Veronique Mazet

Article / Updated 05-30-2024

The French indefinite article is the equivalent to a/an and some (but English often skips it). Do you ask about one thing, describe a couple of things that happened, and make plans for an outing that hasn’t yet been defined? If so, you’re an indefinite article kind of person, like the French! And as such, you should treat the article indéfini as the default article in French grammar. French Indefinite Articles French Article Usage in French English Equivalent Example un Before masculine singular nouns a/an un chat (a cat) une Before feminine singular nouns a/an une maison (a house) des Before masculine or feminine plural nouns some des enfants (some children) de, or d’ before nouns beginning with a vowel or a mute -h Instead of any indefinite article, after a negative verb no or not any pas d’ordinateur (no computer) Use the indefinite article when you talk about one or several individual things that you can count, as opposed to an entire category of things. Il y a un livre sur la table. (There is a book on the table.) Tu as mangé une banane. (You ate a/one banana.) Il a vu des lions au zoo. (He saw (some) lions at the zoo.) You also can use the indefinite articles un and une before an expression of quantity, like une tranche de (a slice of), un morceau de (a piece of), and un peu de (a little bit of). In a sentence with a negative verb, un, une, and des are replaced by de, even if the noun it introduces is plural. Here are some examples. Il n’y a pas de souris dans notre garage. (There is not a mouse in our garage.) Elle ne veut pas d’enfants. (She doesn’t want any children.) This rule has one exception. Don’t use de when the negative verb is être (to be). Just use the indefinite article as if the sentence was affirmative. Here are some examples: Cet animal n’est pas un chien. C’est un renard. (This animal is not a dog. It’s a fox.) — C’est une voiture rouge, n’est-ce pas? — Non ce n’est pas une voiture rouge! C’est une voiture noire. (— It’s a red car, right? — No, it’s not a red car! It’s a black car.) Choose between the definite article (le, la, l’, les) and the indefinite article (un, une, des, and de) to complete the sentences. Check a French-English dictionary if you need help with the vocabulary.

Cheat Sheet / Updated 03-20-2024

French grammar is all about using French words in the correct way so people can understand your meaning. You can learn a lot of French words by browsing an English-French dictionary, but to make sense, you need to know the rules of French grammar. Some of the basics include making nouns plural, adding description by pairing adjectives correctly to nouns, and using pronominal verbs to talk about actions done to you or someone else.

