Relative clauses

What you will practice

• Use qui when the noun is the subject of the relative clause.
• Use que, or qu' before a vowel, when the noun is the direct object.
• Use dont when the clause replaces de.

Explanation

qui as subject

The pronoun qui is the subject of the relative clause, for a person or a thing. L'homme qui parle is the man who is speaking. Le livre qui est sur la table is the book on the table. The verb agrees with the noun: les hommes qui parlent. qui does not drop its vowel. Before another vowel it is still qui: l'ami qui arrive. The pronoun that shortens is que, and it has a different job.

que as object

The pronoun que is the direct object of the relative clause. Le livre que je lis is the book that I am reading. L'homme que je vois is the man whom I see. The noun is not the subject of that verb. Before a vowel sound, que becomes qu': le film qu'elle aime and l'ami qu'il connaît. There is no apostrophe in que je lis, because je begins with a consonant sound. Keep qui whole, and shorten que only.

dont for de

The pronoun dont replaces de. La femme dont je parle is the woman I am talking about, from parler de. Le livre dont j'ai besoin is the book I need, from avoir besoin de. dont stays full before a vowel: dont il parle. Use qui for a subject, que for an object, and dont for de. Relatives after avec or pour come later.

Examples

1. L'homme qui parle.The man who is speaking.
2. Le livre que je lis.The book that I am reading.
3. La femme dont je parle.The woman I am talking about.
4. Le film qu'elle aime.The film she likes.
5. Le livre dont j'ai besoin.The book I need.

Common mistakes

• Le livre qui je lis uses the subject pronoun for an object. The object form is que: Le livre que je lis.
• Do not shorten qui before a vowel. The form that loses its vowel is que, written qu'elle.