L’inversion --another way to make a question.
What are some ways to form a question? Est-ce que... N’est-ce pas? Voice inflection
How to Form a Question in French Using Inversion Using inversion to ask a question in French requires a little tweaking in the order of the words of the statement. The subject pronoun and the verb get swapped around (inverted) and are separated by a hyphen.
Inversion makes a question. Est-ce que makes a question. DO NOT HAVE BOTH in the same sentence! Est-ce que + S + V Est-ce que tu vas à la poste? Inversion = V - S Vas-tu à la poste?
Here is a list of the subject pronouns you can use in inversion. Note how je (I) is not among them! tu exceptions: Puis-je vous (can I) il/elle/on ils/elles nous
And here are some of them in action: Statement: Tu veux une glace. Question w/ inversion: Veux-tu une glace? Statement: Vous parlez italien. Question w/ inversion: Parlez-vous italien?
**Inversion with verbs that end in a vowel in the third person** When you invert the subjects il (he), elle (she), or on (one) and a verb that ends in a vowel when conjugated, pronunciation requires that you add -t- between the verb and subject inverted. Here are a few examples of such forms: Aime-t-elle la glace? (Does she like ice cream?) Parle-t-on anglais ici? (Does one speak English here?) Dîne-t-il avec nous? (Will he have dinner with us?)
Inversion with a noun or a name as the subject Inversion cannot be done when the subject is a noun (like la fille, which means the girl) or a name (like Julie). It can only be done between a subject pronoun and the verb. Here’s how you get around that problem: You simply add the subject pronoun to the sentence while the noun or name sits at the beginning of the sentence. Here’s how to proceed...
Leave the original noun subject at the beginning. For example, in La petite fille veut un vélo (The little girl wants a bicycle), leave La petite fille alone. Find the subject pronoun that matches the noun gender. In this instance, you use elle (she) for La petite fille. Do inversion between the subject pronoun and the verb (be sure to add a hyphen) and add the question mark. Example:...
In this example, inversion produces veut-elle. And here’s your question: La petite fille veut-elle un vélo? Statement: Marie joue du violon. Question with inversion: Marie joue-t-elle du violon? Statement: Ce fruit est bon. Question with inversion: Ce fruit est-il bon? Statement: Le match va finir tard. Question with inversion: Le match va-t-il finir tard? (note two verbs here, 1 st is where the inversion goes.)
Le négatif avec l’inversion C’est facile!! Ne parles-tu pas français?. Verbe-Sujet can never be split apart!! Pourquoi n’as-tu pas fini les devoirs? N’arrive-t-il pas à l’heure? NE and PAS/PLUS/JAMAIS/etc. surround the hyphenated verb and subject
Pratiquons!! Faites une question avec chaque phrase: 1.Le weekend nous aimons regarder les films d’horreur. 2.Ils travaillent beaucoup. 3.Paul habite à Québec. 4.Vous avez un vélo? 5.Tu fais du jogging en automne? 6.Elle a envie de téléphoner à sa grandmère? 7.Nous avons très faim. 8.Mon cousin arrive en 5 minutes.
Les plus difficiles: 1.Marc finit les devoirs. 2.Je conduis à l’école demain? 3.Jeanne et Catherine veulent manger au restaurant japonais. 4.Elle a faim. 5.Mon frère joue de la clarinette. 6.Ils font la grasse matinée. 7.Elle travaille beaucoup le soir.