Skip to Content

Est-ce que – Is, are, do, does

Est-ce que – Is, are, do, does

In today’s lesson we’ll look at one of the single most important expressions in the entire French langauge: est-ce que. Translations include “is”, “are”, “do” and “does” in the context of asking yes-no questions. Est-ce que vous êtes prêts ? (Are you ready?) – keep reading!

est-ce que

is/are/do/does

Est-ce que in French

Formation

Est-ce que is the inverstion if c’est que, which translates to “it’s that”. Hence, est-ce que translates literally to “is it that?”.

Pronunciation

Est-ce que in French is pronounced ehs-kuh or [ɛs-kə].

Example sentences

This is a standard yes-no question using est-ce que. The grammatical stucture is: est-ce que + subject + verb + object.

Est-ce que vous parlez français ?

Do you speak French?

When using the pronouns il (he) and elle (she), the -e on que is removed. Hence, qu’il sounds like [keel] and qu’elle sounds like [kell].

Est-ce qu’il comprend ? Est-ce qu’elle comprend?

Does he understand? Does she understand?

This same rule applies to ils and elles (they). Hence, qu’ils and qu’elles.

Est-ce qu’ils apprennent le français ou l’allemand ?

Are they learning French or German?

Est-ce que can also be followed by c’est ot mean “is it…?”.

Est-ce que c’est une bonne idée d’y aller aujourd’hui ?

Is it a good idea to go today?

Word of the Day Lessons

In French, est-ce que is used to mean "Is, are, do and does" for questions.
In French, est-ce que is used to mean “Is, are, do and does” for questions.

Lessons by David Issokson

Related lessons

References

author avatar
David Issokson
David Issokson is a lifelong language learner and speaks over seven languages. Of all the languages he speaks, he's the most passionate about French! David has helped hundreds of students to improve their French in his private lessons. When not teaching or writing his French Word of the Day lessons, David enjoys his time skiing, hiking and mountain biking in Victor, Idaho.

Sharing is caring!

David Issokson

David Issokson is a lifelong language learner and speaks over seven languages. Of all the languages he speaks, he's the most passionate about French! David has helped hundreds of students to improve their French in his private lessons. When not teaching or writing his French Word of the Day lessons, David enjoys his time skiing, hiking and mountain biking in Victor, Idaho.

See all posts by