Mastering the 5W1H in French: The Key to Asking Questions

Mastering the 5W1H in French: The Key to Asking Questions

Level: DELF A1

Introduction

When learning a new language, asking questions is essential for communication. In French, just like in English, we use the six key question words: What, When, Where, Who, Why, and How. Understanding these words will help you build simple sentences and engage in everyday conversations.

To make it easier to remember, let’s use a fun mnemonic: Queer Queens Open Pink Castles (QQOPC), where each letter represents a question word in French!

The mnemonic "Queer Queens Open Pink Castles (QQOPC)" helps to remember the six French question words by matching the first letters of each English word with the corresponding French question word:

Queer → Que / Quoi / Quel(le) (What) → Q
Queens → Quand (When) → Q
Open → Où (Where) → O
Pink → Pourquoi (Why) → P
Castles → Comment (How) → C
(Who → Qui is included with Queens for the second "Q")

So, when you recall QQOPC, it helps trigger:

Q → Que / Quoi / Quel(le) (What)
Q → Quand (When)
O → Où (Where)
P → Pourquoi (Why)
C → Comment (How)
(Qui fits under the second Q as "Queens" → Who)

The 5W1H in French

In French, the six key question words—What, When, Where, Who, Why, and How—are as follows:

• What → Quoi / Que / Quel(le)
• When → Quand
• Where → Où
• Who → Qui
• Why → Pourquoi
• How → Comment

1. What - Quoi / Que / Quel(le)

What → Quoi (kwah), Que (kuh), Quel(le) (kehl for masculine / kehl for feminine)

• "Que" is used at the beginning of a question: Que fais-tu ? (What are you doing?)
• "Quoi" is used at the end of a sentence or in informal speech: Tu fais quoi ? (What are you doing?)
• "Quel(le)" means "which" or "what" and is used with nouns: Quel livre lis-tu ? (Which book are you reading?)

2. When - Quand

When → Quand (kahn)

    Used to ask about time:

• Quand arrives-tu ? (When are you arriving?)
• Quand est-ce que tu pars ? (When are you leaving?)

3. Where - Où

Where → Où (oo)

    Used to ask about a place:

• Où habites-tu ? (Where do you live?)
• Où est la gare ? (Where is the train station?)

4. Who - Qui

Who → Qui (kee)

    Used to ask about a person: 

• Qui est-ce ? (Who is it?)
• Qui vient ce soir ? (Who is coming tonight?)

5. Why - Pourquoi

Why → Pourquoi (poor-kwah)

• Used to ask for a reason: 
• Pourquoi apprends-tu le français ? (Why are you learning French?)     
• Pourquoi est-ce si cher ? (Why is it so expensive?)

• The answer often starts with Parce que (Because): Parce que j’aime cette langue. (Because I love this language.)

6. How - Comment

How → Comment (koh-mahn)

    Used to ask about the manner or method: 

• Comment vas-tu ? (How are you?)
• Comment allez-vous ? (How are you?)
• Comment fait-on ça ? (How do you do that?)

Creating Simple Sentences Using 5W1H

To form simple questions, follow this structure:

1. Question word + verb + subject + complement

• Où travailles-tu ? (Where do you work?)
• Pourquoi étudies-tu le français ? (Why do you study French?)

2. Question word + est-ce que + subject + verb + complement (More formal)

• Quand est-ce que tu pars ? (When are you leaving?)
• Comment est-ce que tu fais ça ? (How do you do that?)

3. Informal spoken French (question word at the end)

• Tu habites où ? (Where do you live?)
• Tu fais quoi ? (What are you doing?)

Conclusion

Mastering these six question words will greatly enhance your ability to communicate in French. Use the mnemonic Queer Queens Open Pink Castles (QQOPC) to help you remember Que, Quand, Où, Qui, Pourquoi, and Comment. With practice, you’ll be forming questions like a native speaker in no time!

Do you have a favorite way to remember French question words? Share in the comments!

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💙   Table of Contents: French Grammar