Some common question words that you already know are:
| où | where |
| à quelle heure | at what time |
| combien | how much |
| comment | how |
| Où est la station de taxis? |
| Where is the taxi stand? |
| À quelle heure arrive l’avion de New York? |
| When does the plane from New York arrive? |
| Combien est-ce que ça coûte? |
| How much does this cost? |
| Comment allez-vous? |
| How are you? |
Other important question words are:
| qui | who |
| que | what |
| qu'est-ce qui | what (subject) |
| combien de | how many |
| pourquoi | why |
| quand | when |
When asking a question involving a question word, the question word begins the phrase. Study the following examples for the use of est-ce que:
| Qu’est-ce que vous cherchez? |
| What are you looking for? |
| Combien de pommes est-ce qu’il achète? |
| How many apples is he buying? |
| Pourquoi est-ce qu’il part? |
| Why is he leaving? |
| Quand part le train pour Paris? |
| When does the train for Paris leave? |
| Qu'est-ce qui ne va pas? |
| What's wrong? |
Note that questions with qui do not employ est-ce que:
| Qui est Mme Bertrand? |
| Who is Mrs. Bertrand? |