Understanding French Relative Pronoun QUI
The French relative pronoun QUI introduces relative clauses where QUI functions as the subject of the relative clause. It connects two clauses and avoids repetition.
Basic function:
QUI = subject of the relative clause
Key features:
- Subject function: QUI is always the subject
- No agreement: QUI never changes form
- People and things: Used for both animate and inanimate
- Essential tool: Creates complex, sophisticated sentences
What QUI replaces:
- People as subjects: L'homme parle → L'homme qui parle
- Things as subjects: Le livre est là → Le livre qui est là
- Abstract concepts: L'idée plaît → L'idée qui plaît
Why QUI matters:
- Sentence complexity: Create sophisticated structures
- Avoid repetition: Connect related ideas smoothly
- Natural French: Essential for fluent expression
- Written French: Particularly important in formal writing
Basic pattern:
Antecedent + QUI + verb + rest of clause
Understanding QUI is crucial for intermediate French proficiency.
Examples
SIMPLE: L'homme parle. Il est grand. (The man speaks. He is tall.)
WITH QUI: L'homme qui parle est grand. (The man who speaks is tall.)
SIMPLE: Le livre est intéressant. Il est sur la table.
WITH QUI: Le livre qui est sur la table est intéressant.
QUI as Subject of Relative Clause
QUI always functions as the subject of the relative clause:
QUI as Subject
| Pronoun | Conjugation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Person subject | qui + verb | La femme qui chante (The woman who sings) |
| Thing subject | qui + verb | Le chien qui aboie (The dog that barks) |
| Abstract subject | qui + verb | L'idée qui me plaît (The idea that pleases me) |
| Plural subject | qui + verb | Les gens qui travaillent (The people who work) |
Examples
PERSON: L'étudiant qui étudie beaucoup réussit. (The student who studies a lot succeeds.)
THING: La voiture qui roule vite est dangereuse. (The car that goes fast is dangerous.)
ABSTRACT: Le problème qui m'inquiète est sérieux. (The problem that worries me is serious.)
PLURAL: Les livres qui sont chers ne se vendent pas. (The books that are expensive don't sell.)
QUI with Different Tenses
QUI can be used with any tense in the relative clause:
QUI with Various Tenses
| Pronoun | Conjugation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Present | qui + present | L'homme qui parle (The man who speaks) |
| Past | qui + passé composé | La femme qui est venue (The woman who came) |
| Imperfect | qui + imperfect | L'enfant qui jouait (The child who was playing) |
| Future | qui + future | Les gens qui viendront (The people who will come) |
| Conditional | qui + conditional | Celui qui pourrait aider (The one who could help) |
Examples
PRESENT: Je connais l'homme qui habite ici. (I know the man who lives here.)
PAST: Voici la personne qui m'a aidé. (Here is the person who helped me.)
IMPERFECT: C'était l'époque qui était difficile. (It was the time that was difficult.)
FUTURE: Les étudiants qui réussiront seront contents. (The students who will succeed will be happy.)
QUI vs QUE - Key Difference
Important distinction between QUI (subject) and QUE (object):
QUI vs QUE Usage
| Pronoun | Conjugation | English |
|---|---|---|
| QUI (subject) | qui + verb | L'homme qui parle (The man who speaks) |
| QUE (object) | que + subject + verb | L'homme que je vois (The man whom I see) |
| QUI test | Can replace with il/elle | Il parle → qui parle |
| QUE test | Can replace with le/la | Je le vois → que je vois |
Examples
QUI (SUBJECT): Le livre qui est intéressant... (The book that is interesting...)
QUE (OBJECT): Le livre que je lis... (The book that I read...)
QUI TEST: Le livre est intéressant → Il est intéressant → qui est intéressant
QUE TEST: Je lis le livre → Je le lis → que je lis
QUI in Different Sentence Positions
QUI clauses can appear in various positions:
Examples
MIDDLE: L'homme qui travaille ici est sympa. (The man who works here is nice.)
END: Je connais quelqu'un qui peut t'aider. (I know someone who can help you.)
BEGINNING: Qui vivra verra. (He who lives will see. / Time will tell.)
EMPHASIS: C'est lui qui a raison. (It's him who is right.)
QUI with Prepositions
QUI can follow prepositions when referring to people:
Preposition + QUI (People Only)
| Pronoun | Conjugation | English |
|---|---|---|
| avec qui | with whom | La personne avec qui je parle (The person with whom I speak) |
| pour qui | for whom | L'ami pour qui je travaille (The friend for whom I work) |
| chez qui | at whose place | La famille chez qui j'habite (The family at whose place I live) |
| sans qui | without whom | L'homme sans qui rien n'est possible (The man without whom nothing is possible) |
Examples
PEOPLE: La fille avec qui je sors est gentille. (The girl with whom I go out is nice.)
PEOPLE: Le professeur pour qui je travaille est exigeant. (The teacher for whom I work is demanding.)
Important Note
Preposition + QUI is only for people. For things, use other forms:
PEOPLE: L'ami avec qui je voyage (The friend with whom I travel)
THINGS: La voiture avec laquelle je voyage (The car with which I travel)
QUI in Fixed Expressions
Common fixed expressions with QUI:
Fixed Expressions with QUI
| Pronoun | Conjugation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Qui vivra verra | Time will tell | Literal: Who will live will see |
| Qui ne dit mot consent | Silence means consent | Who says nothing consents |
| C'est... qui | It's... who/that | C'est moi qui ai raison. (It's me who is right.) |
| Qui que ce soit | Whoever it may be | Je ne parle à qui que ce soit. (I don't speak to anyone.) |
Examples
EMPHASIS: C'est toi qui as tort ! (It's you who are wrong!)
PROVERB: Qui ne risque rien n'a rien. (Nothing ventured, nothing gained.)
QUI in Questions vs Relative Clauses
Distinguish between interrogative QUI and relative QUI:
Interrogative vs Relative QUI
| Pronoun | Conjugation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Interrogative QUI | Who? (question) | Qui parle ? (Who is speaking?) |
| Relative QUI | who/that (relative) | L'homme qui parle (The man who speaks) |
| Question context | Standalone or with est-ce que | Qui est-ce qui parle ? |
| Relative context | After antecedent noun | Je vois l'homme qui parle. |
Examples
QUESTION: Qui vient ce soir ? (Who is coming tonight?)
RELATIVE: Les amis qui viennent ce soir sont sympa. (The friends who are coming tonight are nice.)
Complex Sentences with QUI
Building complex sentences with multiple QUI clauses:
Examples
MULTIPLE: L'homme qui travaille ici et qui parle français est mon collègue.
TRANSLATION: The man who works here and who speaks French is my colleague.
NESTED: Je connais la femme qui a écrit le livre qui a gagné le prix.
TRANSLATION: I know the woman who wrote the book that won the prize.
Common Mistakes
Here are frequent errors students make:
1. QUI vs QUE confusion: Using wrong relative pronoun
2. Missing antecedent: Using QUI without clear antecedent
3. Preposition errors: Wrong preposition + QUI usage
4. Agreement confusion: Thinking QUI changes form
Examples
❌ L'homme que parle → ✅ L'homme qui parle
Wrong: QUI is subject, QUE is object
❌ Je vois qui parle → ✅ Je vois l'homme qui parle
Wrong: need clear antecedent for relative QUI
❌ La table avec qui → ✅ La table avec laquelle
Wrong: preposition + QUI only for people
❌ Les femmes quis parlent → ✅ Les femmes qui parlent
Wrong: QUI never changes form