quel / quelle / quels / quelles
Which/what with Quel
Use quel (and its forms) to ask 'which' or 'what' regarding a specific noun. It must agree in gender and number with the noun it modifies.
How It Works
The word quel changes its spelling to match the noun it describes, though all four forms sound exactly the same (/kɛl/):
- Quel: Masculine Singular (e.g., quel livre)
- Quelle: Feminine Singular (e.g., quelle heure)
- Quels: Masculine Plural (e.g., quels amis)
- Quelles: Feminine Plural (e.g., quelles voitures)
Placement:
1. Formal/Standard: Directly before the noun at the start of the sentence: Quel livre lis-tu ?
2. Informal (Spoken): At the end of the sentence using rising intonation: Tu lis quel livre ? This is the most common way to ask questions in daily life.
3. Standard: With est-ce que: Quel livre est-ce que tu lis ?
4. With the verb to be: Separated by être: Quel est ton nom ?
Prepositions:
If you need to use a preposition like à or de, it must come before 'quel': À quelle heure ? (At what time?) or De quel pays viens-tu ? (From which country do you come?)
Exclamations:
You can also use 'quel' to make exclamations: Quel beau voyage ! (What a beautiful trip!)
Pronunciation Note:
The 's' in quels and quelles is always silent unless followed by a word starting with a vowel or mute 'h', where you perform a liaison (pronounced like a /z/).
Examples (6)
- Quelle heure est-il ?
What time is it?
Word by Word: Which hour is it?
Uses the feminine singular 'quelle' because 'heure' is a feminine noun.
- Quel est votre film préféré ?
What is your favorite movie?
Word by Word: Which is your movie favorite?
Uses the masculine singular 'quel' to match 'film'.
- Tu lis quel livre ?
Which book are you reading?
Word by Word: You read which book?
In casual spoken French, it is very common to place 'quel' and the noun at the end of the sentence using rising intonation.
- À quelle heure partons-nous ?
At what time are we leaving?
Word by Word: At which hour leave we?
When using a preposition like à, it must be placed before 'quel'.
- Quel beau film !
What a beautiful movie!
Word by Word: What beautiful movie!
This shows 'quel' used as an exclamation to mean 'What a...'.
- Quelles sont tes chansons préférées ?
What are your favorite songs?
Word by Word: Which are your songs favorite?
Uses the feminine plural 'quelles' to match 'chansons'.
Common Mistakes
Using 'quel' as a standalone pronoun.
Quel veux-tu ?Lequel veux-tu ?'Quel' is an adjective and must be followed by a noun or the verb 'être'. To say 'Which one?' without a noun, use the pronoun 'lequel'.
Confusing 'quel' with 'qu'elle'.
Je pense quel est française.Je pense qu'elle est française.They sound the same, but 'qu'elle' is a contraction of 'que' + 'elle' (that she), whereas 'quel' is for questions.
Using 'quel' for general definitions.
Quel est un dictionnaire ?Qu'est-ce qu'un dictionnaire ?Use 'qu'est-ce que' to ask for a definition. Use 'quel' only when choosing from a group or asking for specific identity.
How It Connects
Learn This First
To use 'quel' correctly, you must first understand that all French nouns have a gender (masculine or feminine) and a number (singular or plural). Since 'quel' acts as an interrogative adjective, it changes its form to match the specific noun it is asking about, following the general rules of French adjective agreement.
- Adjective agreement concept
The interrogative 'quel' functions like an adjective, requiring the learner to understand the concept of agreement in gender and number.
Level 1 - -s (pluriel des noms)Plural -s
The plural forms 'quels' and 'quelles' follow the standard rule of adding -s to indicate plurality.
Level 1
Related Patterns
- lequel (interrogatif)Which One with Lequel
While 'quel' is an adjective that needs a noun, 'lequel' is the pronoun version used to say 'which one' when the noun is omitted.
Level 3 - que / quoiWhat with Que and Quoi
These are used for general 'what' questions, whereas 'quel' is specific to a noun.
Level 1 - Two-gender noun system
You must know the gender of the noun to choose the correct form of 'quel'.
Level 1 - Linking a silent consonant to the next vowel
The plural forms 'quels' and 'quelles' require a liaison when followed by a vowel sound.
Level 1 - quel (exclamatif)What a... with Quel
The same forms of 'quel' are used to make exclamations like 'What a beautiful day!' (Quel beau jour !).
Level 3
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Words in This Pattern
Practice quel / quelle / quels / quelles in Bubblegum
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