How do you best translate questions that would in English begin with "How...?"

The use of "How" in English questions can be used to cover a wide variety of different meanings, often directly questioning adjectives and adverbs - for example, "How small?" or "How quickly?". However, in French there is no exact equivalent word and so you must adapt according to the context of the question. It is possible to use “Comment” or “Combien” with questions such as “How are you?” (“Comment ça va?”) or “How many dogs do you have?” (“Combien de chiens avez-vous?”), however these do not work in all situations – for example, it is impossible to ask, “Comment petite est la maison?”. Instead, there are alternative and grammatically sound phrases that can be used:
De quelle taille est la maison ? How big/small is the house
Est-ce souvent que vous venez ici ?How frequently do you come here
Dans quelle mesure considérez-vous que Baudelaire est un poète doué ? How talented a poet do you consider Baudelaire to be ?

Answered by Katherine F. French tutor

2194 Views

See similar French A Level tutors

Related French A Level answers

All answers ▸

When should there be verb agreement?


When do I agree the past participle when using the passé composé?


which verbal tense is used to express an order in French?


What is the Preceding Direct Object rule?


We're here to help

contact us iconContact usWhatsapp logoMessage us on Whatsapptelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

© MyTutorWeb Ltd 2013–2025

Terms & Conditions|Privacy Policy
Cookie Preferences