bit. So as I said to you we have used EST-CE QUE in the past using quand (when), comment (how), pourquoi, où (why and where) and then EST-CE QUE: • Quand EST-CE QUE …? • Comment EST-CE QUE …? • Pourquoi EST-CE QUE …? • Où EST-CE QUE …? But today, in this case, there is no interrogative pronoun in front of it. We are going to start the question with EST-CE QUE quite simply. So you’re going to ask me “but when do we use EST-CE QUE starting just with EST-CE QUE?” Well it is when you want to translate a sentence in a question in English such as “do you …?” or “does she …?”, “have you …?” or “did you …?” when there is no “where did you …?”, “who does she …?” and so on, when there is no pronouns in front of that, interrogative pronouns, then when you want to use just the sentence as it is. How? How do we do this in French? Like I said, it’s quite simple: you have EST-CE QUE at the beginning of the question and then you put a sentence built in a normal way. When I say normal way, it means when you have not inverted the verb and the subject. So, if you wanted to say “Are you French?” for example, just simply, not who, why, how, whatever. “Are you French?” The way you need to do this in French is quite simple. You put this question “are you French?” in the right order to start with: “you are French” And all you need to do when you have this translation, you add EST-CE QUE in front of it. So “you are French” is “tu es français” (ou française), depending whether you ask a woman or a man. And “EST-CE QUE tu es français?” (“are you French?” quite simply) “EST-CE QUE tu es français?” And here suddenly, we’ve used the question EST-CE QUE using EST-CE QUE. So it was not that complicated: all we did was put the sentence in the right order and add EST-CE QUE in front of it. So if you wanted to say “are you coming to the cinema with us tonight?” So remember what I said to you: you need first to put this in the right order. So “you are coming” or “you come to the cinema with us tonight.” And then you add EST-CE QUE in front. Once you have managed to translate this in French, then you know, it should be very easy. So “tu viens” (you come), “tu viens au cinéma…” (to the cinema), “… avec nous…” (with us) “… ce soir” (this evening). All you need to do now is adding EST-CE QUE in front of it: “EST-CE QUE tu viens au cinéma avec nous ce soir?” This means: “Are you coming to the movies (or cinema) with us tonight?” Now, try this one actually, try this one on your own for a minute: how would you say “are you eating at the restaurant today?” “Are you eating at the restaurant today?” What you want is what? To put the sentence in the right order. So “are you eating …” becomes? Well done! “You are eating” How do you say “you are eating” in French? You’ve got to work out: what tense is this at? Well, “you are eating” does not exist in French, does it? We need to say “you eat”. So how do you say “you eat”? “Vous mangez”. So, knowing that, how would you say “are you eating at the restaurant today?” “Vous mangez au restaurant aujourd’hui” but you must add EST-CE QUE in front of it and it becomes: “EST-CE QUE vous mangez au restaurant aujourd’hui?” Is that okay? I know it would take some time, especially for you to translate from English to French, because in English you have a thing, such a thing as a continuous tense, which we don’t in French, so you need to work out “well, okay, are you eating, you are eating, how do you say this in French ?” Just reduce it! You don’t say “you are eating”, you say “you eat”, ok? So, using a past tense for example, that’s even harder. How would you say: “did the children go to the swimming pool yesterday?” This one is tricky. Why? Because you’ve got to learn how to say “the children went to the swimming pool yesterday” So you’re going to tell me “but why?” Well because you’re using “did” and “did” in English represent a preterit, a past tense. So, remove the “did” for a moment, ok? “The children went” ok? “Went to the swimming pool yesterday.” How do you say that in French? Now if you’re not sure about this, refer back to my videos on the verb “to go” and the past tense and I’ll teach you how to conjugate this verb. “The children went to the swimming pool yesterday.” “Les enfants sont allés à la piscine hier.” So, we’re asking a question, though, using EST-CE QUE. “EST-CE QUE les enfants sont allés à la piscine hier?” Ok? This one is really tricky and I can see why, ok? And I understand your pain! But get over the pain! Just learn, learn how to conjugate the verb in the past tense in French and you will understand how to put these sentences in questions together. Now, another example: how do you say “have they finished their homework?” Homework. Homework. “Have they finished their homework?” What you need to know is how do you say “they have finished”, ok? This one, we can translate that literally. “Ils ont fini” or it could be “elles ont fini”, ok? If you’re not confident with the past tense, or passé composé, refer back to my many videos on the passé composé. Now “elles ont fini leurs devoirs.” Now “devoirs” is “their homework”, ok? “They have finished their homework”, but you want to say “have they finished their homework?” using EST-CE QUE. Remember: that’s the main objective today, using EST-CE QUE. So: “est-ce qu’elles ont fini leurs devoirs?” “Have they finished their homework?” “Est-ce qu’elles ont fini leurs devoirs?” Please note that here, “qu’elles”, the “e” of “que” has disappeared because it is followed by a word starting with a vowel, ok? So, in case you were just wondering. I’m not sure whether you are, but just in case. Ok! Here’s a little exercise for you. Can you say this in French using EST-CE QUE: “do you like apples?” “Do you like apples?” Ok that shouldn’t bother you, just get rid of the “do”, we don’t have this in French anyway! So all you want to be able to say is “you like apples” and put EST-CE QUE in front of it. So, “tu aimes les pommes.” “Do you like apples?” “Tu aimes les pommes” and add EST-CE QUE in front: “EST-CE QUE tu aimes les pommes?” Quite simply. Can you do this one? “Do you have a brother?” “Do you have a brother?” Ok, remember: scrap the “do” here for a minute. Just translate “you have a brother”: “tu as un frère.” Now using EST-CE QUE: “EST-CE QUE tu as un frère?” Ok, can you see it? Is it becoming to, you know, start to be easier? Ok, can you do this one: “have you eaten your vegetables?” “Have you eaten your vegetables?” Now, put his into the right order: “you have eaten your vegetables.”, “tu as mangé tes légumes.” “EST-CE QUE tu as mangé tes légumes?” should be the right answer. Ok? So, I’m not going to carry on with EST-CE QUE, because I could go on, and on and on. It has to come naturally to you. And the good thing about the French here is that we can use different ways of asking questions, you know? You can just raise your voice saying: “tu as mangé tes légumes?” “Tu as un frère?” instead of saying EST-CE QUE in front of it. But you just have to be aware the French people use EST-CE QUE quite a bit actually. Ok. Why don’t you have a look at my many other videos on asking questions? They are part of my French Essentials and are really awesome, as well as my YouTube, no, website LearnFrenchWithAlexa.com Have a look at LearnFrenchWithAlexa.com which is as well as awesome as all of the rest of my… my chefs d’oeuvre, my work of arts. Anyway, that’s it for me and remember to subscribe to my YouTube channel if you have not done so already and… That’s it, really! Is that it? Hum… Yep, that’s it! That’s it, says Adam. Au revoir, à bientôt, bisou bisou!