Guide to Interrogative Pronouns – TOEIC® Preparation

In English, interrogative pronouns (also called wh-words or question words) are essential linguistic tools for forming questions. They are used to precisely identify the subject, object, reason, location, or method related to the information being sought.

The majority of these interrogative pronouns begin with the letters "wh-" (with the notable exception of How). Their main function is to obtain specific information concerning:

the identity of a person (Who, Whom, Whose),
an item or object (What, Which),
the reason for an action (Why),
a location (Where),
a point in time (When),
a process or method (How).

These words introduce either a direct question (Who is calling?) or an indirect question (I wonder who is calling).

1. Who - « Qui » (Who)

The pronoun who is used to ask about the identity of the person performing the action (in other words, the grammatical subject).

Who is at the door? (Qui est à la porte ?)
Who wants to join me for lunch? (Qui souhaite m'accompagner pour déjeuner ?)
Who called you last night? (Qui t'a contacté hier soir ?)

2. Whom - « Qui » or « à qui » (formal register)

Whom is the object form of Who. In contemporary English, its use is mainly limited to formal contexts or when it follows a preposition (to whom, for whom, with whom). In spoken language and in everyday register, Who generally replaces Whom.

Whom did you see at the party? (Qui as-tu aperçu à la fête ?)
To whom should I address this letter? (À qui dois-je adresser ce courrier ?)
With whom are you going? (Avec qui pars-tu ?)

3. Whose - « À qui » / « De qui » (Whose)

Whose is used to ask about the ownership of an item. It is the appropriate term when seeking to know the owner of an object, an animal, or any possession.

Whose book is this? (À qui appartient ce livre ?)
Whose keys are on the table? (De qui sont ces clés posées sur la table ?)
Do you know whose car is blocking the driveway? (Connais-tu le propriétaire de la voiture qui obstrue l'entrée ?)

Whom or whose?

Whom ("qui") is used in a formal register to designate the person receiving the action or following a preposition (to whom, for whom, with whom). If you can substitute it with him/her, it is likely whom.

Whom did you see at the party? (Qui as-tu rencontré à la soirée ?)
To whom should I speak? (À qui devrais-je m'adresser ?)

Whose ("À qui" / "De qui") is used to ask about the possession of an item. It expresses a relationship of ownership. If you can rephrase it with his/her/their, use whose.

Whose book is this? (De qui est cet ouvrage ?)
Do you know whose car is blocking the driveway? (Connais-tu le propriétaire du véhicule qui bloque le passage ?)

4. Which - « Lequel / Laquelle / Lesquels / Lesquelles » (Which)

The pronoun which allows for a selection among a set of identified options. It is used when there is a limited number of clearly defined possibilities.

Which color do you prefer: red or blue? (Quelle teinte préfères-tu : rouge ou bleu ?)
Which seat would you like, front or back? (Quelle place souhaites-tu, à l'avant ou à l'arrière ?)
Which of these candidates is the most qualified? (Lequel parmi ces postulants possède les meilleures qualifications ?)

5. What - « Quoi / Que » (What)

What is used to form questions aimed at identifying the nature of an item or gathering general information.

What are you doing? (Que fais-tu ?)
What is your name? (Quel est ton nom ?)
What kind of music do you like? (Quel genre musical apprécies-tu ?)
What happened yesterday? (Qu'est-il arrivé hier ?)

What can sometimes be close to which in certain questions (What movie do you want to watch? vs. Which movie do you want to watch?) but, generally, what remains more open when the options are not predefined.

6. Why - « Pourquoi » (Why)

This pronoun is used to ask about the reason or origin of an action or a phenomenon.

Why are you late? (Pour quelle raison es-tu en retard ?)
Why did they cancel the meeting? (Pourquoi ont-ils reporté la réunion ?)
Why is the sky blue? (Pour quelle raison le ciel est-il bleu ?)

7. Where - « Où » (Where)

Used to ask about the location or position of an item.

Where do you live? (Où résides-tu ?)
Where is the station? (Où se situe la gare ?)
Where did you put my keys? (Où as-tu placé mes clés ?)

8. When - « Quand » (When)

Used to ask about the point in time, date, time, or period.

When is your birthday? (Quelle est la date de ton anniversaire ?)
When does the train leave? (À quelle heure le train part-il ?)
When are we meeting? (Quand avons-nous rendez-vous ?)

9. How - « Comment » (How)

Used to ask about the process by which something is done or the method to follow.

How do you make this cake? (Comment prépares-tu ce gâteau ?)
How did you get here? (Comment es-tu parvenu(e) jusqu'ici ?)
How can I solve this problem? (Comment résoudre cette difficulté ?)

How frequently combines with other terms to obtain additional precision:

How many (combien de, for countable nouns)
- How many books do you have? (Combien de livres possèdes-tu ?)
How much (combien de, for uncountable nouns or to refer to a price, a duration)
- How much money do you need? (De quel montant as-tu besoin ?)
How often (quelle fréquence)
- How often do you exercise? (Quelle est ta fréquence d'entraînement ?)
How long (quelle durée)
- How long have you been studying English? (Depuis combien de temps étudies-tu l'anglais ?)
How far (quelle distance)
- How far is the airport from here? (À quelle distance se trouve l'aéroport d'ici ?)

Conclusion

Interrogative pronouns are indispensable elements for formulating precise questions in English. They allow you to ask about who, where, what, why, when, and how regarding a given subject, or to express a quantitative, temporal, or possessive nuance.

Who: to identify the subject of an action.
Whom: to identify the object (formal usage).
Whose: to determine possession (whose is it?).
Which: to make a choice among limited options.
What: to ask about an element or a general notion.
Why: to question the cause or reason.
Where: to determine location.
When: to specify the point in time.
How: to ask about the method, and its variations for quantity, frequency, duration, etc.

Other Pronoun Lessons

Ready to take action?

Every interrogative pronoun you have just discovered here, FlowExam helps you turn into concrete points on the TOEIC®, thanks to an intelligent method focused on your real weaknesses. Knowing the wh-words is a start. Knowing how to identify them instantly in parts 5, 6, and 7 of the TOEIC® and understanding their grammatical function without hesitation—that's another story. FlowExam analyzes you, corrects you, and guides you toward the most profitable areas for improvement. Your training becomes targeted, strategic, and effective.

Some superpowers of the FlowExam platform:

150 exclusive tips based on the experience of over 200 candidates who scored over 950 on the TOEIC®: clear, concrete, tested, and validated in the field.
Automatic analysis of your most penalizing errors so you can practice where you lose the most points, without wasting energy.
Intelligent training system that adapts exercises to your profile and makes you progress faster, without going in circles.
Automatically generated flashcards based on your own mistakes, optimized by the J method (spaced repetition) for lasting memorization and zero forgetting.
Personalized learning path, built from your results, to save you time and take you directly toward quick +X points.