FlexiLingoIn one line
quelagrees with the noun after it — and all four forms are pronounced /kɛl/.
The table
| Written | When | Sound |
|---|---|---|
quel | masculine singular | /kɛl/ |
quelle | feminine singular | /kɛl/ |
quels | masculine plural | /kɛl/ |
quelles | feminine plural | /kɛl/ |
The difference exists only on paper — and on paper is where the exam marks you.
And two different structures
| Structure | Shape | quel means | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Quel + noun + clause | which | /kɛl/ |
| 2 | Quel + est + noun | what is | /kɛl/ · /ɛ/ |
| Pronunciation | ||
|---|---|---|
Quel livre est-ce que tu lis ? | Which book are you reading? | /kɛl livʁ ɛs kə ty li/ |
Quel est votre nom ? | What is your name? | /kɛ.lɛ vɔtʁ nɔ̃/ |
How to tell: after
Quel, is there a noun or the verbest?
Two things English does not make you do. English "what" and "which" never change — not for gender, not for number — so agreeing an interrogative word is a new habit. And English uses "what" for both structures here ("what book are you reading" and "what is your name"), so you get no signal from the English about which French shape you need. The signal has to come from the French: noun after it, or
estafter it.
Exceptions
| Exception | What happens |
|---|---|
Structure 2 never takes est-ce que /ɛs kə/ | ❌ Quel est-ce que votre nom ? /kɛl ɛs kə votʁ nɔ̃/votre nom /votʁ nɔ̃/ is not a clause, it has no verb |
| It agrees with the noun after it, not with the subject | Quelle est votre adresse ? /kɛ.lɛ vɔtʁ a.dʁɛs/ — because adresse /a.dʁɛs/ is feminine |
| Structure 2 agrees too | Quel est ton nom ? /kɛl ɛ tɔ̃ nɔ̃/ Quelle est ta ville ? /kɛl ɛ ta vil/ |
quel âge /kɛl aʒ/ goes with avoir /a.vwaʁ/ | Quel âge as-tu ? /kɛ.lɑʒ a ty/ not Quel âge es-tu ? /kɛl aʒ ɛ.ty/ |
Examples
| English | French | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Which book are you reading? | Quel livre lis-tu ? | /kɛl livʁ li ty/ |
| Which books are you reading? | Quels livres lis-tu ? | /kɛl livʁ li ty/ |
| Which car do you want? | Quelle voiture veux-tu ? | /kɛl vwa.tyʁ vø ty/ |
| Which languages do you speak? | Quelles langues parles-tu ? | /kɛl lɑ̃ɡ paʁl ty/ |
| What is your name? | Quel est votre nom ? | /kɛ.lɛ vɔtʁ nɔ̃/ |
| What is your address? | Quelle est votre adresse ? | /kɛ.lɛ vɔtʁ a.dʁɛs/ |
| How old are you? | Quel âge as-tu ? | /kɛ.lɑʒ a ty/ |
| What's the weather like? | Quel temps fait-il ? | /kɛl tɑ̃ fɛ.t‿il/ |
Common mistakes
| ❌ | ✅ | Why |
|---|---|---|
Quel est-ce que votre nom ? | Quel est votre nom ? | votre nom is not a clause — est is already the verb |
Quel voiture veux-tu ? | Quelle voiture veux-tu ? | voiture is feminine |
Quel est votre adresse ? | Quelle est votre adresse ? | It agrees with adresse, not with votre |
Quel âge es-tu ? | Quel âge as-tu ? | Age goes with avoir |
Quel livres lis-tu ? | Quels livres lis-tu ? | It is plural |
Four ready-made phrases
learn structure 2 as phrases, not as a rule
| Pronunciation | ||
|---|---|---|
Quel est votre nom ? | What is your name? | /kɛ.lɛ vɔtʁ nɔ̃/ |
Quel est votre travail ? | What do you do? | /kɛl ɛ votʁ tʁa.vaj/ |
Quelle est votre adresse ? | What is your address? | /kɛ.lɛ vɔtʁ a.dʁɛs/ |
Quel âge avez-vous ? | How old are you? | /kɛ.l‿ɑʒ a.ve vu/ |
Those four will carry an entire introduction.
And the informal versions: Quel est ton nom ? · Quel est ton boulot ? — with ton instead of votre.
Watch Quel âge avez-vous ? in particular. English asks "how old are you" with an adjective and the verb "to be". French asks "what age do you have" — a noun and the verb avoir. Translating the English shape gives Comment vieux es-tu ?