"Quelle est..."

Question

Hi,I was doing a Kwiziq quiz and came across this question: "How could you ask "What is a fougasse?"One of the answers I selected was: "Quelle est une fougasse ?"Can someone explain why this isn't correct?

Chris Wirt · Accepted Answer

Quelle is the wrong question word as quelle always requires a noun:
Quelle fougasse tu as mangée? -- Which focaccia did you eat?
If you want to know what a fougasse is, you use one of the methods outlined in the lesson, for example:
Qu'est-ce qu'une fougasse? -- What is a focaccia?

Sanchita Syeda · Answer

Thank you for the great explanation Chris!

Sanchita Syeda · Answer

Actually, I had one follow up question.When I took French classes in school, my teacher would always ask "Quelle est la date?"Do you mind explaining why that question is correct but not in other contexts?

Donovan Johnson · Answer

In the case of "Quelle est la date?"  you're really asking "which date is it?" ... because you're selecting among known things (days of the year), not really asking WHAT a date is, if that makes sense.