Grammar / A2 : Elementary / Relative pronouns qui and que
Relative pronouns qui and que
Linking two sentences with qui (subject) and que (direct object).
Connecting two ideas about the same noun
A relative pronoun links two pieces of information about the same noun. Rather than saying "I have a friend. My friend lives in Tokyo." (two short separate sentences) French combines them: J'ai un ami qui habite à Tokyo. (I have a friend who lives in Tokyo.) The relative pronoun qui steps in to replace mon ami and connect the two clauses seamlessly.
qui and que are the most frequent relative pronouns in French. They can refer to people and to things equally. The choice between them depends on one question: does the pronoun replace the subject of its clause, or the direct object?
1. qui : the subject relative pronoun
qui replaces a noun that is the subject of the relative clause. After qui, a verb always follows directly; because qui IS the subject of that verb.
antecedent + qui + VERB (+ rest of clause)
The verb agrees with the antecedent (the noun qui replaces).
| Two sentences | Combined with qui |
|---|---|
| J'ai un ami. Il habite à Tokyo. | J'ai un ami qui habite à Tokyo. (I have a friend who lives in Tokyo.) |
| C'est une personne. Elle parle bien français. | C'est une personne qui parle bien français. (She's someone who speaks French well.) |
| J'aime les films. Ils me font réfléchir. | J'aime les films qui me font réfléchir. (I like films that make me think.) |
| C'est un restaurant. Il est fermé le lundi. | C'est un restaurant qui est fermé le lundi. (It's a restaurant that is closed on Mondays.) |
| Les étudiants travaillent bien. Ils réussissent. | Les étudiants qui travaillent bien réussissent. (Students who work hard succeed.) |
💡 qui can refer to people AND things. The word "who" works in English only for people; "that" or "which" for things. In French, qui covers both with no distinction.
L'homme qui parle. (The man who is speaking.) (person)
Le livre qui est sur la table. (The book that is on the table.) (thing)
2. que : the object relative pronoun
que replaces a noun that is the direct object of the relative clause. After que, a subject pronoun or noun always follows; because the subject of the relative clause still needs to be stated. que is never the subject.
Before a vowel or silent h, que shortens to qu'.
antecedent + que + SUBJECT + VERB (+ rest of clause)
que → qu' before a vowel or silent h.
| Two sentences | Combined with que |
|---|---|
| J'ai vu un film. Tu m'as recommandé ce film. | J'ai vu le film que tu m'as recommandé. (I saw the film you recommended to me.) |
| C'est une actrice. J'admire beaucoup cette actrice. | C'est une actrice que j'admire beaucoup. (She's an actress I admire a lot.) |
| Il lit un livre. Sa mère lui a offert ce livre. | Il lit le livre que sa mère lui a offert. (He is reading the book his mother gave him.) |
| C'est un mot. J'utilise souvent ce mot. | C'est un mot que j'utilise souvent. (It's a word I use often.) |
| Je comprends cette règle. Tu m'as expliqué cette règle. | Je comprends la règle que tu m'as expliquée. (I understand the rule you explained to me.) |
3. The test : how to choose
The choice between qui and que comes down to one question: what immediately follows the relative pronoun in the clause?
After qui → a VERB comes directly (qui is the subject)
C'est un livre qui me plaît. (verb plaît follows immediately)
After que → a SUBJECT + VERB follows (que is the object)
C'est un livre que je lis. (subject je + verb lis follow)
| Sentence | What follows? | Pronoun |
|---|---|---|
| La personne ___ parle est mon professeur. | verb (parle) directly | qui |
| La personne ___ tu attends est en retard. | subject (tu) + verb (attends) | que |
| Le café ___ vend des croissants. | verb (vend) directly | qui |
| Le café ___ j'aime est fermé. | subject (j') + verb (aime) | que |
| C'est un film ___ a gagné un prix. | verb (a gagné) directly | qui |
| C'est un film ___ tout le monde adore. | subject (tout le monde) + verb (adore) | que |
4. Agreement of the past participle with que
When que is used in a relative clause containing a passé composé with avoir, the past participle must agree with the antecedent; the noun que replaces. This is exactly the same rule as the preceding COD: que is a direct object that precedes the verb.
| Sentence | Antecedent | Agreement |
|---|---|---|
| Le film que j'ai regardé est excellent. | le film (masc. sg.) | regardé (no change) |
| La série que j'ai regardée est excellente. | la série (fem. sg.) | regardée (add -e) |
| Les livres que tu as achetés sont arrivés. | les livres (masc. pl.) | achetés (add -s) |
| Les photos que tu as prises sont belles. | les photos (fem. pl.) | prises: add -es (irregular: pris → prise) |
| La chanson qu'il a chantée était magnifique. | la chanson (fem. sg.) | chantée (add -e) |
⚠ The agreement is compulsory in writing. The most common error is leaving the past participle invariable: les livres que tu as acheté is incorrect; it should be achetés.
5. ce qui and ce que
When there is no specific noun as the antecedent; when you mean "what" or "that which" in a general sense; use ce qui (subject) or ce que (object). The same subject/object rule applies.
ce qui = what / that which (subject) (followed directly by a verb)
ce que = what / that which (object) (followed by subject + verb)
| French | English | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Je comprends ce qui se passe. | I understand what is happening. | ce qui = subject of se passe |
| Je comprends ce que tu veux dire. | I understand what you mean. | ce que = object of veux dire |
| Ce qui m'intéresse, c'est la grammaire. | What interests me is grammar. | ce qui = subject of m'intéresse |
| Ce que j'aime, c'est voyager. | What I love is travelling. | ce que = object of j'aime |
| Dis-moi ce qui s'est passé. | Tell me what happened. | ce qui = subject of s'est passé |
| Je fais ce que tu m'as demandé. | I am doing what you asked me. | ce que = object of tu m'as demandé |
6. Common errors
| Error | Correct form | Why |
|---|---|---|
| C'est le film qui j'ai vu. | C'est le film que j'ai vu. | After the pronoun comes a subject (j'): use que |
| C'est l'homme que parle. | C'est l'homme qui parle. | After the pronoun comes a verb: use qui |
| La personne que il attend. | La personne qu'il attend. | que must elide before a vowel |
| Les livres que j'ai acheté. | Les livres que j'ai achetés. | Past participle agrees with the antecedent (livres, masc. pl.) |
7. Key points
✓ qui replaces the SUBJECT of the relative clause (a verb follows directly)
✓ que replaces the DIRECT OBJECT of the relative clause (a subject + verb follow)
✓ Both qui and que can refer to people AND things
✓ que → qu' before a vowel or silent h
✓ Past participle agrees with the antecedent after que in passé composé: la série que j'ai regardée
✓ ce qui = what (subject, no specific antecedent): ce qui m'intéresse
✓ ce que = what (object, no specific antecedent): ce que j'aime