Article / Updated 10-28-2021

As you discuss days, months, and specific dates in French, you’re going to need tell time (l’heure) and probably with both the 12-hour and 24-hour clocks. How to express French time via the 12-hour clock Time is typically expressed based on a 12-hour clock. In French, you say the hour then the minutes, and it’s a little different from the way it’s done in English. To tell a time on the hour in French, use il est + (number) + heure(s). For example: il est deux heures (it is two o’clock). Note: When it is one o’clock, say: il est une heure (it is one o’clock), using the feminine singular une instead of un because the word heure (hour) is feminine. Always say the word heure(s) when telling time. Even if familiar language often skips il est, it never skips heure(s). For example: quelle heure est-il? (what time is it?) Huit heures (eight o’clock). French minutes have a few twists and turns that you may not expect. Check these out: To say 1 to 30 minutes past the hour, simply say the number of minutes after the hour, like this: Il est deux heures dix. (Literally, it is two hours ten, which is to say, it is 2:10.) Il est sept heures vingt-cinq. (It is 7:25.) For 15 minutes past the hour say, et quart (and a quarter). For example: Il est une heure et quart. (It’s a quarter past one.) For 30 minutes past the hour, say et demie (and a half). For example: Il est une heure et demie. (It’s half past one.) For 31 to 59 minutes past the hour, say the next hour moins (minus) the number of minutes, like this: Il est quatre heures moins dix. (Literally, four hours minus 10, or 3:50.) Il est huit heures moins vingt. (Literally, eight hours minus 20, meaning 7:40.) For a quarter until the hour, say moins le quart (minus the quarter). For example: Il est trois heures moins le quart. (It is a quarter until 3; meaning 2:45.) To abbreviate a time in French, don’t use a colon between the hour and minutes like in English. Instead, use the letter h (for heure), like this: 8h10 (8:10). French has specific words for noon and midnight: midi (noon) and minuit (midnight). Those two words are used without saying heures. For example: Il est minuit. Tout le monde au lit! (It’s midnight. Everybody to bed!) With the 12-hour clock, you may need to clarify whether it’s 8 a.m. or 8 p.m. It could make a big difference! French uses phrases to express the difference between morning (le matin), afternoon (l’après-midi), and evening/night (le soir). du matin (in the morning or a.m.) For example: Il part à six heures et demie du matin. (He leaves at 6:30 a.m.) de l’après-midi (in the afternoon or p.m.) For example: En hiver il fait nuit à cinq heures de l’après-midi. (In the winter, it’s dark at 5 p.m.) du soir (in the evening/at night or p.m.) For example: Ils dînent à sept heures du soir. (They eat dinner at 7 p.m.) The line between afternoon and evening is not a very fixed one. It varies with the perception of the speaker, the seasons, even the weather. Here are a few expressions that can come in handy when telling time in French. pile (on the dot). For example: Il mange à midi pile. (He eats at noon on the dot.) à (at). For example: Viens à trois heures. (Come at 3.) C’est à quelle heure? (At what time is it?) vers (around). For example: Je passerai vers 9 heures. (I will stop by around 9.) How to express French time via the 24-hour clock If you travel in France, you really may need this information! Using the 24-hour clock is really quite simple, because all you do is add. No more moins le quart or et demie and the like. All you need is to keep in mind that the 24-hour clock begins at zéro heure (12 a.m.) and ends at 23.59 (11:59 p.m.), and you write a period between the two parts of the time instead of using an h. For example, 13.00 (treize heures) is 1 p.m., 14.00 (quatorze heures) is 2 p.m., 15.00 (quinze heures) is 3 p.m., and so on. And because it’s clear that all times after 12 (noon) are p.m., you have no need for du matin, de l’après-midi, or du soir anymore. Here are some examples: Le film commence à 20.40 (vingt heures quarante). (The movie begins at 8:40 p.m.) Le bureau est ouvert de 8.00 (huit heures) à 17.30 (dix-sept heures trente). (The office is open from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.) Le déjeuner est servi à 12.15 (douze heures quinze) et le diner à 19.45 (dix-neuf-­heures quarante-cinq). (Lunch is served at 12:15, and dinner at 7:45.)

Article / Updated 09-14-2021

To simplify things, French has classified regular verbs into three types, based on the ending of their infinitives. Think of all the things you can possibly do in one day. That’s also a lot of French verbs to conjugate. The largest group is the verbs with infinitives that end in -er (the -er verbs), like parler (to speak). The second largest group is made up of the verbs with infinitives that end in -ir (the -ir verbs), like finir (to finish). The third group consists of the -re ending verbs (the -re verbs), like vendre (to sell). Each type follows a pattern of conjugation for every tense. Think of the infinitive as the family name of a verb: A family shares a common last name, but each individual has their own characteristics, right? Use the infinitive to recognize the verb type (-er, -ir, or -re) that allows you to find its conjugation pattern and also look up the verb in the dictionary. How to conjugate a regular -er verb More than 80 percent of French verbs are -er verbs. It’s great for you, because after you know this group's pattern of conjugation in the present tense, you can pretty much conjugate 80 percent of French verbs. Doesn’t that sound great? To conjugate a regular -er verb, drop the -er of the infinitive to get the stem. Then add the six present tense endings specific to -er verbs: -e, -es, -e, -ons, -ez, -ent, and you’re done. Easy! The following table conjugates a regular -er verb: aimer (to like). j’aime nous aimons tu aimes vous aimez il/elle/on aime ils/elles aiment Aller (to go) is a very common verb, and it looks like a regular -er verb. However, it is not. Aller is a very irregular verb. How to conjugate a regular -ir verb The -ir verb group is the second most common verb type. To form the present tense of a regular -ir verb, drop the -ir of the infinitive to get the stem for the present tense conjugation. Then add the present tense endings specific to -ir verbs: -is, -is, -it, -issons, -issez, -issent. The following table conjugates a regular -ir verb: finir (to finish). je finis nous finissons tu finis vous finissez il/elle/on finit ils/elles finissent Not all -ir verbs follow this pattern. So just use a little more caution when dealing with -ir ending verbs. How to conjugate a regular -re verb Verbs that end in -re are the third conjugation type. To form the present tense of an -re verb, drop the -re of the infinitive, like you do for -er and -ir verbs. When you do that, you’re left with the stem for the conjugation of the present tense, and you can add the present tense endings specific to -re verbs: -s, -s, nothing, -ons, -ez, -ent. The following table conjugates a regular -re verb: vendre (to sell). je vends nous vendons tu vends vous vendez il/elle/on vend ils/elles vendent

