Asking Questions in French: Est-ce que vs. Qu’est-ce que

A student recently asked me, “What’s the difference between ‘Est-ce que’ and ‘Qu’est-ce que’, and how can you use them in everyday French conversation?” Well, here is the answer! In this free French lesson, we’ll discover the right way to pronounce and use these French questions, and learn the difference between the two.
Because I want to teach you how to speak real, everyday French, I’ll also show you some alternative questions you can ask in spoken French. They are shorter and less formal than the questions you might ask in written French.
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At Comme une Française, we specialize in everyday spoken French. We focus on three unique aspects that are different from school French, self-study books, Duolingo, etc:
1. We focus only on the specifics of speaking/understanding/being understood in everyday French and have unique ways to help you learn it properly & faster.
2. We focus on shortcuts to help you make progress faster, which also means we tell you exactly what you can stop learning to prioritize what’s really important.
3. We use French culture as the subject to make it fun and interesting for adults.
Take care and stay safe.
😘 from Grenoble, France.
Géraldine

[@kinggeorge7533]

You are one of the best teachers ever. Merci beaucoup.

[@tedkijeski339]

"Qui est-ce qui" is my favorite French expression, for the very odd reason that this is precisely how my original surname is pronounced in Polish. There is no extra charge for this information. Thank you.

[@DrWoofOfficial]

Wow lol😊

Thank you so much Géraldine for this great lesson! I love the way you explain the difference between textbook French and everyday spoken French. That really helps the students to speak French fluently with confidence! Thanks again for your hard work there.

[@draugami]

Thank you for reviewing my French which I took 48 years ago. Merci d'avoir revu mon français que j'ai pris il y a quarante huit ans. J'ai oublié beaucoup.

[@nigelgriffith9095]

I am a beginner and I love your approach it is very well suited for me. Thank you for sharing.

[@marirreid8588]

Thank you Geraldine for the most easy video s to understand and follow while learning french

[@mundorueda9402]

I like your French teaching videos very much for several reasons: 1. You are an excellent teacher, academics and culture, and you come across as a very nice, humble person. 2. Your mother is Hispanic and you speak Spanish as I do. 3. You look very much like Ann Hathaway, an American movie actress who I also like very much. Keep up the good work and congratulations on a job well done. Merci beaucoup!

[@albertoviale7259]

Merci Geraldine ! As a native spanish speaker I find french somewhat easy.........till I got to the “asking in french” lessons, ( my teacher is too literal and formal!) I struggled so much in that specific lesson, thanks to your video I’m now getting it👍

[@sjfrancis9628]

Merci Geraldine!! thank you so much for making this video, much appreciated.

[@humera121]

Géraldine, je t'aime beaucoup. Je suis une étudiante française. Tu m'aider beaucoup avec tes leçons. J'ecoute tes leçons toujour et je essaié á suis á lui. Dèsole pour mes erreurs. Merci beaucoup 😘

[@newtunescape]

Your lesson is very helpful. Merci.

[@parlefrancaisavecadjoa5650]

Une très bonne vidéo pour expliquer cette subtilité, Géraldine, j'ai vraiment apprécié, pouce bleu.

[@petrakpekpena9248]

Thank you Geraldine. This is a lot of information

[@cyruschang1904]

2:45 "C'est qui?". The French people often do not stop there, they like to add one more word at the end. "C'est qui lui?" or "C'est qui elle?"

[@angelochecklight6916]

Yes, just to underline the sex - he or she

[@thierryf67]

it depend on the context, and if you want to emphase.

[@angelochecklight6916]

@@thierryf67 Sorry, what was your comment for? Just to make a mistake: it dependS is correct.

[@ajvargas9528]

@@angelochecklight6916 You're criticizing someone's spelling on a channel about learning another language... How ironically ignorant of you.

[@toothless3835]

Actually, being corrected for incorrect uses of spelling on a language video is the BEST times to be corrected. You're learning a new language. Learn it properly first, take a look at the mistakes you're making so you can correct them. You don't know you're incorrect until someone does it. Text is hard to convey tone, but if it's a crtique or correction not a demeaning way of doing so, then it's fine. And those who take offense don't want to learn.

[@karlaarias6050]

super straight forward video, loved it and now understand how to form questions! thank you!

[@MissFunCrazy11]

This is an excellent video. Thank you. I speak French but I also teach FSL and being able to share videos to reinforce concepts is awesome! Merci. It might be worth mentioning in the video, that sometimes French people use la in place of ici. In a literal translation of English, la is there and ici is here so English people who are not accustomed to French colloquialisms such as this may find it confusing. If someone says "Je suis la" in Mtl, Quebec for example, the person means "I am here" even though the literal translation is "I am there." Anyway, thank you again. :)

[@janedmunds4218]

Merci beaucoup, Géraldine! ♥️ I am saving this lesson to play again... and maybe again... You opened my mind

[@migmar1506]

It’s very effective to learn from you because you do compare with spoken and written French.....Thank you so much...

