. (ein_suender) wrote in linguaphiles,
.
ein_suender
linguaphiles

Est-que

In addition to watching French in Action, I've also started the 16-lesson level Pimsleur CDs.

I have one question about the CDs. On the first lesson, they say "Vous êtes américain." to mean "You are an American." Then they say "Je suis américain." to mean "I am American."

I understand that much. The thing I don't understand is when it is reversed, and turned into a question:

"Est-que vous êtes américain?"

However, the way I've been learning it up till now is that to ask a question like that, you could just say:

"Vous êtes américain?" (leaving off the "Est-que.")

Are both of these correct? And can you use "Est-que" to turn any statement into a question, like that?
Subscribe

  • Interpretation of the Legend

    (inscriptions on the Kushan Kingdom coins / надписи на монетах Кушанского царства)

  • Spanish query

    I would be most grateful if anyone could help me out with a Spanish idiom, an expression appearing in a discussion of torture from the late 18th…

  • A very strange Etruscan inscription

    Chiusi is a small town in Italy (province of Siena, Tuscany). And once it was one of the most powerful centers of the Etruscan League of 12 cities.…

  • Post a new comment

    Error

    Anonymous comments are disabled in this journal

    default userpic

    Your reply will be screened

    Your IP address will be recorded 

  • 29 comments

  • Interpretation of the Legend

    (inscriptions on the Kushan Kingdom coins / надписи на монетах Кушанского царства)

  • Spanish query

    I would be most grateful if anyone could help me out with a Spanish idiom, an expression appearing in a discussion of torture from the late 18th…

  • A very strange Etruscan inscription

    Chiusi is a small town in Italy (province of Siena, Tuscany). And once it was one of the most powerful centers of the Etruscan League of 12 cities.…