What is the differences between Qu'aimes-tu and Qu'est-ce que aimes-tu?
Thank you for using the Jiskha Homework Help Forum. There are 4 ways to ask a question in French. They are all correct:
1. Qu'aimes-tu? (Inversion possibly the most common)
2. Qu'est-ce que tu aimes? (note, your word order was incorrect. This form is used because you still have straight word order = subject + verb
3. Tu aimes? (seems incomplete because there is no direct object here = straight word order plus question mark)
4. Tu aimes, non? (same as #3 = no direct object = straight word order + "non?")
Mme
when est-ce que is not used, you have to do inversion qu'aimes-tu? This inversion is not always so simple so to avoid it, plag in the est-ce que and continue with the usual ( basic)word order.
that was plug in
The main difference between "Qu'aimes-tu?" and "Qu'est-ce que tu aimes?" lies in the word order. Let's break down the two phrases:
1. "Qu'aimes-tu?": This is a simple question structure in French. It translates to "What do you like?" In this sentence, "qu'" is the contraction of "que," which means "what," and "tu" means "you." The verb "aimer" (to like) is placed after "qu'", and the subject pronoun "tu" is placed after the verb. This word order is commonly used in French interrogative sentences.
2. "Qu'est-ce que tu aimes?": This sentence follows a slightly different structure. It translates to "What is it that you like?" Here, "qu'" is the contraction of "que," "est-ce que" is a fixed phrase used to introduce a question in French, and "tu" means "you." The verb "aimer" is placed after "qu'est-ce que," followed by the subject pronoun "tu." This word order is also commonly used in French questions.
In terms of meaning, both phrases essentially ask the same question, "What do you like?" However, "Qu'est-ce que tu aimes?" may convey a bit more emphasis or clarification.