French Relative Pronouns: qui, que, où, dont & lequel
Getting started — joining two sentences
A relative pronoun joins two short sentences into one, dropping the repeated noun. In English too, we use “who / which / that”:
- “There is a man. This man is speaking.” → “The man who is speaking.”
- French: “Il y a un homme. Cet homme parle.” → “L’homme qui parle.”
The noun being replaced is called the antecedent. Choosing the right relative pronoun depends on what job that noun does in the relative clause — subject, object, place, time, or connected to ‘de’.
| Pronoun | Role | Rough meaning |
|---|---|---|
| qui | subject | who / that |
| que / qu’ | direct object | whom / that |
| où | place or time | where / when |
| dont | de + … | of which / whose |
| lequel (and others) | after preposition (things) | which |
QUI — subject (who does it)
‘Qui’ is the subject of the relative clause — for people or things. After ‘qui’ comes the verb directly.
- “C’est la femme qui habite à côté.” (who lives next door)
- “Je prends le train qui part à midi.” (that leaves at noon)
Careful! ‘Qui’ never elides — it stays ‘qui’ even before a vowel: “l’homme qui arrive” (not qu’).
QUE — direct object
‘Que’ is the direct object of the relative clause. After ‘que’ comes the subject (the doer), then the verb.
- “Le livre que je lis est intéressant.” (that I read is interesting)
- “La ville que nous visitons est belle.” (that we visit is beautiful)
Elision: Before a vowel or silent h, que → qu’: “Le film **qu’**il regarde.” (that he watches)
QUI vs QUE — the most essential test
This is the biggest source of confusion. Make your decision on structure, not meaning — check what comes after the relative pronoun:
| What follows | Pronoun | Example |
|---|---|---|
| verb directly (no subject shown) | qui | la femme qui parle |
| subject + verb (object is missing) | que | la femme que je vois |
Don’t trust English or Punjabi translation — both just say “that”. Only the French structure tells you which one to use.
OÙ — place and time
‘Où’ works for both place and time:
| Full sentence | Meaning |
|---|---|
| La ville où j’habite est petite. | where I live is small |
| Le pays où je suis né. | the country where I was born |
| Le jour où je suis arrivé au Canada. | the day I arrived in Canada |
| Le moment où tout a changé. | the moment when everything changed |
Careful! In English you say “when”, but in French relative clauses, use où, not quand: ‘le jour où’, not ‘le jour quand’.
DONT — the ‘de’ form
‘Dont’ appears wherever the original sentence has ‘de’. Three main uses:
1. Verbs that take ‘de’ (parler de, avoir besoin de, rêver de, avoir peur de):
- “Voici le livre dont j’ai besoin.” (that I need)
- “C’est le film dont tout le monde parle.” (that everyone is talking about)
2. “Whose” (possession):
- “La femme dont le mari travaille ici.” (whose husband works here)
- “Un pays dont j’admire la culture.” (whose culture I admire)
3. Quantity (of which / of them):
- “J’ai trois frères, dont deux sont médecins.” (of which two are doctors)
Preposition + qui / lequel
When the relative clause has a preposition other than ‘de’ (avec, pour, sur, sous, chez, à…):
- For a person → qui: “L’ami avec qui je travaille.” (the friend with whom I work)
- For a thing → lequel / laquelle / lesquels / lesquelles: “La table sur laquelle je pose mon sac.” (the table on which I put my bag)
Contractions with à and de (for things):
| Preposition | m.s. | f.s. | m.pl. | f.pl. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (plain) | lequel | laquelle | lesquels | lesquelles |
| à + | auquel | à laquelle | auxquels | auxquelles |
| de + | duquel | de laquelle | desquels | desquelles |
- “Le problème auquel je pense.” (the problem I’m thinking about — à + lequel)
- “Le sujet duquel nous parlons.” (the subject we’re talking about — though ‘dont’ also works here)
Ce qui / ce que / ce dont — without a specific noun
When there’s no specific noun, just “what / the thing that”, add ‘ce’:
| Form | Role | Example |
|---|---|---|
| ce qui | subject | Ce qui m’intéresse, c’est la musique. (What interests me is music) |
| ce que | object | Je ne comprends pas ce que tu veux. (I don’t understand what you want) |
| ce dont | de + … | Voici ce dont j’ai besoin. (Here’s what I need) |
It’s the same qui/que/dont test, just with ‘ce’ added because the antecedent is vague (“what thing”).
Past participle agreement with que
‘Que’ is a direct object and comes before the verb, so in passé composé (with avoir), the past participle agrees with the antecedent’s gender and number:
- “les livres que j’ai lus” (the books m.pl. → read + s)
- “la lettre que j’ai écrite” (the letter f.s. → written + e)
With ‘qui’, ‘où’, or ‘dont’, this agreement does not happen — only with ‘que’ (direct object).
Examples
- “J’ai un ami qui parle cinq langues.” (I have a friend who speaks five languages)
- “Le restaurant que tu as choisi est fermé.” (The restaurant you chose is closed)
- “C’est la raison pour laquelle je suis là.” (That’s the reason why I’m here)
- “Le jour où j’ai réussi mon examen.” (The day I passed my exam)
- “Ce qui compte, c’est l’effort.” (What matters is the effort)
Common mistakes and fixes
| ❌ Wrong | ✓ Right | Why |
|---|---|---|
| la femme que habite ici | la femme qui habite ici | verb directly after → qui |
| le livre qui je lis | le livre que je lis | subject (je) after → que |
| le jour quand je suis venu | le jour où je suis venu | time in relative clause → où, not quand |
| le livre que j’ai besoin | le livre dont j’ai besoin | avoir besoin de → dont |
| l’homme avec lequel je parle | l’homme avec qui je parle | preposition + person → qui |
Practise it
Relative Pronouns drill: every sentence has a blank relative pronoun, and you fill in the right one (qui / que / où / dont / lequel…). Each answer shows the full sentence and the rule.
Next steps
- Object Pronouns (COD/COI) — le/la/les, lui/leur.
- Y and En — pronouns for ‘à’ and ‘de’.
- Question Formation — lequel in questions too.
Challenge: Every day, build 5 pairs of sentences and join them with relative pronouns — start with qui/que, then add où/dont, then lequel and ce qui/ce que.
FAQ
How do you tell 'qui' and 'que' apart?
Test: **what comes after the relative pronoun**. After **qui** comes **a verb directly** — qui is the subject: 'L'homme **qui** parle' (who is speaking). After **que** comes **a subject** — que is the object: 'Le livre **que** je lis' (that I read). Simple rule: qui + verb, que + subject.
When do you use 'dont'?
'Dont' appears wherever the original sentence has **'de'** — verbs that take 'de' (parler **de**, avoir besoin **de**, rêver **de**): 'le livre **dont** j'ai besoin' (that I need). And also for 'whose': 'la femme **dont** le mari travaille ici' (whose husband works here).
Is 'où' only for place?
No — 'où' works for **both place and time**. Place: 'la ville **où** j'habite' (where I live). Time: 'le jour **où** je suis arrivé' (the day I arrived). In English you use 'when' for time, but in French relative clauses, 'où' is correct.
Which relative pronoun comes after a preposition?
For a **person**, use **qui** after the preposition: 'l'ami avec **qui** je travaille'. For a **thing**, use **lequel/laquelle/lesquels/lesquelles**: 'la table sur **laquelle**...'. Contractions with à: à + lequel = **auquel**; with de: de + lequel = **duquel**.