Article / Updated 01-13-2020

Many verbs have an -ir ending, but not all of them play nice! Some verbs don’t follow the regular conjugating patterns. They are irregular, and many of them actually don’t follow much of a pattern at all! How to conjugate short French -ir verbs About 30 -ir verbs don’t follow the regular -ir conjugation pattern of finir. These are short verbs because they lack the -iss part of the plural endings that regular -ir verbs have. To conjugate such -ir verbs, the easiest way is to separate the singular forms (je, tu, il/elle/on) from the plural (nous, vous, ils/elles). Here’s how to conjugate the present tense of short -ir verbs for the je, tu, and il/elle/on forms: Drop the -ir ending as well as the final consonant before it. For example, for the verb partir (to leave), you take off -tir, so you’re left with par-. Now add the ending that fits your subject: -s, -s, or -t. In the example, you wind up with this: je pars, tu pars, il/elle/on part. Here’s how to conjugate the present tense of short -ir verbs for the nous, vous, and ils/elles forms: Drop only the -ir of the infinitive to get the stem. For example, for the verb partir, you take off -ir, so you’re left with part-. Now add the ending -ons, -ez, or -ent. You wind up with this: nous partons, vous partez, ils/elles partent. The following tables give you an example of the short -ir conjugation, next to a regular -ir verb conjugation so you can clearly see the missing -iss in the plural . The short -ir verb is partir, and the long one grandir. je pars nous partons tu pars vous partez il/elle/on part ils/elles partent je grandis nous grandissons tu grandis vous grandissez il/elle/on grandit ils/elles grandissent Other examples of short -ir verbs include dormir (to sleep), se sentir (to feel), sortir (to go out), and servir (to serve). French -ir verbs that behave like -er verbs Some -ir verbs behave like -er verbs. To conjugate them, you drop the -ir ending, like you would with a regular verb like finir. Then you add, well, the regular -er verb endings: -e, -es, -e, -ons, -ez, and -ent! Here’s the complete conjugation of one such verb, ouvrir (to open). j’ouvre nous ouvrons tu ouvres vous ouvrez il/elle/on ouvre ils/elles ouvrent Other verbs of this type include découvrir (to discover), offrir (to offer), and souffrir (to suffer). The French verbs venir and tenir Finally, you meet a special group of verbs: venir (to come), tenir (to hold), and all their siblings (called compound verbs because they are formed with a prefix + venir or tenir). Such verbs include: se souvenir (to remember), devenir (to become), revenir (to come back), appartenir (to belong), and soutenir (to support). To conjugate these irregular -ir verbs, drop the -enir of the infinitive and replace it with -iens, -iens, -ient, -enons, -enez, or -iennent. The following tables give you the complete present tense conjugation of venir and tenir. je viens nous venons tu viens vous venez il/elle/on vient ils/elles viennent je tiens nous tenons tu tiens vous tenez Il/elle/on tient ils/elles tiennent The je, tu, il/elle/on, and ils/elles forms have the same stem (-ien + ending), whereas the nous and vous forms have the same stem as the infinitive (-en).

