French Questions and Answers: 30 Questions, 3 Real Replies Each
The 30 questions every beginner hears in French, each with 3 ways to answer: polite, everyday and what French people really say. With English, pronunciation hints and audio.
On this page
Quick answer3 ways to ask a questionGreetings: how are you?Questions about youWhen you don’t understandGetting around and small talk2 short dialoguesCommon mistakesPractice out loudFAQQuick answer
The most common French questions are Comment ça va ? (How are you?), Tu t’appelles comment ? (What’s your name?), Tu viens d’où ? (Where are you from?), Tu as quel âge ? (How old are you?), Qu’est-ce que tu fais dans la vie ? (What do you do?) and Tu parles anglais ? (Do you speak English?). Use vous with strangers.
Textbooks give you one answer per question. Real conversations don’t work like that. The same Ça va ? gets Très bien, merci from a hotel receptionist, Ça va bien, et toi ? from a colleague and Bof… from a friend on a Monday morning.
So for each question below you get the polite and the casual way to ask it, then three answers: the polite one, the everyday one and the really spoken one you’ll hear from French people. Press Listen to hear each line, and read the short notes: they cover the mistakes beginners make most often.
In France, say “Bonjour” before any question: in a shop, at a counter, to a stranger in the street. Skip it and even a perfect question can sound rude.
More on this in our guide to French politeness.
The 3 ways to ask a question in French
How to ask a question in French: 3 ways
Every question on this page can be built in three ways. They mean exactly the same thing; only the register changes.
| Meaning | 1. IntonationMost common in speech | 2. Est-ce queNeutral, always safe | 3. InversionFormal, mostly written |
|---|---|---|---|
| Do you speak English? | Vous parlez anglais ?/voo par·lay ã·gleh/ | Est-ce que vous parlez anglais ?/es·kuh voo par·lay ã·gleh/ | Parlez-vous anglais ?/par·lay voo ã·gleh/ |
| Where do you live? | Tu habites où ?/tü a·beet oo/ | Où est-ce que tu habites ?/oo es·kuh tü a·beet/ | Où habites-tu ?/oo a·beet tü/ |
| What are you doing this weekend? | Tu fais quoi ce week-end ?/tü feh kwa suh wee·kend/ | Qu’est-ce que tu fais ce week-end ?/kes·kuh tü feh suh wee·kend/ | Que fais-tu ce week-end ?/kuh feh tü suh wee·kend/ |
- Intonation: say a normal sentence and raise your voice at the end. Question words often go last: Tu habites où ?
- Est-ce que: put est-ce que in front of the sentence (after the question word if there is one). Quoi becomes qu’est-ce que.
- Inversion: swap the verb and the pronoun and add a hyphen: parlez-vous. Quoi becomes que. A few inversions are everyday French: Comment allez-vous ?, Quelle heure est-il ?
More examples and the question words (qui, quand, combien…) are in how to ask questions in French.
Tu or vous?
Every question below has a polite version with vous and a casual one with tu. Use vous with anyone you don’t know, in shops and at work; use tu with friends, family, children and people your age who use it with you. When in doubt, vous. The full rules are in when to use tu and vous.
How to read the pronunciation hints: the dots split syllables; ã, õ and ẽ are the nasal sounds in an, on and vin; zh is the “s” in “measure”; ü is French u (say “ee” with rounded lips); uh is the e in le. The hints are a guide: always check with the audio. See also the French pronunciation guide.
