Relative pronouns: 'qui' (who/which) and 'que' (whom/that/which)

What are 'qui' and 'que' and why do we use them?

Relative pronouns link a noun (the antecedent) to a clause that describes or identifies it. In French, two of the most common relative pronouns are qui and que.

- qui = replaces a noun that is the subject of the relative clause. (English equivalents: who, which, that)
- que = replaces a noun that is the direct object of the relative clause. (English equivalents: whom, which, that)

Examples:
- La femme qui parle est ma tante. (The woman who is speaking is my aunt.) — qui = subject of parle
- Le livre que j'ai lu est intéressant. (The book that I read is interesting.) — que = direct object of ai lu

When do I use qui vs que?

Short, practical rule

- Use qui when the antecedent is the subject (the doer) of the verb in the relative clause.
- Use que when the antecedent is the direct object (the receiver) of the verb in the relative clause.

How to decide quickly

1. Identify the verb inside the relative clause.
2. Ask: who performs that verb? If the antecedent performs it → use qui.
3. If the antecedent receives the action (the verb acts on it) → use que.

Examples (present tense):
- Le chien qui aboie est bruyant. (The dog that barks is noisy.) — the dog does the barking → qui
- Le chien que j'entends est loin. (The dog that I hear is far away.) — I hear the dog; the dog is the object → que

Examples (other tenses):
- Voici la fille qui a gagné le prix. (Here is the girl who won the prize.) — subject → qui
- Voici la fille que j'ai vue hier. (Here is the girl whom I saw yesterday.) — direct object → que (note agreement with vue)

How are relative clauses formed with qui and que?

Basic patterns

- Antecedent + qui + [verb of relative clause]
- Example: La maison qui est grande. (The house that is big.)

- Antecedent + que + [subject of relative clause] + [verb]
- Example: La maison que j'ai visitée. (The house that I visited.)

Elision: que → qu' before a vowel or mute h

- L'homme qu'on a vu. (The man that we saw.) — qu' because homme begins with a vowel sound

Nonrestrictive vs restrictive clauses (commas)

- Both qui and que can introduce essential (restrictive) or additional (nonrestrictive) information.
- Restrictive (no commas): Les élèves qui réussissent pratiqueront. (The students who succeed will practice.)
- Nonrestrictive (commas): Mon frère, qui vit à Lyon, est médecin. (My brother, who lives in Lyon, is a doctor.)

Agreement with compound tenses (important for que and qui)

Short explanation

- When the relative pronoun is the subject of the relative clause (qui) and the verb uses être as auxiliary, the past participle agrees with the subject (normal subject–être agreement).
- Example: Les filles qui sont parties sont étudiantes. (The girls who left are students.) → parties (feminine plural)

- When the relative pronoun is the direct object (que) and it comes before a compound tense formed with avoir, the past participle agrees in gender and number with the antecedent.
- Example: La lettre que j'ai reçue. (The letter that I received.) → reçue (feminine singular)

Examples to show the contrast

- Qui with être (subject agreement):
- La femme qui est venue est en retard. (The woman who came is late.) → venue (feminine)
- Les élèves qui sont arrivés sont contents. (The students who arrived are happy.) → arrivés (masculine plural)

- Que with avoir (agreement with antecedent):
- Le film que j'ai vu. (The film that I saw.) → vu (masculine singular; looks unchanged)
- La chanson que j'ai chantée. (The song that I sang.) → chantée (feminine singular)
- Les romans que j'ai lus. (The novels that I read.) → lus (masculine plural)

Tip to remember agreement with que

If you see que immediately before an auxiliary like ai / avons / avez, check whether the past participle should agree with the antecedent. If que is the object that comes before the auxiliary avoir, the past participle agrees.

Special and related forms: ce qui, ce que, dont, où, and prepositions

Ce qui / Ce que / Ce dont

- Ce qui = "what" as subject (no explicit antecedent).
- Ce qui m'intéresse, c'est la musique. (What interests me is music.)

- Ce que = "what" as direct object.
- Je comprends ce que tu dis. (I understand what you are saying.)

