Questions, prefixes, suffixes, prepositions (Edexcel GCSE French): Revision Notes

Questions, prefixes, suffixes, prepositions

This topic covers essential French grammar skills you'll need for your GCSE exam. You'll learn how to ask questions properly, modify words using prefixes and suffixes, and use prepositions correctly.

Asking yes/no questions

There are three main ways to turn a statement into a yes/no question in French:

Method 1: Raise your voice

Simply raise your voice at the end of a statement to make it sound like a question.

• Tu vas en ville? (Are you going to town?)

Method 2: Use est-ce que

Add est-ce que at the beginning of your statement.

• Est-ce que tu vas en ville? (Are you going to town?)

Method 3: Invert subject and verb

Swap the subject and verb around, connecting them with a hyphen.

• Vas-tu en ville? (Are you going to town?)

Question words

These words help you ask for specific information. Many can be followed by est-ce que to make them sound more natural.

French	English	Example
Qui?	Who?	Qui est-ce?
Quand?	When?	Quand arrives-tu?
Où?	Where?	Où habites-tu?
Comment?	How?	Comment ça va?
Combien de?	How many?	Combien de frères as-tu?
À quelle heure?	At what time?	À quelle heure pars-tu?
Pourquoi?	Why?	Pourquoi es-tu triste?
Que?/Quoi?	What?	Que fais-tu?
Depuis quand?	Since when?	Depuis quand étudies-tu?

Prefixes

You can create opposite meanings by adding im- or in- to some adjectives.

Original	With prefix	English
sécurité	insécurité	security → insecurity
possible	impossible	possible → impossible

Suffixes

Suffixes help you create new words from existing ones. Here are the main types you need to know:

Adding -ième (ordinal numbers)

Use this suffix to create ordinal numbers (first, second, third, etc.). When the number ends in -e, drop it before adding -ième.

Number	Ordinal	English
deux	deuxième	second
trois	troisième	third
quatre	quatrième	fourth
cinq	cinquième	fifth

Adding -able or -eable (adjectives)

Add this to verb stems to create adjectives showing possibility or capability.

Verb	Adjective	English
réutiliser	réutilisable	reusable
réussir	réusable	(able to) reuse

Adding -ation (nouns)

Transform verb stems into nouns representing actions or processes.

Verb	Noun	English
préparer	préparation	preparation

Adding -eur (person doing action)

Create nouns for people who perform specific actions.

Verb	Noun	English
chanter	chanteur	singer

Prepositions

Prepositions show relationships between words. Their usage depends on what follows them.

After verbs

Some verbs require specific prepositions. Learn these as set phrases:

• décider de (to decide to)
• réussir à (to succeed in)
• jouer à (to play - sports)
• jouer de (to play - instruments)

Showing possession

Use de to show ownership, similar to 's in English:

• C'est le stylo de ma mère. (It's my mother's pen.)
• C'est le livre de Manon. (It's Manon's book.)

With places

The preposition changes depending on whether the place is masculine or feminine:

Before infinitives

Use specific prepositions before infinitive verbs:

• Pour means "in order to":

  • pour sauver la planète (in order to save the planet)

• Sans means "without":

  • sans détruire les forêts (without destroying forests)

Practice exercises