1. Greetings: “How are you?”
Say bonjour first (or bonsoir in the evening), then ask how the person is. In France, Ça va ? is part of the greeting: people expect a short answer, not your news.
| 1How are you? Polite (vous)Comment allez-vous ?/ko·mã·ta·lay·voo/ Casual (tu)Comment ça va ? / Ça va ?/ko·mã sa va / sa va/ | ||
|---|---|---|
| Polite | Très bien, merci. Et vous ?/treh byẽ, mehr·see. ay voo/ | Very well, thank you. And you? |
| Everyday | Ça va bien, merci. Et toi ?/sa va byẽ, mehr·see. ay twa/ | I’m good, thanks. And you? |
| Really spoken | Ça va, et toi ?/sa va, ay twa/ | Fine, you? |
| Other answers you’ll hear: Pas mal (not bad), Super ! (great!), Bof… (meh, only with friends) and Ça pourrait aller mieux (could be better). Comme ci, comme ça is correct and understood, but it sounds like a textbook.Pas mal. Super ! Bof… Ça pourrait aller mieux. | ||
2. Questions about you
These are the questions every beginner hears in the first five minutes of a conversation: your name, age, where you’re from, your job, your family and why you’re learning French. Use the polite question with strangers and adults you don’t know, the casual one with friends, children and people your age who use tu with you.
| 2What’s your name? Polite (vous)Comment vous appelez-vous ?/ko·mã voo·za·play voo/ Casual (tu)Tu t’appelles comment ?/tü ta·pel ko·mã/ | ||
|---|---|---|
| Polite | Je m’appelle Claire Martin./zhuh ma·pel klehr mar·tẽ/ | My name is Claire Martin. |
| Everyday | Je m’appelle Claire. Et toi ?/zhuh ma·pel klehr. ay twa/ | I’m Claire. And you? |
| Really spoken | Moi, c’est Claire./mwa, seh klehr/ | I’m Claire. |
| Then say Enchanté (if you’re a man) or Enchantée (if you’re a woman): “Nice to meet you”. Both sound the same.Enchanté ! | ||
| 3How old are you? Polite (vous)Quel âge avez-vous ?/keh·lazh a·vay voo/ Casual (tu)Tu as quel âge ?/tü a keh·lazh/ | ||
| Polite | J’ai trente-deux ans./zhay trãt·duh·zã/ | I’m thirty-two (years old). |
| Everyday | Trente-deux ans, et toi ?/trãt·duh·zã, ay twa/ | Thirty-two, and you? |
| Really spoken | Bientôt quarante !/byẽ·toh ka·rãt/ | Almost forty! |
| French uses avoir (to have) for age: j’ai 32 ans, literally “I have 32 years”. Asking an adult’s age when you’ve just met can feel a little personal in France, so wait to be asked. Need the numbers? See the easy guide to French numbers. | ||
| 4Where are you from? Polite (vous)D’où venez-vous ?/doo vuh·nay voo/ Casual (tu)Tu viens d’où ?/tü vyẽ doo/ | ||
| Polite | Je viens des États-Unis./zhuh vyẽ day·zay·ta·zü·nee/ | I’m from the United States. |
| Everyday | Je suis américaine, de Chicago./zhuh swee za·may·ree·ken, duh shee·ka·go/ | I’m American, from Chicago. |
| Really spoken | Moi, je suis de Chicago./mwa, zhuh swee duh shee·ka·go/ | Me? I’m from Chicago. |
| A man says américain (a·may·ree·kẽ), a woman américaine (a·may·ree·ken). Country names change the little word: je viens de France, d’Angleterre, du Canada, des États-Unis. All the nationalities are in countries and nationalities in French. | ||
| 5Where do you live? Polite (vous)Où habitez-vous ?/oo a·bee·tay voo/ Casual (tu)Tu habites où ?/tü a·beet oo/ | ||
| Polite | J’habite à Londres, en Angleterre./zha·bee·ta lõdr, ã·nã·gluh·tehr/ | I live in London, in England. |
