How do you ask a question in tarot? Ask an open question that is centred on you and on what you can do: "How can I...?" or "What do I need to understand about...?". Avoid yes/no questions and questions about what someone else thinks. In French divinatory tarot, the quality of the question decides how much material you have to read.
Why the question matters
The cards do not answer like a search engine. They give you pictures and keywords, and the question decides what you look for in them. A vague question ("What awaits me?") gives a vague reading; a precise one gives something to work with. We present tarot as a mirror, a tool for reflection rather than an oracle, and a good question has three qualities: it is open, it is about you, and it is short and concrete.
Open or closed: the difference
A closed question calls for a short answer (yes, no, a date). An open question calls for a description. Compare "Will I find an apartment?" with "How can I organise my search so that I move forward calmly?": the first leaves you waiting, the second leaves you with something to try. If you do want yes/no readings, see our yes or no tarot guide.
Four openings that work, and five rewrites
We suggest four openings as a starting point: "How can I...?", "What do I need to understand about...?", "What helps me, and what holds me back, in...?" and "What would each of these two options bring me?". Here are five rewrites:
- "Will he come back?" becomes "What do I need to understand about how I am living this separation?"
- "When will I find an apartment?" becomes "How can I organise my apartment search so that I make progress?"
- "Will this family dinner end in an argument?" becomes "What can I do to keep this family dinner calm?"
- "Should I quit my job?" becomes "What would staying and leaving each bring me, and cost me?"
- "What will happen to me this month?" becomes "Which theme is in the foreground for me this month?"
The principle is to swap what you cannot control (the other person, the future, chance) for what you can (your feelings, your choices, your next step). For more ideas by theme, browse our 100 tarot questions.
Questions to avoid
We advise leaving aside health (diagnosis, pregnancy, treatment), death and length of life, another person's private life without their consent, lottery and betting, and heavy legal or financial decisions, where tarot cannot replace a doctor, a lawyer or an adviser. Also avoid asking the same question again and again until the cards say what you hoped: a reading repeated until it pleases you no longer means anything. Write the date next to your question in a notebook, so that when you reread the reading later you know exactly what it was answering.
Five steps to write your question
Describe the situation in one sentence; find what you control; pick an opening; write the question and read it aloud, making sure it fits on one line; then choose one card for a simple question or three cards for a situation. See the three-card spread for the most common layout.
Reading the answer with the meaning in front of you
Once the card is turned, describe the image, read the meaning, and ask yourself the question the card suggests. Our French-language learning deck prints on every card its name and number, a one-sentence core meaning, four upright keywords, four reversed keywords and one question to ask yourself. A printed French booklet is in the box, and the full French course (4 books) is included, sent by personal link after purchase. Any deck can teach you; this one just removes the lookup. Its illustrations are the 1909 designs, whereas Marseille is another tradition, with no scenes on the minor arcana.
French-language learning tarot deck, 1909 art
Meanings printed on every card in French, a French guidebook in the box and the full course in French after purchase. Ships to the EU, UK, Switzerland and Iceland.
See the French deckFrequently asked questions
What question should I ask when drawing cards?
An open question starting with "how" or "what", about you and your next step. For ideas by theme, see our 100 tarot questions page.
Which day should I not draw cards?
No day is forbidden. Beliefs about certain days belong to popular tradition, not to rules (see which day not to draw cards). What matters is a calm moment and a clear question.
Do the cards tell the truth?
They do not deliver an outside truth; they give you images to interpret. Keep the decision for yourself.
Includes a free full tarot course in English
Includes a free full tarot course in English