Article / Updated 01-13-2020

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 separated by a hyphen. Here is a list of the subject pronouns you can use in inversion. Note how je (I) is not among them! You pretty much never invert je and the verb (unless you’re a writer of melodramas in the 19th century). tu (you [singular informal]) il/elle/on (he/she/one) nous (we) vous (you [singular formal or plural formal and informal]) ils/elles (they [masculine or mixed/feminine]) And here are some of them in action: Statement: Tu veux une glace. (You want an ice cream.) Question with inversion: Veux-tu une glace? (Do you want an ice cream?) Statement: Vous parlez italien. (You speak Italian.) Question with inversion: Parlez-vous italien? (Do you speak Italian?) 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 in the present or future tense, pronunciation requires that you add -t- between the verb and subject inverted. This rule applies to the third person singular of -er verbs and the third person singular of aller (to go) in the present tense, and to the third person singular form in future tense. 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?) Dinera-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. 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. In this example, inversion produces veut-elle. And here’s your question: La petite fille veut-elle un vélo? Here are a few more examples, including some with the extra -t-. Statement: Marie joue du violon. (Marie plays the violin.) Question with inversion: Marie joue-t-elle du violon? (Does Marie play the violin?) Statement: Ce fruit est bon. (This fruit is good.) Question with inversion: Ce fruit est-il bon? (Is this fruit good?) Statement: Le match finira tard. (The match will end late.) Question with inversion: Le match finira-t-il tard? (Will the match end late?)

Article / Updated 01-13-2020

When a French noun describes a live being, its gender (masculine or feminine) often reflects the gender of the being in question. For example: The word cheval (horse) is masculine, whereas jument (mare) is feminine, because they both reflect the gender of the animal. Makes sense? Good. But determining gender isn’t always that logical, especially with inanimate objects, like things and ideas. For nouns that describe things and concepts, logic has nothing to do with the gender. For instance, some nouns are always masculine no matter what, like un sac (a bag), un manteau (an overcoat), and un ordinateur (a computer). Others are always feminine, like une voiture (a car), une maison (a house), and une école (a school). And some words are the tricksters of the bunch, taking on different meanings with different genders, like livre, which is a book when masculine but a pound when feminine! How to identify masculine French nouns You can recognize many masculine nouns by the type of ending they have. Typical Masculine Noun Endings Noun Ending Examples -acle miracle (miracle), spectacle (show), obstacle (obstacle) -age fromage (cheese), voyage (trip), bagage (luggage) -aire frigidaire (fridge), anniversaire (birthday), commentaire (commentary) -é (but not -té) degré (degree), marché (market), congé (holiday) -eau drapeau (flag), chapeau (hat), cadeau (gift) -er and -ier dîner (dinner), panier (basket), cahier (notebook) -isme tourisme (tourism), absolutisme (absolutism), capitalisme (capitalism) -ment gouvernement (government), ornement (ornament), divertissement (entertainment) Besides just memorizing noun endings, you can also spot masculine nouns by certain categories. For the most part, nouns included in the following categories are masculine: Names of trees: chêne (oak tree), olivier (olive tree), pommier (apple tree) Names of metals: or (gold), acier (steel), fer (iron) Names of metric units: mètre (a meter), kilo (a kilo), centimtre (centimeter) Names of colors: le rouge (red), le vert (green), le bleu (blue) Names of languages: le chinois (chinese), l’allemand (german), le français (French) Nouns of English origin: tennis (tennis), parking (parking lot), football (soccer) The articles (le and l’) are in front of colors and languages above, because without them, the French words would be adjectives instead of nouns. How to identify feminine French nouns Some noun endings typically designate female gender and some common examples. Typical Feminine Noun Endings Noun Ending Examples -ade façade (facade), promenade (a walk), limonade (lemon drink) -ance enfance (childhood), naissance (birth), assurance (insurance) -ée idée (idea), journée (day), mosquée (mosque) -ence différence (difference), innocence (innocence), influence (influence) -ette crevette (shrimp), chaussette (sock), baguette (baguette) -ie comédie (comedy), industrie (industry), démographie (demography) -sion prévision (forecast), compréhension (understanding), révision (revision) -té société (society), publicité (advertising), charité (charity) -tié amitié (friendship), moitié (half), pitié (pity) -tion information (information), éducation (education), question (question) -ure voiture (car), couverture (blanket), confiture (jelly/jam) A number of more logical categories also help you spot those feminine nouns. For the most part, nouns included in the following categories are feminine: Names of sciences and school subjects: For example, chimie (chemistry), histoire (history), and médecine (medical sciences). In particular, sciences and subjects ending in -graphie — like photographie (photography), géographie (geography), and chorégraphie (choreography) — are feminine. Names of automobiles: une Renault (a Renault), une Porsche (a Porsche), une Fiat (a Fiat). Names of businesses: boulangerie (bread shop), parfumerie (perfume shop), charcuterie (deli).