| Everyday | J’habite à Lyon, près du centre./zha·bee·ta lyõ, preh dü sãtr/ | I live in Lyon, near the centre. |
| Really spoken | Sur Lyon. Et toi ?/sür lyõ. ay twa/ | In the Lyon area. You? |
| Use à before a city and en before most countries: à Paris, en France. Sur Lyon (“in or around Lyon”) is very common in speech, but some people dislike it, so don’t write it. | ||
| 6What do you do (for a living)? Polite (vous)Qu’est-ce que vous faites dans la vie ?/kes·kuh voo fet dã la vee/ Casual (tu)Tu fais quoi dans la vie ?/tü feh kwa dã la vee/ | ||
| Polite | Je suis ingénieur dans une entreprise d’informatique./zhuh swee zẽ·zhay·nyuhr dã zün ã·truh·preez dẽ·for·ma·teek/ | I’m an engineer at an IT company. |
| Everyday | Je travaille dans le marketing./zhuh tra·vay dã luh mar·ke·teeng/ | I work in marketing. |
| Really spoken | Je bosse dans une banque./zhuh bos dã zün bãk/ | I work at a bank. |
| Qu’est-ce que vous faites dans la vie ? is the natural way to ask. You’ll also hear Vous faites quoi comme métier ? (What’s your job?). Bosser is informal for “to work”. No article before the job: je suis ingénieur, not je suis un ingénieur. Find your job in French words for jobs and professions. | ||
| 7Do you speak English? Polite (vous)Vous parlez anglais ?/voo par·lay ã·gleh/ Casual (tu)Tu parles anglais ?/tü parl ã·gleh/ | ||
| Polite | Oui, je parle anglais./wee, zhuh parl ã·gleh/ | Yes, I speak English. |
| Everyday | Oui, un peu./wee, ẽ puh/ | Yes, a little. |
| Really spoken | Euh… un p’tit peu./uh… ẽ ptee puh/ | Um… a tiny bit. |
| Asking a stranger? Start with Bonjour, excusez-moi… before Vous parlez anglais ? It makes a real difference to the answer you get. | ||
| 8Do you speak French? Polite (vous)Vous parlez français ?/voo par·lay frã·seh/ Casual (tu)Tu parles français ?/tü parl frã·seh/ | ||
| Polite | Je parle un peu français, mais je débute./zhuh parl ẽ puh frã·seh, meh zhuh day·büt/ | I speak a little French, but I’m just starting. |
| Everyday | Un petit peu. J’apprends !/ẽ puh·tee puh. zha·prã/ | A little. I’m learning! |
| Really spoken | J’essaie !/zhay·seh/ | I’m trying! |
| 9Why are you learning French? Polite (vous)Pourquoi est-ce que vous apprenez le français ?/poor·kwa es·kuh voo·za·pruh·nay luh frã·seh/ Casual (tu)Pourquoi tu apprends le français ?/poor·kwa tü a·prã luh frã·seh/ | ||
| Polite | J’apprends le français pour mon travail./zha·prã luh frã·seh poor mõ tra·vay/ | I’m learning French for my job. |
| Everyday | Parce que je vais vivre en France l’année prochaine./pars·kuh zhuh veh veevr ã frãs la·nay pro·shen/ | Because I’m moving to France next year. |
| Really spoken | Pour ma copine, elle est française !/poor ma ko·peen, eh·leh frã·sez/ | For my girlfriend, she’s French! |
| 10How long have you been learning French? Polite (vous)Depuis combien de temps apprenez-vous le français ?/duh·pwee kõ·byẽ duh tã a·pruh·nay voo luh frã·seh/ Casual (tu)Tu apprends le français depuis combien de temps ?/tü a·prã luh frã·seh duh·pwee kõ·byẽ duh tã/ | ||
| Polite | J’apprends le français depuis deux ans./zha·prã luh frã·seh duh·pwee duh·zã/ | I’ve been learning French for two years. |
| Everyday | Depuis six mois./duh·pwee see mwa/ | For six months. |
| Really spoken | Ça fait un an, à peu près./sa feh ẽ·nã, a puh preh/ | About a year now. |
