Do you always need inversion for using que?
Que cherches-tu?
Que cherche Marie?
How do you add "elle" to this last one?
Is it: Que Marie cherche-t-elle?
With qui,
Qui cherche Marie? How do you know is it, who is looking for Marie or who is Marie looking for?
Thank you for using the Jiskha Homework Help Forum. Didn't we go over the 4 ways to ask a question?
1. the simplest is straight word order plus non? = Marie cherche un livre, non?
2. next easy way is straight word order plus n'est-ce pas? = Marie cherche un livre, n'est-ce pas?
3. then with Est-ce que = Est-ce que Marie cherche un livre?
4. the post "complicated" way (perhaps) but the most used is with inversion = Marie cherche-t-elle un livre?
Yes, your last question is good.
Mme
In French, the word "que" (which means "what" or "that") is often used in questions and frequently requires inversion. However, there are cases where inversion is not necessary.
1. Que cherches-tu? (What are you looking for?)
Here, inversion is used because the question is asking about what the subject (tu) is searching for.
2. Que cherche Marie? (What is Marie looking for?)
Similarly, inversion is used to ask about what Marie is looking for.
Now, let's see how to add "elle" in the second sentence.
"Que Marie cherche-t-elle?" is grammatically correct, but not commonly used in spoken French. More commonly, it is written as "Qu'est-ce que Marie cherche?"
Both variants are correct, it depends on the level of formality and personal preference.
With "qui," the situation is a bit different.
1. Qui cherche Marie? (Who is looking for Marie?)
In this sentence, there is no need for inversion because the question is asking about the subject (qui), which is already in the correct position.
To differentiate between "who is looking for Marie" and "who is Marie looking for," the context is crucial. The verb used after "qui" will show the action's direction.
For example:
- Qui cherche Marie? (Who is looking for Marie?)
Here, the person asking wants to know who is searching for Marie.
- Pour qui cherche Marie? (Who is Marie looking for?)
In this case, the preposition "pour" indicates that the question is asking about who Marie is looking for.
Remember, context plays a significant role in determining the intended meaning of a sentence.