Difference between revisions of "How"

Revision as of 15:47, 11 April 2020

How is a wh- word, which means that it marks something that is unknown. It is used when you want to know the method, the manner, or the way something is done, or is going.

• How are you doing? comment vas-tu?
• How do you do? comment allez-vous? used only when you meet someone for the first time ever
• How is it going? (comment) ça va?

• How can I get a refund? comment je fais pour me faire rembourser?
• How can you tell if it is cooked? comment peut-on voir si c'est cuit?

It is used in combination with ADJ and ADV to ask about degree or measure.

• How old is your car? Elle a quel âge, ta voiture?
• I didn't realize just how cold it would get at night in the desert. Je ne me rendais pas compte jusqu'à quel degré il fait froid dans le desert la nuit.
• How tall are you?
• How much will it cost?
• How often do you see your family?
• I don't know how good this milk is. It's been open for several days.
• It's amazing how small computers have become in my lifetime.

Indirect questions

• I don't know how to fix this bug.
• We haven't figured out how to fix the bug.

• I don't understand how this got broken.

Derived words

• however 1. pourtant, en revanche, 2. peu importe comment
• howsoever
• know-how