"Quelle est..."

Sanchita S.A1Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor

"Quelle est..."

Hi,

I was doing a Kwiziq quiz and came across this question: "How could you ask "What is a fougasse?"

One of the answers I selected was: "Quelle est une fougasse ?"

Can someone explain why this isn't correct?

Asked 2 years ago
Chris W.C1 Kwiziq Q&A super contributor Correct answer

Quelle is the wrong question word as quelle always requires a noun:

Quelle fougasse tu as mangée? -- Which focaccia did you eat?

If you want to know what a fougasse is, you use one of the methods outlined in the lesson, for example:

Qu'est-ce qu'une fougasse? -- What is a focaccia?

Sanchita S.A1Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor

Thank you for the great explanation Chris!

Sanchita S.A1Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor

Actually, I had one follow up question.

When I took French classes in school, my teacher would always ask "Quelle est la date?"

Do you mind explaining why that question is correct but not in other contexts?

Donovan J.B2Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor

In the case of "Quelle est la date?"  you're really asking "which date is it?" ... because you're selecting among known things (days of the year), not really asking WHAT a date is, if that makes sense.

"Quelle est..."

Hi,

I was doing a Kwiziq quiz and came across this question: "How could you ask "What is a fougasse?"

One of the answers I selected was: "Quelle est une fougasse ?"

Can someone explain why this isn't correct?

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