Understanding Relative Pronouns
French relative pronouns connect two clauses by replacing a repeated noun. They create complex sentences and avoid repetition.
The four main French relative pronouns are: qui, que, dont, and où. Each has specific uses based on its grammatical function in the relative clause.
Relative pronouns are essential for sophisticated French expression and writing.
Examples
Simple: J'ai un ami. Il parle français. (I have a friend. He speaks French.)
Complex: J'ai un ami qui parle français. (I have a friend who speaks French.)
Simple: Je lis un livre. Tu m'as donné ce livre. (I'm reading a book. You gave me this book.)
Complex: Je lis le livre que tu m'as donné. (I'm reading the book that you gave me.)
QUI - Subject of Relative Clause
Qui replaces the subject of the relative clause. It means "who," "which," or "that" when referring to the subject.
Qui is used when the relative pronoun performs the action in the relative clause.
Examples
L'homme qui parle est mon professeur. (The man who speaks is my teacher.)
Qui replaces the subject of "parle"
J'ai une voiture qui marche bien. (I have a car that works well.)
Qui replaces the subject of "marche"
QUI with People and Things
Qui works with both people and objects:
People: La femme qui chante est ma sœur. (The woman who sings is my sister.)
Things: Le téléphone qui sonne est à moi. (The phone that's ringing is mine.)
QUI Never Changes Form
Qui stays the same regardless of gender or number:
Masculine: L'homme qui travaille (the man who works)
Feminine: La femme qui travaille (the woman who works)
Singular: L'enfant qui joue (the child who plays)
Plural: Les enfants qui jouent (the children who play)
QUE - Direct Object of Relative Clause
Que replaces the direct object of the relative clause. It means "whom," "which," or "that" when referring to the direct object.
Que is used when the relative pronoun receives the action in the relative clause.
Examples
Le livre que je lis est intéressant. (The book that I read is interesting.)
Que replaces the direct object of "lis"
La fille que tu connais habite ici. (The girl whom you know lives here.)
Que replaces the direct object of "connais"
QUE → QU' Before Vowels
Que becomes qu' before vowels or silent h:
L'homme qu'elle aime (the man whom she loves)
Le film qu'il regarde (the movie that he watches)
Past Participle Agreement with QUE
When que refers to a preceding direct object, past participles agree:
La lettre que j'ai écrite (the letter that I wrote)
Écrite agrees with feminine la lettre
Les livres que j'ai lus (the books that I read)
Lus agrees with masculine plural les livres
DONT - Replaces DE + Object
Dont replaces phrases with de (of, about, from). It means "whose," "of which," "about which," or "from which."
Dont is used with verbs and expressions that require de.
Examples
L'homme dont je parle est mon père. (The man I'm talking about is my father.)
Dont replaces "de l'homme" (parler de)
Le livre dont j'ai besoin est ici. (The book I need is here.)
Dont replaces "du livre" (avoir besoin de)
Common Verbs with DE
Verbs that require de and therefore use dont:
Verbs + DE → DONT
| Pronoun | Conjugation | English |
|---|---|---|
| parler de | to talk about | La personne dont je parle (the person I'm talking about) |
| avoir besoin de | to need | Ce dont j'ai besoin (what I need) |
| avoir peur de | to be afraid of | Ce dont j'ai peur (what I'm afraid of) |
| se souvenir de | to remember | Ce dont je me souviens (what I remember) |
DONT for Possession
Dont can express possession (whose):
L'homme dont la voiture est rouge (the man whose car is red)
Dont replaces "de l'homme" in possession
La fille dont les parents sont médecins (the girl whose parents are doctors)
Dont shows relationship/possession
OÙ - Place and Time
Où means "where" or "when" and replaces expressions of place or time.
Où is used for locations and temporal expressions.
Examples
La ville où j'habite est belle. (The city where I live is beautiful.)
Où replaces place expression
Le jour où je suis né était un dimanche. (The day when I was born was a Sunday.)
Où replaces time expression
OÙ for Places
Using où for locations:
L'endroit où nous nous sommes rencontrés (the place where we met)
Le restaurant où nous mangeons (the restaurant where we eat)
OÙ for Time
Using où for time expressions:
L'époque où j'étais jeune (the time when I was young)
Le moment où il est arrivé (the moment when he arrived)
Choosing the Right Relative Pronoun
The key is identifying the grammatical function in the relative clause:
Decision Process
How to choose the correct relative pronoun:
Relative Pronoun Selection
| Pronoun | Conjugation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Subject of verb? | → QUI | L'homme qui parle (who speaks) |
| Direct object of verb? | → QUE | Le livre que je lis (that I read) |
| Object of DE? | → DONT | Ce dont je parle (what I talk about) |
| Place or time? | → OÙ | L'endroit où je vais (where I go) |
Test Method
Replace the relative pronoun with the antecedent to test:
L'homme qui parle → L'homme parle (subject = qui)
Le livre que je lis → Je lis le livre (direct object = que)
Ce dont je parle → Je parle de cela (de + object = dont)
L'endroit où je vais → Je vais à cet endroit (place = où)
Complex Relative Constructions
Advanced uses of relative pronouns:
Examples
Ce qui (what - subject): Ce qui m'intéresse, c'est la musique. (What interests me is music.)
Ce que (what - object): Ce que je veux, c'est partir. (What I want is to leave.)
Ce dont (what - with de): Ce dont j'ai peur, c'est l'échec. (What I'm afraid of is failure.)
Ce + où: Ce n'est pas là où je pensais. (It's not where I thought.)
Prepositions + Relative Pronouns
Some relative pronouns work with prepositions:
avec qui (with whom): La personne avec qui je travaille (the person with whom I work)
pour qui (for whom): L'ami pour qui je fais cela (the friend for whom I do this)
Common Relative Pronoun Mistakes
Here are frequent errors students make:
1. Wrong function identification: Using qui instead of que for objects
2. Missing agreement: Forgetting past participle agreement with que
3. Wrong preposition: Using qui instead of dont with de verbs
4. Overusing que: Using que for all relative clauses
Examples
❌ L'homme que parle → ✅ L'homme qui parle
Wrong: subject needs qui, not que
❌ La lettre que j'ai écrit → ✅ La lettre que j'ai écrite
Wrong: must agree with preceding direct object
❌ L'homme que je parle → ✅ L'homme dont je parle
Wrong: parler de requires dont
❌ L'endroit que je vais → ✅ L'endroit où je vais
Wrong: place expressions need où