Lesson 1 - Grammar 3 - Inversion Questions
There are several ways of formulating questions in French. One way is to reverse the positions of the subject pronoun (sp) and the verb. This process is called inversion.
| Examples: | |
|---|---|
| Vous avez des nouvelles. | Avez-vous des nouvelles? |
| Ils sont en vacances. | Avez-vous des nouvelles? |
| Il est à Lyon maintenant. | Est-il à Lyon maintenant? |
| Nous allons au café. | Allons-nous au café? |
Note that when the 3rd person singular ends with a vowel, a “t” is added between the verb and the pronoun.
| Example | |
|---|---|
| Il va bien. | Va-t-il bien? |
Remember: The “t” is pronounced as part of the syllable that follows it.
Question inversion is possible only with subject pronoun and verb. When the subject is a noun, the noun remains before the verb and the appropriate pronoun must be introduced after the verb to form a question:
| French / Français | English / Anglais |
|---|---|
| Vos parents sont-ils toujours en vacances? | Are your parents still on vacation? |
| Le restaurant est-il bon? | Is the restaurant good? |