Practice Makes Perfect

est-ce que + declarative sentence

  

interrogative sentence

Le magasin est fermé. 

The store is closed.

Est-ce que le magasin est fermé? 

Is the store closed?

i-x_1-284_Heminway.indd   132

5/29/18   9:10 AM

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Asking questions 

133

Compare the following French and English interrogative sentences and note that the struc-

ture in the French sentence is always the same. The structure in the English sentence varies 

depending on the tense used and depending on whether the verb to be or to have is a part of the 

structure.

est-ce que/qu’ + subject + predicate  

verb (to be/to have) + subject +   

 

 

 predicate

Est-ce qu’il ne fait pas beau? 

Is the weather not nice?

Est-ce que vous êtes triste? 

Are you sad?

Est-ce qu’elle ne va pas se marier? 

Is she not going to get married?

Est-ce que tu as mangé? 

Have you eaten?