quelle
/kɛl/
quelle is the French word for "what" or "which".
The word quelle is used to ask "what" or "which" in English.
Which one should you use?
Use quelle instead of quel when the noun being questioned is feminine (e.g., quelle heure vs quel âge).
How does it change in a sentence?
The form quels is the masculine plural version of the interrogative adjective, used to match masculine plural nouns. The form quelles is the feminine plural version of the interrogative adjective, used to match feminine plural nouns.
How do you pronounce it?
/kɛl/
Did you know?
- While quelle usually asks a question, it is often used as an exclamation to express shock or admiration, such as Quelle horreur! meaning 'What a horror!'
- In some regional dialects or very informal speech, Quelle gueule ! is used to describe someone with a striking or ugly face, moving far beyond its literal meaning of 'what'.
- In casual spoken French, speakers often drop the inversion or the word est-ce que and simply say Quelle heure il est?, which breaks the formal grammar rules taught in textbooks.
Examples in context
- Quelle est votre profession?What is your profession?
- Quelle est votre nationalité?What is your nationality?
- Quelle est votre couleur préférée?What is your favorite color?
- Quelle est la meilleure option selon vous?Which is the best option according to you?
- Quelle voiture allez-vous choisir?Which car are you going to choose?
- Quelle est ta chanson préférée?What is your favorite song?
- Quels sont tes sports préférés?What are your favorite sports?
- Quelle est ta série télévisée préférée?What is your favorite television series?
- Quelle est la capitale de la France?What is the capital of France?
- Quel livre me recommandes-tu?Which book do you recommend?
- Quelle heure est-il ?What time is it?
- Quelle décision as-tu prise ?Which decision did you make?
Example conversation
Lucas and Léa are looking at a menu in a cafe.
- LucasQuelle est la spécialité ici ?What is the specialty here?
- LéaLe plat du jour est excellent.The daily dish is excellent.
- LucasQuelle est la composition de ce plat ?What is the composition of this dish?
- LéaC'est du poulet avec des légumes.It is chicken with vegetables.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry quelle, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
