The Basics:

• Intonation

• N'est-ce pas

• Est-ce que

• Inversion

Intonation

• Keep the sentence the same BUT you RAISE your voice at the end of the question.

• This formation type for questions can ONLY be done in speaking conversations.

• Ex: Tu joues au foot. --> Statement saying you play soccer.

• Ex: Tu joues au foot? --> Question asking if you play soccer.

N'est-ce pas

• This doesn't have one EXACT translation in English.

• It is placed AT THE END OF A SENTENCE to turn into a question.

• Ex: Tu joues au foot. --> Statement saying you play soccer.

• Ex: Tu joues au foot, n'est-ce pas? --> A question translating to "You play soccer, don't you?"

Est-ce que

• This also doesn't have an EXACT translation in English.

• Think of this phrase as a way to indicate that "the sentence you are about to read/hear is going to be question!"

• Est-ce que goes at the BEGINNING of a sentence to make it a question.

• Before a vowel "est-ce que" will change to est-ce qu'

• Ex: Tu joues au foot. --> You play soccer.

• Ex: Est-ce que tu joues au foot? --> Do you play soccer?

Inversion

• We flip around the subject and the verb and put a HYPHEN ( - ) in between.

• Example: Tu joues au foot.

• Subject = Tu

• Verb = joues

• Joues-tu au foot?

Inversion Exception:

• Many time, in the "IL" and "ELLE" forms, when we invert (flip) the subject and verb around, we have two vowels back to back which is a pronunciation "faux pas" or "no-no" in French.

• Elle mange

• Mange-elle

• So, instead of adding JUST a hyphen, a -T- will be used to save the pronunciation!

• Mange-t-elle.

Inversion Exception

• This -T- excepion really only happens in the "IL" "ELLE" and "ON" forms, ESPECIALLY with our ER Verbs, Avoir, and Aller

• Joue-t-il au basket?

• A-t-elle le calcul?

• Va-t-on au stade?

• In the "ILS" and "ELLES" forms, our verbs end in a "T," so, the -T- is NOT needed, since there aren't two vowels side by side.

Non Subject Pronoun as a Subject with Inversion

• Keep the subject the same + verb + HYPEN + subject pronoun

• Les filles mangent de la pizza.

• Les filles mangent-elles de la pizza?

• Elles would replace "les filles"

Non Subject Pronoun as a Subject with Inversion

• Le garçon nage à la piscine.

• Le garçon nage-t-il à la piscine.

• Les joueurs jouent au stade.

• Les joueurs jouent-ils au stade?

Negation

To make a sentence negative....

Put NE before your verb and PAS after.
Je danse bien. - I dance well.
Je NE danse PAS bien. - I don't dance well.
The hardest part is identifying our verb!

Great!

Now we'll practicing place NE and PAS.

One more thing....NE will change to N' before a verb that begins with a vowel or an "H"
Je n'habite pas à Paris.
Tu n'es pas en France.