- Ce dont = "what" when the verb or expression needs de.
- Je sais ce dont il a besoin. (I know what he needs.)

When a preposition is required

- If the verb in the relative clause requires a preposition, use qui with people after the preposition, and lequel (lequel/laquelle/lesquels/lesquelles) with things.
- La personne à qui j'ai parlé. (The person I spoke to.) — person → à + qui
- La chaise sur laquelle je suis assis. (The chair on which I am sitting.) — thing → sur + laquelle

- Note: For verbs that require de, use dont for both people and things when possible.
- Le livre dont j'ai besoin. (The book that I need.) — need de → dont

Common mistakes and how to avoid them

Wrong: confusing qui and que

- Incorrect: La femme qui je vois.
- Correct: La femme que je vois. (The woman whom I see.)

How to avoid: Ask whether the antecedent is doing the action (qui) or receiving it (que).

Wrong: using que after a preposition

- Incorrect: La personne que j'ai parlé.
- Corrects:
- La personne à qui j'ai parlé. (The person I spoke to.)
- Or: La personne dont j'ai parlé. (The person I spoke about.)

Wrong: forgetting past participle agreement after que

- Incorrect: La lettre que j'ai reçu.
- Correct: La lettre que j'ai reçue. (The letter that I received.)

Comparisons with English (helpful for learners)</b]

- English distinctions: who / whom / which / that. In casual spoken English, who is often used for objects as well, but grammatically whom corresponds to French que.
- French: La femme que j'ai vue. (correct) — English literal: The woman whom I saw.

- English has "that" and "which" differences (restrictive vs nonrestrictive). French qui/que do not exactly map to that distinction; use commas and context instead.

- Useful translation hints:
- If you would use "who" as the subject in English → use qui in French.
- If you would use "whom" or "that/which" as the object in English → use que in French.

Quick decision checklist (summary you can use instantly)</b]

1. Identify the antecedent (the noun you want to describe).
2. Make a short clause with that verb and the pronoun:
- If the antecedent would be the subject of the verb → use qui.
- If the antecedent would be the direct object → use que.
3. If the verb needs a preposition (à, de, avec...), use:
- à / avec / pour + qui (if antecedent is a person) or à / avec + lequel (if a thing), or dont when the verb needs de.
4. In compound tenses with avoir, if que comes before the auxiliary, check past participle agreement with the antecedent.

Glossary (simple definitions)</b]

Antecedent: the noun the relative pronoun replaces (e.g., le livre, la femme).

Relative clause: a clause introduced by a relative pronoun that gives more information about the antecedent.

Subject: the doer of the verb (use qui when the antecedent is the subject in the relative clause).

Direct object: the receiver of the action (use que when the antecedent is the direct object in the relative clause).

Agreement: changing the past participle to match the gender and number of a preceding direct object (applies when que is before an auxiliary avoir, or when verbs use être as auxiliary).

Final examples (varied, natural sentences)

- Qui as subject:
- Le garçon qui joue dort. (The boy who is playing is sleeping.)
- Le film qui commence à huit heures est complet. (The film that starts at eight is full.)

- Que as direct object:
- Le gâteau que tu as fait est délicieux. (The cake that you made is delicious.)
- Les cadeaux que j'ai reçus étaient beaux. (The gifts that I received were lovely.)

- Elision and compound tense agreement:
- L'homme qu'elle a rencontré était charmant. (The man whom she met was charming.)
- Les robes que j'ai achetées sont en solde. (The dresses that I bought are on sale.)

- Preposition & dont:
- La fille à qui il téléphone est sa sœur. (The girl he is calling is his sister.)
- Voilà la raison dont je t'ai parlé. (Here is the reason I told you about.)

- Ce qui / Ce que / Ce dont:
- Ce qui me gêne, c'est le bruit. (What bothers me is the noise.)
- Dis-moi ce que tu veux. (Tell me what you want.)
- Je ne comprends pas ce dont il parle. (I don't understand what he's talking about.)

Feel free to keep this checklist beside you while reading French texts: identify the verb in the relative clause, decide whether the antecedent is subject or object, and then choose qui or que. That solves most problems with these two essential pronouns.