Hello everyone! Bonjour à tous! Welcome back to the French Made Easy podcast! This is episode number 77, numéro 77!

In this short & sweet episode, which flows very well with the previous episodes on "how to ask questions," we'll look at two verbs that often get mixed up: "demander" and "poser une question."

So oui, they both mean "to ask," but they are not interchangeable.

We'll actually do more little episodes like this one, with verbs, words, or expressions that often get mixed up! I think it's a great way of avoiding some common mini beginner mistakes.

Alright, so if you're new to the podcast, make sure you have your lesson's cheat sheet in front of you during the lesson. After the lesson, head over to the French Made Easy library to practice what you've learned today.

All the links are in the episode notes.

The usual translation of "to ask" in French is "demander."

Par exemple:

Il demande de l'aide. (He's asking for help.)
Je lui demande de ranger sa chambre. (I'm asking him/her to tidy up his/her room.)

But, to translate "to ask a question," you cannot use the verb "demander." You have to use "poser une question."

Par exemple:

Il pose beaucoup de questions. (He asking many questions.) Don't say: "Il demande beaucoup de questions." Grammatically incorrect.
Je lui pose une question difficile. (I'm asking him/her a difficult question.) Don't say: "Je lui demande une question difficile." Again, grammatically incorrect.

Ah! Another example! Our previous French Made Easy podcast episode's title is "How to Ask Questions in French." The translation is "Comment Poser des Questions en Français", not "Comment Demander des Questions en Français."

Recap':

to ask in French is "demander": Il demande de l'aide.
but "to ask a question" is "poser une question: Il pose beaucoup de questions.

Et voilà, that's it! That was super quick, right? - but at least you won't make that mistake anytime soon!

Merci beaucoup, thank you so much for listening; I'll chat with you next week!

À la semaine prochaine!