Quel is an interrogative adjective used in questions to mean ‘which’ or ‘that’. It has to agree with the noun that it precedes, and the different forms are as follows:
masculine singular – quel
masculine plural – quels
feminine singular – quelle
feminine plural – quelles
Here are some examples of questions using quel:
Quelle heure est-il? – What time is it?
Il est dix heures vingt. – It’s ten twenty.
Quel temps fait-il? – What’s the weather like?
Il fait du soleil mais il fait froid. – It’s sunny but cold.
Quel âge avez-vous? – How old are you?
J’ai trente-cinq ans.
Quels fruits aimez-vous? – Which fruits do you like?
J’aime les fraises et les framboises. – I like strawberries and raspberries.
Ils prennent quel train? – Which train are they taking?
Ils prennent le prochain train. – They’re taking the next train.
Quel can also be used in indirect questions, as follows:
Elle m’a demandé quel film j’avais vu. – She asked me which film I’d seen.
Je voulais savoir quels pays il avait visités. – I wanted to know which countries he had visited.
Tu sais quelle robe j’ai achetée. – You know which dress I bought.
Quel can also be used to mean ‘what a…’
Quel dommage! – What a pity!
Quelle belle dame! – What a beautiful lady!
With thanks to Elizabeth Allen
