Relative pronouns qui and que
qui and que both mean who, which or that. The choice depends on their role in the clause, not on whether it’s a person or a thing.
| pronoun | role | example |
|---|---|---|
| qui | subject (followed by a verb) | la femme qui parle |
| que / qu’ | direct object (followed by a subject) | le livre que je lis |
Rules
- qui is never shortened: l’homme qui arrive. que becomes qu’ before a vowel: le film qu’il a vu.
- Unlike English, the relative pronoun can never be left out: the book I read → le livre que j’ai lu.
- In the passé composé with avoir, the participle agrees with a preceding que: la lettre que j’ai écrite.
Examples
- C’est l’ami qui habite à Lyon.That’s the friend who lives in Lyon.
- La ville que je préfère, c’est Nice.The city I like best is Nice.
- Le train qui part à huit heures est complet.The train leaving at eight is full.
- Voici le cadeau qu’elle m’a offert.Here’s the present she gave me.
- Le film que nous avons vu était long.The film we saw was long.
Common mistakes
- ✗ La femme que parle est ma tante.✓ La femme qui parle est ma tante.Qui replaces the subject and is followed straight away by a verb.
- ✗ Le livre qui je lis est bon.✓ Le livre que je lis est bon.Que replaces the object, so a subject follows it.
- ✗ Le film que il a vu est long.✓ Le film qu’il a vu est long.Que is shortened to qu’ before a vowel, but qui never changes.
- ✗ Le livre je lis est bon.✓ Le livre que je lis est bon.French cannot leave out the relative pronoun as English the book I read can.
- ✗ La lettre que j’ai écrit est longue.✓ La lettre que j’ai écrite est longue.The participle agrees with a preceding object such as que, which English never does.