Subject-verb inversion — cases and register

Subject-verb inversion — cases and register means “Subject-verb inversion in formal questions, reported speech and after certain head adverbs”. French inverts subject and verb in several formal contexts: questions (Viendra-t-il . Formation: Verbe-t-il ? / dit-il / Peut-être + verbe-sujet

Subject-verb inversion in formal questions, reported speech and after certain head adverbs

C1

Formation

Verbe-t-il ? / dit-il / Peut-être + verbe-sujet

Explanation

French inverts subject and verb in several formal contexts: questions (Viendra-t-il ?), reporting clauses after quoted speech (dit-il, répondit-elle), after sentence-initial adverbs such as peut-être, sans doute, ainsi, à peine, aussi (= therefore), and in some literary subordinates. With a noun subject a euphonic pronoun is added (Pierre viendra-t-il ?). The tone is elevated; everyday speech avoids it.

Examples

Peut-être viendra-t-il demain.
Perhaps he will come tomorrow.
« Je ne sais pas », répondit-elle doucement.
"I don't know," she answered softly.

FAQ

Subject-verb inversion — cases and register — what does it mean and how is it used?

Subject-verb inversion in formal questions, reported speech and after certain head adverbs. French inverts subject and verb in several formal contexts: questions (Viendra-t-il ?), reporting clauses after quoted speech (dit-il, répondit-elle), after sentence-initial adverbs such as peut-être, sans doute, ainsi, à peine, aussi (= therefore), and in some literary subordinates. With a noun subject a euphonic pronoun is added (Pierre viendra-t-il ?). The tone is elevated; everyday speech avoids it.

Subject-verb inversion — cases and register — how do you form it?

Verbe-t-il ? / dit-il / Peut-être + verbe-sujet

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