Ask about plans: inversion questions with question words | French

Starter quiz

Which of the following words contain the hard [g] and the [j/soft g]?
- géographie ✓
- rouge
- garage ✓
- girafe
- gorge ✓
Match up the time phrases.
- demain
  
  ⇔
  
  tomorrow ✓
- aujourd'hui
  
  ⇔
  
  today ✓
- en ce moment
  
  ⇔
  
  at the moment ✓
- maintenant
  
  ⇔
  
  now ✓
- à l'avenir
  
  ⇔
  
  in the future ✓
Match the English with the French.
- derrière
  
  ⇔
  
  behind ✓
- rue (f)
  
  ⇔
  
  street ✓
- devant
  
  ⇔
  
  in front of ✓
- entre
  
  ⇔
  
  between ✓
- plage (f)
  
  ⇔
  
  beach ✓
- pays (m)
  
  ⇔
  
  country ✓
Match the correct forms of the French verb 'aller' to the English.
- je vais
  
  ⇔
  
  I go, am going ✓
- ils, elles vont
  
  ⇔
  
  they (mfpl) go, are going ✓
- il, elle va
  
  ⇔
  
  he, she goes, is going ✓
- tu vas
  
  ⇔
  
  you (singular) go, are going ✓
- vous allez
  
  ⇔
  
  you (plural) go, are going ✓
- nous allons
  
  ⇔
  
  we go, are going ✓
Which of the following are types of questions?
- liaison
- information ✓
- intonation ✓
- inversion ✓
- closed ✓
Which of the following are inversion questions?
- Tu vas aller au parc ?
- Vas-tu cuisiner aujourd'hui ? ✓
- Allons-nous écouter la radio ? ✓
- Il va faire les devoirs ?
- Nous allons regarder un film ?

Exit quiz

Which of the following words contain the SSC [j/soft g]?
- jouer ✓
- juge ✓
- gilet ✓
- géant ✓
- gare
Which of the following pronouns mean 'they' in French?
- il
- elles ✓
- nous
- elle
- ils ✓
Which is the correct translation of 'They (mpl) are going to prepare lunch.'?
- Elle va préparer le déjeuner.
- Nous allons préparer le déjeuner.
- Il va préparer le déjeuner.
- Ils vont préparer le déjeuner. ✓
- Elles vont préparer le déjeuner.
Which of the following sentences express future plans?
- Ils font les devoirs.
- Elles vont regarder le match. ✓
- Elles sont à l'école.
- Ils vont marcher aux magasins. ✓
- Elles vont rester à la maison. ✓
Match the English questions with the French translations. There is a mix of intonation and inversion question forms.
- Where are you (plural) going?
  
  ⇔
  
  Où vas-tu ? ✓
- When are they (m) going to go?
  
  ⇔
  
  Ils vont aller quand ? ✓
- How is he going to travel?
  
  ⇔
  
  Comment va-t-il voyager ? ✓
- Who is she going to see?
  
  ⇔
  
  Il va voir qui ? ✓
- What are they (f) going to do?
  
  ⇔
  
  Elles vont faire quoi ? ✓
- What are you (singular) going to say?
  
  ⇔
  
  Que vas-tu dire ? ✓
Which of the following are the two different ways in French of forming the question 'When are they (fpl) going to arrive in London?'?
- Elles vont arriver quand à Londres ? ✓
- Quand vont-ils arriver à Londres ?
- Il va arriver quand à Londres ?
- Quand vont-elles arriver à Londres ? ✓
- Ils vont arriver quand à Londres ?

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Lesson Details

Key learning points

The French [g] has two sounds: soft before the letters e, i and y and hard before other letters.
We use 'aller' in the present tense followed by an infinitive to talk about future plans.
'They' has two different pronouns in French: 'ils' for a male or mixed gender group and 'elles' for a female group.
Questions about future plans follow the normal patterns for closed (yes/no) and information questions.
When forming inversion questions for future plans, only 'aller' and the pronoun swap e.g. Vont-ils venir ?

Common misconception

To create inversion questions in French, you just swap the verb and subject around.

As well as swapping verb and subject, a hyphen is needed betwen the verb and the subject pronoun when forming inversion questions e.g. Vont-elles créer des vêtements ? Are they going to create clothes?

Keywords

[j/soft g] - sound-symbol correspondence like the [j] in 'jour' or the [soft g] sound in 'génial'
Ils vont - French verb meaning they (m,f) go or they are going
Elles vont - French verb meaning they (f) go or they are going
Inversion question - when the subject pronoun and the verb switch place to form a question