Using quel in French

Read more about how to use Using quel in French.
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Using quel

Quel (which, what) can be followed by a noun.

How old are you? (Literally “Which age have you?”)

What time is it?

Quel can be followed by the verb être.

What is your telephone number?

What is your size?

In both cases, quel agrees in gender and number with the noun it modifies.
Singular Quel jour tu viens ? (Which day are you coming on?)
Quelle est votre adresse ? (What is your address?)
PluralQuels plats tu aimes ? (Which dishes do you like?)Quelles chansons tu connais ? (What songs do you know?)

Note: Quel is also used in exclamatory constructions.

How brave! (Literally “What courage!”)

What a magnificent city!

Exercise 1

Complete these sentences with the correct form of quel.

est ta couleur préférée ? 

âge as-tu ? 

sont tes desserts préférés ?


Complete these sentences with the correct form of quel.

quelle 1 est ta couleur préférée ? 

quel 2 âge as-tu ? 

quels 3 sont tes desserts préférés ?

1 quelle :

Quelle est ta couleur préférée ? (What is your favorite color?), with quelle QUEL ADJECTIF in the feminine singular to agree with la couleur. Note that quel/quelle can be followed either by the verb être or by a noun. Example: Quelle heure est-il ? (What time is it?).

1 quel :

Quel is used for masculine nouns. Couleur is feminine, as you can tell from the extra -e at the end of préférée. Example: Quel est ton nom ? (What is your name?).

1 quelles :

Quelles is used for feminine plural nouns. Couleur is feminine singular. Example: Quelles maisons sont à vendre ? (Which houses are for sale?).

2 quel :

Quel âge as-tu ? (How old are you?, literally “Which age have you?”). We use quel to ask about a masculine singular noun like âge (age). Example: - Quel jour pars-tu en vacances  ? - Le 14 juillet (-What day are you going on vacation? -14 July).

2 quelle :

We use quelle with a feminine singular noun, not a masculine one like âge. Unlucky, Victor! Example: - Quelle heure est-il ? - 11 heures (-What time is it? -11 o'clock).

2 quels :

Quels is used for masculine plural nouns. Here, âge is in its masculine singular form. Example: Quels plats sais-tu cuisiner ? (What dishes do you know how to cook?).

3 quels :

Quels sont tes desserts préférés ? (What are your favorite desserts?). We use quels to ask about a masculine plural noun like desserts. Note that French often uses quel (literally “which”) where English would use “what”. Example: Quels sont les plus beaux endroits du monde ? (What are the most beautiful places in the world?).

3 quelle :

We use quelle with a feminine singular noun, not a masculine plural one like desserts. Example: - Quelle est ta date de naissance ? - Le 10 février 2000 (-What is your date of birth? - 10 February 2000).

3 quel :

We use quel with a masculine singular noun, not a masculine plural one like desserts. Example: - Quel jour on est ? - Vendredi (-What day is it? -Friday).

Exercise 2
Choose the correct form of quel and make these questions sound pretty!

  est ta date de naissance ? 

est le prix de cette voiture ? 

films aimez-vous regarder ?


Choose the correct form of quel and make these questions sound pretty!

 Quelle 1 est ta date de naissance ? 

Quel 2 est le prix de cette voiture ? 

Quels 3 films aimez-vous regarder ?

1 Quelle :

Quelle est ta date de naissance ? (What is your date of birth?), with quelle QUEL ADJECTIF in the feminine singular to agree with date. Note that quel/quelle can be followed either by the verb être or by a noun. Example: - Quelle robe tu vas mettre ? - La noire (-Which dress are you going to wear? -The black one).

1 Quel  :

Quel is used with masculine nouns. Date is a feminine noun, as you can tell by the use of ta before it. Example: Quel livre tu me conseilles ? (Which book do you recommend?).

1 Quels :

Quels is used with masculine plural nouns. Date is feminine singular, as you can tell by the use of ta before it. Example: Quels sont ses acteurs préférés ? (Which are his favorite actors?).

2 Quel :

Quel est le prix de cette voiture ? (What is the price of this car?). Le prix (the price) is masculine singular (as the use of le indicates), so we write quel. Note that French often uses quel (literally “which”) where English would use “what”. Example: - Quel est ton prénom ? - Victor (-What's your name? -Victor).

2 Quelle :

This isn't correct French. As prix (price) is a masculine noun (you can tell because it has le before it), we must use quel, and not quelle, used with a feminine noun. Example: Quelle langue parle-t-elle ? (What language does she speak?).

2 Quels :

Quels is used with masculine plural nouns. Le prix (the price) is masculine singular.

3 Quels :

Quels films aimez-vous regarder ? (What movies do you like to watch?). We use quels before a masculine plural noun like films. Example: Quels chanteurs elle aime ? (Which singers does she like?).

3 Quelles :

Quelles is used with feminine plural nouns. Films is masculine plural. Example: Quelles chaussures tu mets pour la soirée ? (Which shoes are you wearing for the party?).

3 Quel :

Quel is used with masculine singular nouns. Films has a big, fat s on the end of it, therefore, we need to say quels! Example: Tu viens me voir quel jour ? (What day are you coming to see me?).

Exercise 3

Complete the following sentences with the correct form of quel. Click on “Help me” if you need a hand.

est ta nationalité ?
est ton numéro de téléphone ?
♀♀ sont vos actrices préférées ?

♂♂ plats vous aimez ?

Quelle est ta nationalité ?
Quel est ton numéro de téléphone ?
♀♀Quelles sont vos actrices préférées ?

♂♂Quels plats vous aimez ?

Help me
Test yourself

Complete the following sentences with the correct form of quel. Click on “Help me” if you need a hand.

Quelle 1 est ta nationalité ?
Quel 2 est ton numéro de téléphone ?
♀♀Quelles 3 sont vos actrices préférées ?

♂♂Quels 4 plats vous aimez ?

1 Quelle :

Quelle est ta nationalité ? (What is your nationality?), with quelle QUEL ADJECTIF in the feminine singular to agree with la nationalité. Note that French often uses quel (literally “which”) where English would use “what”. Example: Tu arrives à quelle heure ? (What time are you arriving?).

2 Quel :

Quel est ton numéro de téléphone ? (What is your telephone number?), with quel in the masculine singular to agree with un numéro de téléphone. Note that quel/quelle can be followed either by the verb être or by a noun. Example: Quel âge as-tu ? (How old are you?, literally “Which age have you?”).

3 Quelles :

Quelles sont vos actrices préférées ? (Which are your favorite actresses?). We use quelles to ask about a feminine plural noun like les actrices. Example: Quelles villes tu connais en France ? (Which French towns do you know?).

4 Quels :

Quels plats vous aimez ? (Which dishes do you like?). We use quels to ask about a masculine plural noun like plats (dishes). Example: Ton frère pratique quels loisirs ? (What are your brother's hobbies?).


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