French · Greetings & Essentials

"Which?" in French: quel ? / quelle ?

quel ? / quelle ?

Say it: kellpronoun/kɛl/

Which in French is quel, agreeing with the noun: quel train, quelle robe, quels films, quelles chaussures. Before a vowel, quel stays quel: quel âge.

Train station

Quel train va à Lyon ?
Which train goes to Lyon?
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How to pronounce quel ? / quelle ?

Say it

kell

/kɛl/

Kell. Feminine quelle sounds the same; plurals add a light s in liaison sometimes.

"Which?" in French: quick reference

FrenchEnglish
quel ?which? (m. sg.)

Before masculine singular nouns.

quelle ?which? (f. sg.)

Before feminine singular nouns.

quels / quelles ?which? (plural)

Masculine / feminine plural.

lequel / laquellewhich one

Pronoun forms.

How to use quel ? / quelle ? in real life

  1. 1Train station

    Quel train va à Lyon ?

    Which train goes to Lyon?

    Quel + masculine noun.

  2. 2Choosing clothes

    Quelle veste tu mets ce soir ?

    Which jacket are you wearing tonight?

    Quelle + feminine.

  3. 3Streaming night

    Quels épisodes tu as déjà vus ?

    Which episodes have you already seen?

    Quels plural masculine.

Mistakes English speakers make with quel ? / quelle ?

Incorrect: Quelle train ?

Correct: Quel train ?

Train is masculine: quel.

Incorrect: Quel robe ?

Correct: Quelle robe ?

Robe is feminine: quelle.

Good to know

Agreement on quel/quelle is a classic learner hurdle. Native speakers still sometimes hesitate for a split second before a noun they rarely use.

Try it in a ChatPal conversation

Picking a dessert at a bakery

  1. ChatPal

    Quelle tarte tu veux ?

    Which tart do you want?

  2. You

    Quel choix tu me conseilles ?

    Which choice do you recommend?

  3. ChatPal

    La tarte au citron. Et toi, quelle boisson ?

    The lemon tart. And you—which drink?

  4. You

    Un thé, merci.

    A tea, thanks.

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"Which?" in other languages

FAQ

Common questions about "Which?" in French

How do you say which in French?

Quel / quelle (and plurals quels / quelles).

How do I choose the form?

Match the gender and number of the noun that follows.

What about which one?

Lequel, laquelle, lesquels, lesquelles.

How do you pronounce quel?

Kell—same for quelle in isolation.

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