quel
/kɛl/masculine
The French word for 'which' is quel. Wiktionary also lists quelle and quelles.
Meaning: (interrogative) what, of those mentioned or implied (det)
Ways to say it
| French | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| quel | /kɛl/ | masculine |
| quelle | /kɛl/ | feminine |
| quelles | /kɛl/ /kɛl.z‿/ |
feminine, plural |
This word is used as an interrogative to ask 'what' or 'which' of those mentioned or implied. In French, unlike in English, quel is used to ask 'what' when it is followed by a noun, such as in the phrase Quel livre ? for 'Which book?' or 'What book?'
Which one should you use?
The available forms are quel (masculine), quelle (feminine) and quelles (feminine plural).
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The form of the word must agree in gender and number with the noun it modifies. The masculine plural form of the interrogative adjective is quels.
How do you pronounce it?
/kɛl/
Did you know?
- The word quel is a homophone of several other French words, including qu'elle (that she) and qu'elles (that they).
- The Latin root quālis also evolved into the English word 'quality'. Both words originally describe the nature or kind of a thing.
- In French, you can use quel to express strong emotion or exclamation, such as in Quelle surprise ! for 'What a surprise!'
Examples in context
- À quel étage ?Which floor?This example shows how to use quel to ask about a floor.Tatoeba #9552566 by Micsmithel, translation #13264435 by rul
- Dans quelle rue ?In which street?This example shows how to use quel to ask about a street.Tatoeba #1158566 by sacredceltic, translation #1364167 by sacredceltic
- Quel étage est-ce ?Which floor is it?This example shows how to use quel to ask which floor it is.Tatoeba #5645653 by narnar, translation #687700 by lukaszpp
- Le livre sur lequel tu travailles est intéressant.The book on which you are working is interesting.
- L'opinion à laquelle j'adhère est bien argumentée.The opinion to which I adhere is well-argued.
- Les pays dans lesquels j'ai voyagé étaient magnifiques.The countries in which I traveled were beautiful.
- C'est quoi ton livre préféré ?Which is your favorite book?
- Quel film as-tu vu récemment ?Which film have you seen recently?
- La maison dans laquelle j'habite est ancienne.The house in which I live is old.
- 489 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Nathan and Manon are looking at a menu in a cafe.
- NathanQuel dessert préfères-tu, Manon ?Which dessert do you prefer, Manon?
- ManonJe ne sais pas encore.I don't know yet.
- NathanLe gâteau au chocolat est excellent.The chocolate cake is excellent.
- ManonD'accord, je vais prendre celui-là.Okay, I will take that one.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “which” translations and entries quel, quelle, quelles, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries quel, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
