Relative pronouns are a crucial part of French, helping to link two sentences together and avoid repetition. They allow you to say things like “the book that I read” or “the person who helped me” without repeating the subject or object. In French, the most common relative pronouns are qui, que, dont, and où. Let’s break them down with simple explanations and examples so you can use them confidently!
1. Qui (Who, Which, That)
Qui is used when referring to the subject of the relative clause. It can mean “who,” “which,” or “that” depending on the context, and is used for both people and things.
- Examples:
- Le garçon qui parle est mon frère.
(The boy who is speaking is my brother.) - La voiture qui est garée là est la mienne.
(The car that is parked there is mine.) - L’ami qui m’a aidé est parti.
(The friend who helped me has left.) - L’ordinateur qui est sur la table est vieux.
(The computer that is on the table is old.) - Le film qui passe ce soir est un classique.
(The movie that is playing tonight is a classic.) - Le chien qui aboie est très bruyant.
(The dog that is barking is very loud.) - La personne qui t’a appelé est ma sœur.
(The person who called you is my sister.) - Les étudiants qui étudient bien réussissent leurs examens.
(The students who study well pass their exams.)
- Le garçon qui parle est mon frère.
Notice that qui is followed by a verb because it is the subject of the relative clause.
2. Que (Whom, Which, That)
Que is used when referring to the object of the relative clause. It can mean “whom,” “which,” or “that.” Like qui, que can refer to both people and things.
- Examples:
- Le livre que tu lis est intéressant.
(The book that you’re reading is interesting.) - La femme que j’ai vue hier est ma prof.
(The woman whom I saw yesterday is my teacher.) - La maison que nous avons achetée est magnifique.
(The house that we bought is beautiful.) - Le gâteau que tu as fait est délicieux.
(The cake that you made is delicious.) - Le film que j’ai vu hier était génial.
(The movie that I saw yesterday was great.) - Les amis que j’ai invités ne sont pas venus.
(The friends whom I invited didn’t come.) - La robe que tu portes est jolie.
(The dress that you’re wearing is pretty.) - Le travail que tu as fait est impressionnant.
(The work that you did is impressive.)
- Le livre que tu lis est intéressant.
Que is followed by a subject (like “tu” or “j’”) because it functions as the object of the relative clause.
3. Dont (Whose, Of Which, About Which)
Dont replaces a phrase that starts with de (“of” or “about”). It can mean “whose,” “of which,” or “about which” depending on the context. It’s often used with verbs or expressions that are followed by de.
- Examples:
- La femme dont je parle est ma voisine.
(The woman about whom I’m talking is my neighbor.) - L’ami dont le père est médecin vient ce soir.
(The friend whose father is a doctor is coming tonight.) - Le film dont je t’ai parlé est excellent.
(The movie that I told you about is excellent.) - La fille dont le frère est en voyage est triste.
(The girl whose brother is traveling is sad.) - Les souvenirs dont il est fier sont précieux.
(The memories of which he is proud are precious.) - Le livre dont tu as besoin est à la bibliothèque.
(The book that you need is at the library.) - La chanson dont tu te souviens est vieille.
(The song that you remember is old.) - Le problème dont on discute est compliqué.
(The problem that we’re discussing is complicated.)
- La femme dont je parle est ma voisine.
Remember, dont is used when the verb or noun in the sentence is followed by de in some way.
4. Où (Where, When)
Où is used to refer to places or times. It can mean “where” or “when” depending on the context.
- Examples:
- La ville où je suis né est petite.
(The city where I was born is small.) - Le jour où tu es arrivé était ensoleillé.
(The day when you arrived was sunny.) - La maison où elle habite est grande.
(The house where she lives is big.) - Le restaurant où nous avons mangé était cher.
(The restaurant where we ate was expensive.) - Le moment où tout a changé était inoubliable.
(The moment when everything changed was unforgettable.) - Le pays où je veux aller est loin.
(The country where I want to go is far away.) - L’hôtel où nous avons dormi était confortable.
(The hotel where we stayed was comfortable.) - L’année où ils se sont mariés a été spéciale.
(The year when they got married was special.)
- La ville où je suis né est petite.
Whenever you’re referring to a place or time, où is your go-to relative pronoun.
Summary of French Relative Pronouns:
- Qui = “who,” “which,” “that” (subject of the clause)
- Le chat qui dort est mignon.
(The cat that is sleeping is cute.)
- Le chat qui dort est mignon.
- Que = “whom,” “which,” “that” (object of the clause)
- Le film que j’ai vu hier était génial.
(The movie that I saw yesterday was great.)
- Le film que j’ai vu hier était génial.
- Dont = “whose,” “of which,” “about which” (replaces phrases with de)
- L’homme dont tu parles est gentil.
(The man you’re talking about is kind.)
- L’homme dont tu parles est gentil.
- Où = “where,” “when” (for places or times)
- La maison où elle habite est grande.
(The house where she lives is big.)
- La maison où elle habite est grande.