"What do the men drink?"

Translation: Que boivent les hommes ?

[NamNum]

All the correct solutions :

• Que boivent les hommes ?

• Que les hommes boivent-ils ?

• Les hommes boivent quoi ?

• Qu'est-ce que les hommes boivent ?

[KevinAlexMathews]

"Que les hommes boivent-ils ?" was marked wrong. Why?

[ckalenda]

It should be "Les hommes, que boivent-ils ?"
Like saying, "The men, what are they drinking?"

But since the actual meaning is slightly different, I doubt Duo would accept it.

[poubelledelangue]

How about « Les hommes, que boivent-ils? » ?

[Davis462129]

I got O.k " Les hommes boivent quoi ? "

[FTange]

Que les hommes boivent-ils ? was not accepted for me

[Pam520742]

Wow! Nice! Merci NumNum!

[bobbyfasthands]

why is it not quoi boivent les hommes?

[AlexanderVikulin]

This could be helpful: http://french.about.com/od/mistakes/a/what.htm

[flomingoz]

why is "Qu'est-ce que les hommes boivent?" not correct in this case?
It is correct if one would ask "Qu'est-ce qu'il boit?", isn't it?

[tony42]

there is absolutely nothing wrong with using qu'est-ce que in this sentence

[danamonat]

This is what I wrote just now (Feb 2014) and I got it right.

[Rev.Judi7]

After 6 count them six tries, I wrote it just like that and they finally accepted it. (Perhaps they got tired and gave it to me.) For me there was something unnatural about "Qu'est-ce que les hommes boivent?" So now I'm saying "I don't care what they drink, but I'm not paying for it!" : ~ )

[n6zs]

It's not because of multiple tries. It will be accepted if it is correct French. Be aware that there are sometimes many, many people who forcefully maintain an answer should be accepted when it is incorrect. So more reporting or insisting won't help. It just points to the need to address clear feedback and explanations so that you may learn why it is wrong and how to do it right.

[asuth]

Can't you say "Que boivent-ils les hommes?"

[helenvee]

I thought you only used "quoi" after a preposition but one of the options was "Les hommes boivent quoi ?" and i can't see a prepostion in that sentence.

[kakalina]

how come you can't say, "Que boivent-ils les hommes?"

[n6zs]

It is accepted.

[Ant.H]

What's wrong with "Qu'est-ce que boivent les hommes?"

[awefulwaffle]

You don't invert the subject (les hommes) and verb (boivent) after "qu'est-ce que".

When "que" (meaning "what") is the object of the question, it can be followed by "est-ce que" or a subject-verb inversion. Note: "qu'est-ce que" = que + est-ce que

• Qu'est-ce que les hommes boivent?
• Que boivent les hommes?

[JonxNumber1]

I have a cuiorisity regarding the word ordering. Can someone tell me if the following are correct?

F: Que boit le garçon?
E: What is the boy drinking?

F: Quoi boit le garçon?
E: What is drinking the boy?

I am surprised that "boivent" comes before "les hommes" in this case because I thought we only did inversion with pronouns.

Why do we invert it here?

[NKJ]

I tried boivent-que les hommes. Why wad that marked wrong?

[ckalenda]

The dash comes from subject-verb inversion.
ils boivent → boivent-ils
The "que" still belongs at the beginning of the sentence.

similarly, "est-ce que" comes from an inversion of "c'est" and the word "que" in the sense of "that": "is it that..."

[DamianRyan]

qu'est-ce qu'ils boivent? seems more concise...n'est pas?

[n6zs]

As long as you put "les hommes" at the end.