fluffy_dragon_lu | French - Learn French in a friendly community! | Page 1

lost flumeBOT Sep 21, 2025, 5:27 PM

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Please be patient

Our volunteers look into many questions every day; sometimes it takes them a little while to answer.

Pro tip: you can rename the thread title with `.tr <thread name>`

Make it descriptive, including relevant context, but also to the point. This way you improve your chances of getting a more relevant and specific answer.

paper kindle Sep 21, 2025, 5:34 PM

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que and quoi is a difficult case

echo fern Sep 21, 2025, 5:34 PM

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Why = pourquoi

tawdry kiln Sep 21, 2025, 5:34 PM

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Is there a difference between Pourquoi and Quoi or was it just a spelling mistake?

echo fern Sep 21, 2025, 5:34 PM

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To simplify things, quoi is the other version of que for when it isn't in first position in the clause.

paper kindle Sep 21, 2025, 5:35 PM

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Your mistake was putting "que" when the answer should be "quoi" but "pourquoi" is a different animal

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quoi = what
pourquoi = why

tawdry kiln Sep 21, 2025, 5:35 PM

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Ohhh okay

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Que for like the start when using things like qu'est-ce que, but when using in other places, should be quoi?

echo fern Sep 21, 2025, 5:36 PM

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It's a bit more complex in reality but yep, pretty much.

tawdry kiln Sep 21, 2025, 5:36 PM

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D'accord, merci!

paper kindle Sep 21, 2025, 5:40 PM

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You can take a look at this article which goes into some detail: https://www.lawlessfrench.com/grammar/interrogative-pronouns/

Lawless French

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Qui vs que - French Interrogative Pronouns - Lawless French Grammar

Who, what, which one? Use interrogative pronouns to ask these questions, which are a little more complicated in French than in English. - Lawless French

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Basically "que" is the default, but when it falls in a place in the sentence where it gets emphasized (like at the end or when it follows a preposition) it transforms into "quoi"

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but you need to be careful because "que" also has many other uses

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