This list includes 45 French words that start with Q, from “quadruple” to “quêter”. Many are common nouns, verbs, and adjectives that begin with the consonant cluster “qu-“. They are useful for learners, teachers, translators, and vocabulary builders.
French words that start with Q are standard lemmas beginning with the letter Q, usually appearing as nouns, verbs, or adjectives. Notably, most begin with “qu-” and include high-frequency items like “question” and “quatre”.
Below you’ll find the table with the columns ‘Word’, ‘Part of speech’, ‘English translation’, and ‘Example sentence’.
Word: The base French lemma listed so you can learn spelling, search entries, and practise recognition.
Part of speech: Shows whether the entry is a noun, verb, adjective, or other, helping you use the word correctly.
English translation: A concise one-to-four-word equivalent that helps you understand meaning and translate quickly.
Example sentence: A short natural French sentence showing the word in context so you can see usage and form.
French words that start with Q
| Word | POS | English translation | Frequency per million |
|---|---|---|---|
| que | conjunction | that/what | 36,000.00 |
| qui | pronoun | who/that | 20,000.00 |
| quoi | pronoun | what | 2,500.00 |
| quand | adverb | when | 3,500.00 |
| quel | determiner | which/what | 2,800.00 |
| quelque | determiner | some/about | 4,000.00 |
| quelqu’un | pronoun | someone | 1,200.00 |
| quelque chose | phrase | something | 1,800.00 |
| quelquefois | adverb | sometimes | 400.00 |
| quand même | phrase | anyway/still | 1,000.00 |
| quartier | noun | neighborhood | 250.00 |
| quatre | determiner | four | 1,100.00 |
| quinze | determiner | fifteen | 150.00 |
| quarante | determiner | forty | 200.00 |
| quart | noun | quarter | 180.00 |
| quatrième | adjective | fourth | 300.00 |
| qualité | noun | quality | 400.00 |
| quantité | noun | quantity | 250.00 |
| quant à | phrase | as for | 600.00 |
| quoique | conjunction | although | 500.00 |
| quotidien | adjective | daily | 300.00 |
| quotidiennement | adverb | daily | 60.00 |
| quitter | verb | to leave | 200.00 |
| question | noun | question | 350.00 |
| questionner | verb | to question/interview | 30.00 |
| questionnaire | noun | questionnaire | 40.00 |
| quai | noun | platform/wharf | 180.00 |
| queue | noun | line/tail | 500.00 |
| quasi | adverb | almost | 120.00 |
| quiche | noun | quiche | 40.00 |
| quincaillerie | noun | hardware store | 15.00 |
| quinzaine | noun | about two weeks/fifteen | 40.00 |
| quota | noun | quota | 60.00 |
| quelconque | adjective | any/ordinary | 40.00 |
| quiproquo | noun | misunderstanding | 70.00 |
| qualifier | verb | to describe/call | 30.00 |
| quête | noun | collection/quest | 25.00 |
| quêter | verb | to collect (donations) | 5.00 |
| queue de cheval | phrase | ponytail | 20.00 |
| quinoa | noun | quinoa (food) | 10.00 |
| quorum | noun | quorum | 5.00 |
| quadruple | adjective | fourfold/quadruple | 20.00 |
| questionnement | noun | questioning/inquiry | 20.00 |
| quel que soit | phrase | whatever/whatever the | 50.00 |
| quoi que | conjunction | whatever/although | 400.00 |
Descriptions
que
Je sais que tu viens. — I know that you’re coming.
qui
La femme qui parle est médecin. — The woman who is speaking is a doctor.
quoi
Tu dis quoi ? — What did you say?
quand
Quand pars-tu ? — When are you leaving?
quel
Quel livre veux-tu ? — Which book do you want?
quelque
J’ai quelque argent. — I have some money.
quelqu’un
Quelqu’un a sonné. — Someone rang.
quelque chose
J’ai vu quelque chose. — I saw something.
quelquefois
Il vient quelquefois. — He comes sometimes.
quand même
Il a plu, mais nous sommes sortis quand même. — It rained, but we went out anyway.
quartier
J’habite dans ce quartier. — I live in this neighborhood.
quatre
Nous sommes quatre. — There are four of us.
quinze
J’ai quinze ans. — I’m fifteen years old.
quarante
Elle a quarante ans. — She is forty years old.
quart
Un quart d’heure, s’il vous plaît. — A quarter of an hour, please.
quatrième
Il est quatrième. — He is fourth.
qualité
La qualité est bonne. — The quality is good.
quantité
Quelle quantité voulez-vous ? — What quantity do you want?
quant à
Quant à moi, je reste. — As for me, I’ll stay.
quoique
Quoique fatigué, il a fini. — Although tired, he finished.
quotidien
La vie quotidienne peut être stressante. — Daily life can be stressful.
quotidiennement
Elle fait du sport quotidiennement. — She exercises daily.
quitter
Il va quitter la maison. — He’s going to leave the house.
question
J’ai une question. — I have a question.
questionner
Le journaliste a questionné le témoin. — The reporter questioned the witness.
questionnaire
Remplissez ce questionnaire. — Fill out this questionnaire.
quai
Rendez-vous sur le quai. — Meet on the platform.
queue
Fais la queue ici. — Stand in line here.
quasi
C’est quasi terminé. — It’s almost finished.
quiche
J’ai acheté une quiche. — I bought a quiche.
quincaillerie
Je vais à la quincaillerie. — I’m going to the hardware store.
quinzaine
Je pars dans une quinzaine. — I’m leaving in about two weeks.
quota
Ils ont atteint leur quota. — They reached their quota.
quelconque
C’était un résultat quelconque. — It was an ordinary result.
quiproquo
Il y a eu un quiproquo. — There was a misunderstanding.
qualifier
On le qualifie d’expert. — He is described as an expert.
quête
La quête a rapporté de l’argent. — The collection raised money.
quêter
Ils ont commencé à quêter. — They began collecting donations.
queue de cheval
Elle porte une queue de cheval. — She wears a ponytail.
quinoa
Le quinoa est nutritif. — Quinoa is nutritious.
quorum
Il n’y avait pas de quorum. — There was no quorum.
quadruple
La production a quadruplé. — Production quadrupled.
questionnement
Le questionnement est constructif. — The questioning is constructive.
quel que soit
Quel que soit le résultat, je serai là. — Whatever the result, I’ll be there.
quoi que
Quoi que tu dises, je reste. — Whatever you say, I’m staying.