What is the difference between est-ce qu' and Qu'est- ce qu' in a question?
I am confused so if anyone out there can help me with some examples, that would be great! Merci!
4 Comments
Est-ce qu' => A question starting by "Do"
Do you want to play with me ? Est-ce que tu veux jouer avec moi ?
Qu'est ce qu' => A question starting by "What"
What are you cooking ? => Qu'est-ce que tu cuisines ?
Literally
est-ce que = is it that (you want to play?)
qu'est-ce que = what is it that (you want to play?)
Yes, I think the literal translation makes it clear. No rule to memorise if you understand the literal meaning.
1712
You can turn any standard statement into a question by putting "est-ce que" in front of it.
- Tu manges de la viande = you are eating meat (or) you eat meat
- Est-ce que tu manges de la viande = are you eating meat? (or) do you eat meat?
Placing an interrogative word before "est-ce que" changes the form of the question.
- tu manges = you are eating
- qu'est-ce que tu manges = what are you eating
Note that there is generally no literal translation of "est-ce que" at all. So be careful when someone tells you "est-ce que" means "do". That is not correct. Open this link in a browser for more information. https://www.thoughtco.com/est-ce-que-vocabulary-1371209