Article / Updated 01-13-2020

French has seven direct object pronouns (DOPs) — and three more when you count the forms with an apostrophe. Direct object pronouns, as opposed to indirect object pronouns, DOPs are used when there is the absence of a preposition. Here are the direct object pronouns and their English equivalents. me (m’ in front of a vowel or mute -h) (me) te (t’ in front of a vowel or mute -h) (you [singular informal]) le (l’ in front of a vowel or mute -h) (him/it [masculine]) la (l’ in front of a vowel or mute -h) (her/it [feminine]) nous (us) vous (you [singular formal or plural informal and formal]) les (them) Because it replaces a noun, a pronoun takes the appearance of the noun as much as possible, kind of like a chameleon! The pronoun must match the noun in gender and number. For example, when talking in the third person: If the noun to be replaced is masculine (such as le père, which means the father), the pronoun must be masculine (le). If the noun to be replaced is feminine (such as la voiture, which means the car), the pronoun must be feminine (la). If the noun to be replaced is plural masculine or feminine (such as ses enfants, which means his/her children), the pronoun must be plural (les). Know when to use a French direct object pronoun When you can go directly from a verb to its object (what the verb acts upon), you are dealing with a direct object (I give money). If there is a preposition (I give to charity) between the verb and an object, then you have an indirect object. You can use a direct object pronoun to replace any noun, as long as the following two conditions are met: The noun to be replaced refers to a person or a thing. For example: Elle aime ses enfants. (She likes her kids.) → Elle les aime. (She likes them.) Il aime le fromage. (He likes cheese.) → Il l’aime. (He likes it.) The noun you want to replace is specific — that is, it’s preceded by a specific determiner such as a definite article (le, la, or les [the]), a possessive (mon [my], ton [your], and so on), or a demonstrative (ce [this]). If the noun you want to replace is preceded by an indefinite determiner such as un, une, or des (a, an, some), don’t use the DOP. Here’s a little trick that will really make the process of deciding if the object is specific easier for you. Proceed like this: Question: Is the object I’m considering an “it/them” or a “some”? Answer: It’s an “it/them” → Use the DOP. Answer: It’s a “some” → Don’t use the DOP, and read the later section about the pronouns en and y. For example, in I like my comfort (J’aime mon confort), “my comfort” is definitely an “it,” but in I want some comfort (Je veux du confort), you would not be able to use the direct object pronoun to replace it because of the word some (du). How to writing a sentence with a direct object pronoun Now you’re ready to start building sentences that include a DOP. Here’s how to proceed: Find the noun or phrase that is the direct object of the verb. For example, Paul aime les pommes. (Paul likes apples.) Choose the DOP that matches the direct object in number (singular or plural) and gender (feminine or masculine). Les pommes is feminine plural, so the corresponding DOP is les. Remove the entire direct object from your sentence. In this example, you’re left with Paul aime. Replace the direct object with the pronoun and place the pronoun properly in the sentence. In most sentences, you place the pronoun before the verb, but exceptions exist. In this example, you wind up with Paul les aime.

