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What is the capital of Tunisia?

What is the difference between Que and Est que

For me, it’s useful to think “que” as “what/that which” and “est[-ce] que” as “is it so that”. Examples:

  • Qu’est-ce que tu manges? / Que manges-tu? = What are you eating? What is it that you’re eating?
  • Est-ce que tu manges? = Are you eating (Is it true that you are eating?)

Actually, “que” is not strictly a question word, but a relative pronoun that is often used in question to replace the longer phrase “Qu’est-ce que”. Always remember that “Qu’est-ce que” means “What is it that”.

Forming questions with no Interrogative Word

To form Direct Questions with no Interrogative Word one may use three ways (with increasing degree of formality):

a) Rising intonation

Tu ne déjeunes pas avec nous ?

b) With the est-ce que structure (very common in speach)

Est-ce que tu va continuer comme ça ?

Est-ce qu’elle l’a compris ?

c) Inversion and link with a hyphen (the most formal)

L’as-tu vu(e) ?

Est-ce étrange ?

Me reconnaissez-vous ?

La chambre était-elle ouverte ?

Les autres sont-ils partis aussi ?

N’en mange-t-il pas ?

Note the -t- inserted between the verb and the pronoun subject when the verb ends in a vowel as in the last example.

Note that est-ce que is used to form questions with je (for reasons of sound).

So instead of aimé-je, prends-je, etc. (very rare found) one would use (in speach and writing)

Est-ce que j’aime ? Est-ce que je prends ? etc.

But one may encounter:

ai-je ? dis-je ? dois-je ? fais-je ? sais-je ? vais-je ? vois-je ?
veux-je ?

Also puis-je ? is preffered to peux-je ?


Que

Que may have various grammatical functions.

a) Adverb in exclamations:

Que je suis heureux !

b) Conjuction:

Je sais qu’il est là. Je souhaite qu’il soit là.

Qu’il meure !

Que Dieu vous bénisse !

c) Interrogative pronoun

Que faites-vous ? Qu’est-ce que vous faites ?

d) Relative pronoun (object). Compare:

L’homme qui parle est le président.

L’homme que je vois parler est le président.


Que in direct questions

Que as an interrogative pronoun is used to form (direct) questions as complement of things (or where what is meant).

Que deviendra ma fille ?

Qu’est-ce / Qu’est-ce que c’est ?

Qu’êtes-vous ?

Qu’est ce qu’il y a dans le tiroir ?

Que se passe-t-il ?

Que m’importe ?

Qu’est-ce que is used to ask for a definition.

Qu’est-ce que la thermodynamique ?

In conversation the form qu’est-ce que c’est que is sometimes used to make an emphatic inquiry?

Qu’est-ce que c’est que cette chose-là ? (Petit Prince, Saint-Exypéry)


Suggestions for Further reading

1) https://www.francaisfacile.com/exercices/exercice-francais-2/exercice-francais-70800.php

2) https://www.bertrandboutin.ca/Folder_151_Grammaire/K_b_phrase_interr.htm

3) https://www.podcastfrancaisfacile.com/podcast/forme-interrogative-quest-ce-que-quoi-que-present.html

4) https://www.thoughtco.com/questions-in-french-1368935

5) https://francais.lingolia.com/fr/grammaire/la-phrase/la-phrase-interrogative

6) http://www.french-linguistics.co.uk/grammar/relative_pronouns.shtml

7) https://www.thoughtco.com/different-uses-of-que-1368934

8) http://frenchyourway.com.au/how-to-use-qui-and-que-in-french

9) https://www.lawlessfrench.com/grammar/relative-pronouns-que-qui/


References

1) A French Reference Grammar (H. Ferrar).

2) A Student Grammar of French (M. Offold).

 

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What is the capital of Tunisia?