[@6bunnies]

Merci ☺️

[@caribaylacruz5148]

Me: Spanish Native speaker Apprendre le Français avec une explication en anglais 🤓😍

[@lucya8916]

Love your videos 💖🙏✨ This is really helping my conversation in France!

[@denisobouna]

If you were my wife you'd already know how to speak French fluently 😅

[@acexrp6288]

Thanks ! arghhh always so many ways to say the same thing, which are probably all quite common to say in French. Sure that can said for things in English, but the re-structuring difference is enormously different. French is hard..

[@roushanharsh6538]

Merci Ⓜ📧®©❗ beaucoup... Pour cette vidéo

[@ciceroalvesjunior7069]

congrats for ur english 👏👏👏

[@PegMeg007]

Merci beaucoup !

[@johnknight9150]

I'd never thought of the formal "es-tu prêt" before, that's really pretty.

[@thierryf67]

the inversion of the subject and the verb in a sentence, is actually the right, formal, way to build a question. Some time colloquial french is longer the formal french. "est-ce que" is very often used, but sound more complex to understand. that's why, the simpler way is just say the affirmative sentence, but in changing the level of the voice at the end, to indicate a question mark.

[@donnaroni]

A super helpful video!! Merci! 😊🙏

[@summergoldenqueen1617]

Thank u so much merci

[@tesfaldetokubab4625]

Very good teacher cotion and answer so good

[@stianaandal1488]

6:32 i thought that meant "you are there". So "tu es ici" and "tu es là" is the same

[@penelopekillingbeck8767]

I’ve always been nervous of using qu est ce que now I know how to avoid it!

[@omidnazari1999]

You are best❤️

[@michelgolabaigne595]

Excellent !!!

[@merengue9791]

It is a little bit off topic but .... I'm looking for basic cookbooks and baking books about French cooking in French language, those books that are a vital part of a Michelin star chef's library. I would be very grateful if you could help me!

[@Adaguflo]

Is it also possible to say "t'es prêt?"?

[@bhuchungla3474]

Hello madam please can u recommend me french serial movies

[@ewenallison4099]

If one wants to know what something is, is it proper to ask, for example "qu'est-ce que c'est, ployes?"

[@mic498]

Yes, it's totally correct and used in everyday french. You can also say "c'est quoi ?" (also usual), or even "qu'est-ce ?" (or more often "qu'est-ce donc ?" (-que cela)), though "qu'est-ce" is very formal and not very used. Also i think "qu'est-ce que" mean "what..." in English (like Géraldine sayed), and maybe "est-ce que" is the equivalent of "does/do..." For example : Do you want a cup of tea? --> Est-ce que tu veux une tasse de thé ? Not 100% sure, though it seems to be like it.

[@garmit61]

C'était extra.

[@homaunkabir8589]

Thanks you

[@gokhanakay8446]

''Est-ce Michelle qui danse la salse?'' y-ajoutons.

[@artistki6435]

Ok I’m struggling with this Qu’est-ce que = what is something a person doing ? Qui est-ce qui = who did something ? Then what does “qui est-ce que” and qu’est-ce qui” mean/ when do we use it ?

[@joda1432]

Good cest bon

[@maryparent9573]

I would say simplly qui a appele ? Instead of qui qui apoele ,sounds like who who called

[@BW-CC]

Mon cerveau me fait mal, C'est déroutant! Merci..

[@woip7761]

Que danse Michel?

[@Math.C.T]

Qu'est-ce que c'est que ça?

[@johnwoodward1004]

Finding this one very difficult. I got them all wrong.

[@MubarakImtiaz]

Is this also fine ? Est-ce que Michelle danse la salsa?

[@carolkwamboka2367]

She kinda reminds me of Ann Hathaway....

[@cassandraalexandre1232]

What did the women say to the naked blind man "banana"...

[@urmom-sb1hd]

+cassandra Alexandre really?

[@hosunkang6704]

Qui est-ce qui a fabriqué le Coronavirus?

[@bubbabubba5500]

This is such a confusing video, why is it : est ce QUE to es la, but qui est ce QUI est la?

[@Mncmoin]

I'm watching in 2024...kya maal hai yaar

[@raymendez3403]

Just came here to see how non native struggle xDDDDDD

[@Pitmirk_]

T'es pret ou quoi

[@teresaengebretsen6858]

That's real French!!

[@thierryf67]

Don't forget the "?"... it's important in this sentence.