Article / Updated 01-13-2020

In the French sentence Nous parlons à nos parents (We talk to our parents), the preposition à (to) stands in the path of the verb object. Meet an indirect object! To replace those types of objects, you now need the indirect object pronoun, or IOP. French grammar has six indirect object pronouns, plus two more when you count the forms with an apostrophe. Here are the indirect object pronouns and their English equivalents. me (m’ in front of a vowel or mute -h) (me/to me) te (t’ in front of a vowel or mute -h) (you/to you [singular informal]) lui (him/her; to him/her) nous (us/to us) vous (you/to you [singular formal or plural formal and informal]) leur (them/to them) Note that the IOPs are the same as the DOPs, except for the third person singular (lui) and plural (leur). Also notice that the singular form has no gender distinction: both him and her are lui in French. Know the French verbs that require an indirect object You use an indirect object pronoun only to replace a noun that refers to a person, as in Paul parle à Marie (Paul talks to Marie). Certain verbs are always followed by the preposition à when they have a human object, so you have to use indirect objects (and IOPs) with them. Here are some common ones with their English equivalents. annoncer à quelqu’un (to announce to someone) donner à quelqu’un (to give to someone) dire à quelqu’un (to tell to someone) faire la bise à quelqu’un (to kiss someone [on the cheek]) obéir à quelqu’un (to obey someone) parler à quelqu’un (to talk to someone) poser des questions à quelqu’un (to ask someone questions) prêter à quelqu’un (to lend to someone) rendre visite à quelqu’un (to pay a visit to someone) ressembler à quelqu’un (to look like someone) téléphoner à quelqu’un (to call someone) Some common French verbs, like regarder (to look at), écouter (to listen to), chercher (to look for), and attendre (to wait for), use direct objects when their English counterparts use indirect objects. It goes the other way, too: Some English verbs use direct objects, like téléphoner à (to call), dire à (to tell), and rendre visite à (to visit) when their French equivalents take indirect objects. You can see the differences in the following examples where the preposition that makes the object indirect is underlined, whether in French or in English: Nous attendons nos amis. (We are waiting for our friends.) Je rends visite à Julie. (I visit Julie.) When dealing with pronouns, a verb + à + a human object generally triggers the use of an IOP. But as always, you can count on a few verbs to resist the common rule, and sometimes, even if you have a verb + à + a human object, you can’t use the IOP. Zut alors! What are you to do? Well, another pronoun called the stress pronoun can save the day. Put together a sentence with an indirect object pronoun Use an indirect object pronoun when you have a verb + à + human object (that is, a person or group of people) in a sentence. Proceed like this to replace the indirect object by the IOP: Spot the à + object right after the verb. For example: Paul parle à sa mère. (Paul talks to his mother.) Choose the IOP that matches the indirect object in number only (no gender distinction with the IOP). The IO, à sa mère, is third person singular, so you choose lui. Remove the entire indirect object group that you have underlined, including the à. In this example, you wind up with Paul parle. Replace the indirect object group with the pronoun you chose and place the pronoun properly in the sentence. In most sentences, you place the pronoun before the conjugated verb, but exceptions exist. In this example, you finish with Paul lui parle. The best way to identify an indirect object is by spotting the à that follows the verb. However our little à likes to play tricks and wear a mask sometimes. It will appear as au (contracted form of à + le) or as aux (contracted form of à + les). Don’t be fooled! The following examples illustrate the contracted forms of à. Nous posons des questions au (à + le) professeur. (We ask the professor questions.) Le prof parle aux (à + les) étudiants. (The professor talks to the students.)

Article / Updated 03-26-2016

In French grammar, les prépositions (prepositions) are little words that can answer questions like where, when, and with whom. They are used in combination with other words in a sentence to form a prepositional phrase. For example: dans la cuisine (in the kitchen) and avec mes amis (with my friends) are prepositional phrases that add information to a sentence. Using a prepositional phrase in a French sentence is very easy: Write the preposition followed by the noun and then place it where it makes sense in the rest of your sentence, which is in most cases after the verb. For instance: Le chat dort sur le lit (The cat is sleeping on the bed) or La voiture est devant le garage (The car is in front of the garage). You can add as many prepositional phrases as you want to a French sentence, like this: Le chat dort sur le lit, à coté de moi, avec sa balle. (The cat is sleeping on the bed, next to me, with his ball.) This sentence has three prepositional phrases. When dealing with a complex preposition (one made of several words) that ends with de, keep in mind that de + le contracts into du, like for à coté du bus (next to the bus), and de + les contracts into des, like for loin des soucis quotidiens (far from the daily worries). You can even use prepositions in questions when you combine them with a question word, like this: preposition + question word + rest of the question. Here are some examples of things you can ask using a preposition: à quelle heure (at what time), sur quoi (on what), pour qui (for whom), dans quelle (in which), and pour quelle raison (for what reason).