Fiche à imprimer : Who are you talking to? Les prépositions en fin de question

En français, la préposition se place au début de la question : « À qui parles-tu ? ». En anglais courant, elle se place à la fin.

Français	Anglais
À qui parles-tu ?	Who are you talking to?
Que cherches-tu ?	What are you looking for?
D'où viens-tu ?	Where are you from?
À quoi penses-tu ?	What are you thinking about?
Avec qui vis-tu ?	Who do you live with?
De quoi as-tu peur ?	What are you afraid of?
À quoi ça sert ?	What is it for?
Pour qui travailles-tu ?	Who do you work for?

Dans les relatives aussi

This is the girl I told you about. / That's the house I grew up in.

Voici la fille dont je t'ai parlé. / C'est la maison dans laquelle j'ai grandi.

Le style soutenu

À l'écrit très formel, on peut placer la préposition au début, mais il faut alors utiliser whom ou which : To whom are you speaking? / the house in which I grew up. À l'oral, c'est rare.

Avec un verbe à particule (look after, give up), la particule reste toujours avec le verbe : Who are you looking after?

Mise en situation : une nouvelle rencontre

Amy : Hi! Where are you from?

Salut ! D'où viens-tu ?

Lucas : I'm from Lyon. I'm here for a language course. Who do you live with?

Je viens de Lyon. Je suis là pour un séjour linguistique. Avec qui vis-tu ?

Amy : With my parents and my sister. Oh, what are you looking for?

Avec mes parents et ma sœur. Oh, qu'est-ce que tu cherches ?

Lucas : The library. My teacher told me about a great one near here.

La bibliothèque. Mon prof m'a parlé d'une super bibliothèque près d'ici.

Amy : That's the one I go to! Come with me.

C'est celle où je vais ! Viens avec moi.

À retenir

La préposition va en fin de question : Who are you talking to?
Where are you from? What are you looking for? What is it for?
Aussi dans les relatives : the girl I told you about.
Style soutenu : To whom...? / in which...

Exercice 1 : Prépositions en fin de question : exercice 1 (QCM)

« À qui parles-tu ? »
1. Who are you talking?
2. Who are you talking to?
3. To who are you talking?
« D'où viens-tu ? »
1. Where are you from?
2. From where you are?
3. Where do you come of?
« Que cherches-tu ? »
1. What are you looking?
2. What are you looking for?
3. For what you are looking?
« À quoi ça sert ? »
1. For what is it?
2. What does it serve?
3. What is it for?
« Avec qui vis-tu ? »
1. With who you live?
2. Who do you live?
3. Who do you live with?
« De quoi as-tu peur ? »
1. What are you afraid of?
2. What are you afraid?
3. Of what are you afraid?
« la fille dont je t'ai parlé »
1. the girl of which I told you
2. the girl I told you about
3. the girl I told you
« À quoi penses-tu ? »
1. About what you think?
2. What do you think at?
3. What are you thinking about?
« C'est la ville dans laquelle je suis né. »
1. That's the town I was born in.
2. That's the town where in I was born.
3. That's the town I was born.
Version très formelle de « Who are you speaking to? » :
1. To who are you speaking to?
2. Whom are you speaking?
3. To whom are you speaking?

Exercice 2 : Prépositions en fin de question : exercice 2 (à compléter)

Who are you talking .......................... ?
Where are you .......................... ?
What are you looking .......................... ?
What are you afraid .......................... ?
Who do you live .......................... ?
What is this tool .......................... ? (à quoi sert)
What are you thinking .......................... ?
This is the boy I told you .......................... .
What are you listening .......................... ?
Who are you waiting .......................... ?

Exercice 3 : Prépositions en fin de question : mise en situation

Tu demandes à un nouvel élève d'où il vient.
1. Where are you from?
2. Where do you come of?
3. From where are you?
Ton ami chuchote au téléphone : tu demandes à qui il parle.
1. Who are you talking?
2. To who are you talking?
3. Who are you talking to?
Ta sœur fouille dans le placard : tu demandes ce qu'elle cherche.
1. What are you looking?
2. For what you look?
3. What are you looking for?
Tu demandes à quoi sert cet objet.
1. What does it serve to?
2. What is it for?
3. For what is it?
Tu demandes à ton correspondant avec qui il vit.
1. With who do you live with?
2. Who do you live with?
3. With whom you live?
Tu demandes à ton ami de quoi il a peur.
1. Of what are you afraid of?
2. What are you afraid of?
3. What are you afraid?
Tu présentes le garçon dont tu as parlé.
1. This is the boy I told you about.
2. This is the boy I told you.
3. This is the boy of whom I told you about.
Ton ami est rêveur : tu demandes à quoi il pense.
1. About what are you thinking about?
2. What are you thinking about?
3. What do you think at?
Tu demandes qui ton ami attend.
1. Who are you waiting?
2. For who are you waiting?
3. Who are you waiting for?
Tu montres la maison où tu as grandi.
1. That's the house in where I grew up.
2. That's the house I grew up.
3. That's the house I grew up in.

Corrigé

Exercice 1

1. b) Who are you talking to? · 2. a) Where are you from? · 3. b) What are you looking for? · 4. c) What is it for? · 5. c) Who do you live with? · 6. a) What are you afraid of? · 7. b) the girl I told you about · 8. c) What are you thinking about? · 9. a) That's the town I was born in. · 10. c) To whom are you speaking?

Exercice 2

1. to · 2. from · 3. for · 4. of · 5. with · 6. for · 7. about · 8. about · 9. to · 10. for

Exercice 3

1. a) Where are you from? · 2. c) Who are you talking to? · 3. c) What are you looking for? · 4. b) What is it for? · 5. b) Who do you live with? · 6. b) What are you afraid of? · 7. a) This is the boy I told you about. · 8. b) What are you thinking about? · 9. c) Who are you waiting for? · 10. c) That's the house I grew up in.