French grammar · Intermediate (B1)
Relative pronouns: qui, que, où, dont
How to join two sentences with qui, que, où and dont, and how to say “what” with ce qui and ce que.
Qui and que
A relative pronoun links a noun to more information about it, like “who”, “which” or “that”. Use when it is the subject of the next verb, and (qu' before a vowel) when it is the object: (the boy who is wearing glasses), (the dress I used to wear).
English can often leave the pronoun out (“the dress I wore”). French never can. When comes before a verb in the passé composé with , the participle agrees with the noun: .
- La personne qui trouve la fève devient roi.The person who finds the fève becomes king.
- C'est un soir que je n'oublierai jamais.It's an evening I'll never forget.
Où: where and when
is used for a place, and also for a time, where English says “when”: (the office where I used to work), (the day I arrived), (the year we met).
Dont: of which, about which
replaces + a noun. Use it with verbs and phrases that take : , , , , .
| With | With |
|---|---|
Ce qui and ce que: what
To say “what” inside a sentence, use (subject) or (object): , . Starting with ce qui… c'est or ce que… c'est stresses an idea: (What I love is the harbour).