Interrogative adjectives in French

• Interrogative adjectives in French, the words for ‘which’ or 'what', are quel, quels, quelle and quelles.

• Interrogative adjectives change depending on the gender and number of the noun.

• Quel, quels, quelle and quelles can be used as the subject of a question, usually with the verb être, to mean 'what' - for example, Quel est ton film préféré ? (What is your favourite film?)

• Quel, quels, quelle and quelles can be used with a noun in a question, when referring to a range of options, such as Quel film veux-tu regarder ? (Which film do you want to watch?)

The word for ‘which’ or 'what' changes depending on gender and number:

For example:

• Quel genre de musique aimes-tu ? – Which type of music do you like?

• Quelle est la date de ton anniversaire ? – What date is your birthday? (This is often translated more naturally as 'When is your birthday?')

Quel can be used as the subject of the question, usually with the verb être (to be), to mean 'what'.

For example:

• Quels sont tes projets pour le week-end ? – What are your plans for the weekend?

Quels is used in this example because projets is a masculine plural noun.

Quel can also be used with a noun to mean 'which', when there is a choice between a few different options.

For example:

• Quel type de cuisine préfères-tu, la cuisine italienne ou la cuisine chinoise ? – Which type of food do you prefer, Italian food or Chinese food?

Quel is used in this example because type is a masculine singular noun.

• Quelle cuisine préfères-tu, la cuisine italienne ou la cuisine chinoise ? – Which cuisine/food do you prefer, Italian food or Chinese food?

Quelle is used in this example because cuisine is a feminine singular noun.

Practise what you've learned about interrogative adjectives with this quiz.

Now you’ve learned about interrogative adjectives, why not explore subject pronouns?