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Interrogative Adjectives: quel, quelle, quels, quelles

FoundationHigherAQA

Revise Interrogative Adjectives: quel, quelle, quels, quelles for GCSE French with this free worksheet and full mark scheme — Foundation and Higher exam-style practice with worked answers for AQA GCSE French (8652). Quel means which or what and agrees with the noun that follows it.

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These worksheets and mark schemes are original, written for Virtus Academy and checked against the current AQA specification. Every worksheet comes with a full mark scheme.

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Topic overview

Interrogative adjectives mean which or what, and they come directly before a noun, agreeing with it in gender and number.

There are four forms: quel for masculine singular, quelle for feminine singular, quels for masculine plural, and quelles for feminine plural. All four are pronounced identically, so the spelling must be learned from the noun.

They appear in questions — quel âge as-tu? quelle heure est-il? — and in exclamations, where English uses what a: quelle surprise! means what a surprise, with no word for a. Quel can also be separated from its noun by être: quelle est ton adresse? means what is your address?

Revision notes

The four forms

Quel: masculine singular. Quelle: feminine singular. Quels: masculine plural. Quelles: feminine plural.

All four sound identical, so the spelling depends entirely on the noun. Quel âge, quelle heure, quels livres, quelles couleurs.

In questions

Quel âge as-tu? Quelle heure est-il? Quels sports aimes-tu?

The adjective comes directly before the noun and agrees with it. It can also be separated by être: quelle est ton adresse?

In exclamations

Quelle surprise! means what a surprise.

Note that French uses no word for a here — quelle une surprise would be wrong. Quel dommage! means what a shame. This structure appears frequently in speaking and writing tasks.

Key points

  • Interrogative adjectives mean which or what.
  • They agree with the noun in gender and number.
  • All four forms sound identical.
  • Quel âge as-tu is a set question.
  • They are used in exclamations.
  • No word for a is used in exclamations.

Worked examples

Example 1

Complete the question: ___ heure est-il? [2 marks]

Working

Quelle heure est-il?use the feminine singular form
Quelle is used because heure is feminineexplain the agreement

Example 2

Translate: what a surprise! [2 marks]

Working

Quelle surprise!use the feminine form with the noun
No word for a is used in French exclamationsexplain the omission

Example 3

Complete: ___ sports aimes-tu? [2 marks]

Working

Quels sports aimes-tu?use the masculine plural form
Quels is used because sports is masculine pluralexplain the agreement

Common mistakes

  • Not agreeing with the noun.

    The form must match the noun's gender and number.

  • Adding a word for a in exclamations.

    Quelle surprise, not quelle une surprise.

  • Choosing by sound.

    All four sound the same — the noun decides the spelling.

  • Confusing quel with qu'est-ce que.

    Quel goes before a noun; qu'est-ce que introduces a clause.

Exam tips

  • Let the noun decide the spelling.
  • Remember all four forms sound alike.
  • Omit any word for a in exclamations.
  • Learn quel âge as-tu as a set phrase.

Key terms

Interrogative adjective
A word meaning which or what before a noun.
Agreement
Matching the noun's gender and number.
Exclamation
A structure such as quelle surprise, with no article.
Set phrase
A fixed expression such as quel âge as-tu.

Related topics

Written and reviewed against the current AQA specification. Spotted an error? Let us know.