| With depuis, French uses the present tense: j’apprends depuis deux ans, never j’ai appris depuis. | ||
| 11Do you have brothers and sisters? Polite (vous)Vous avez des frères et sœurs ?/voo·za·vay day frehr ay suhr/ Casual (tu)T’as des frères et sœurs ?/ta day frehr ay suhr/ | ||
| Polite | Oui, j’ai un frère et une sœur./wee, zhay ẽ frehr ay ün suhr/ | Yes, I have a brother and a sister. |
| Everyday | Non, je suis fils unique./nõ, zhuh swee fee·sü·neek/ | No, I’m an only child. |
| Really spoken | Ouais, deux grands frères./weh, duh grã frehr/ | Yeah, two older brothers. |
| A woman says fille unique. The l in fils is silent (fees). T’as is how tu as sounds in everyday speech. | ||
| 12What do you like doing in your free time? Polite (vous)Qu’est-ce que vous aimez faire pendant votre temps libre ?/kes·kuh voo·zeh·may fehr pã·dã votr tã leebr/ Casual (tu)Tu fais quoi pendant ton temps libre ?/tü feh kwa pã·dã tõ tã leebr/ | ||
| Polite | J’aime lire et faire de la randonnée./zhem leer ay fehr duh la rã·do·nay/ | I like reading and hiking. |
| Everyday | Je fais beaucoup de vélo./zhuh feh boh·koo duh vay·lo/ | I cycle a lot. |
| Really spoken | Pas grand-chose… Netflix, surtout !/pa grã·shoz… net·fleeks, sür·too/ | Not much… mostly Netflix! |
| Faire du / de la for activities (faire du vélo, de la natation), jouer au for sports and games (jouer au foot), jouer du for instruments (jouer du piano). | ||
| 13Do you like French food? Polite (vous)Vous aimez la cuisine française ?/voo·zeh·may la kwee·zeen frã·sez/ Casual (tu)Tu aimes la cuisine française ?/tü em la kwee·zeen frã·sez/ | ||
| Polite | Oui, j’aime beaucoup la cuisine française./wee, zhem boh·koo la kwee·zeen frã·sez/ | Yes, I really like French food. |
| Everyday | J’adore ! Surtout le fromage./zha·dor. sür·too luh fro·mazh/ | I love it! Especially the cheese. |
| Really spoken | Grave !/grav/ | Totally! |
| Keep the article after aimer and adorer: j’aime le fromage. Grave ! is young people’s slang; Carrément ! works at any age. | ||
| 14What are you doing this weekend? Polite (vous)Qu’est-ce que vous faites ce week-end ?/kes·kuh voo fet suh wee·kend/ Casual (tu)Tu fais quoi ce week-end ?/tü feh kwa suh wee·kend/ | ||
| Polite | Je vais rendre visite à ma famille./zhuh veh rãdr vee·zee·ta ma fa·meey/ | I’m going to visit my family. |
| Everyday | Je vois des amis samedi soir./zhuh vwa day·za·mee sam·dee swar/ | I’m seeing friends on Saturday night. |
| Really spoken | Rien de spécial, je me pose./ryẽ duh spay·syal, zhuh muh poz/ | Nothing special, I’m just chilling. |
| Rendre visite à is for people, visiter is for places: je visite Paris, je rends visite à ma grand-mère. | ||
| 15Would you like to go for a coffee / a drink? Polite (vous)Ça vous dirait de prendre un café ?/sa voo dee·reh duh prãdr ẽ ka·fay/ Casual (tu)Ça te dit d’aller boire un verre ?/sa tuh dee da·lay bwar ẽ vehr/ | ||
| Polite | Avec plaisir !/a·vek pleh·zeer/ | With pleasure! |
| Everyday | Oui, bonne idée !/wee, bo·nee·day/ | Yes, good idea! |
| Really spoken | Carrément !/ka·ray·mã/ | Absolutely! |
| To say no politely: Désolé, je ne peux pas ce soir. Une autre fois ? (Sorry, I can’t tonight. Another time?)Désolé, je ne peux pas ce soir. Une autre fois ? | ||
| 16How long are you here fo | ||