Relative Pronouns qui, que and où

Let us delve into French relative pronouns in this post. These pronouns link a main clause with a subordinate clause, creating a connection between them and enhancing the language. They replace the subject or object in the subordinate clause to avoid repetition.

Relative pronouns function as connectors, joining relative clauses to main clauses and removing the need to repeat subjects and objects. In English, relative pronouns like “which,” “that,” “whose,” “who,” “whom,” “where,” or “when” are sometimes optional. However, French has only four equivalent relative pronouns (qui, que, où, and dont) compared to English’s seven. Unlike English, French requires the use of relative pronouns when combining two sentences that share a similar context.

Some other types of pronouns are:

Direct Object Pronouns – COD (Complément d’Objet Direct)

Indirect Object Pronouns –

Adverbial Pronouns “en” and “y”

Before we go further into this discussion let us understand quickly what is a subject and an object.

Every sentence has a verb which shows an action. A subject is the one that performs the action and the object is the complement of the sentence which gives some more information about the subject or verb .

I walk to office every morning

I – is the subject 

walk– is the verb

to office every morning – is the object

  1. Qui

Qui is used as a pronoun that can be used to replace both people and things, which appear as the subject in a dependent clause. As we have seen above a subject is followed by a verb so the subject in the subordinate clause is consistently followed by a conjugated verb and must exhibit agreement in number with the antecedent i.e. the subject it is referencing.

Examples

  • On lit le livre de Harry Potter. Le livre est très populaire.- We are reading the Harry Potter book. The book is very popular.
  • On lit le livre de Harry Potter qui est très populaire.- We are reading the Harry Potter which is very popular

Here qui – is which, and it is replacing the subject. 

  • Je donne un souvenir a mon ami. Mon ami habite en Inde. – I am giving a souvenir to my friend. My friend lives in India.
  • Je donne un souvenir a mon ami qui habite en Inde. – I am giving a souvenir to my friend who lives in India

Here qui – is who, and it is replacing the subject. 

Qui (who, whom, which, that)

Usage:

  • “Qui” is used as the subject of the relative clause.
  • It can refer to both people and things.
  • It does not change form regardless of gender or number.

Function:

  • Replaces the subject of the relative clause.
  • Equivalent to “who,” “that,” or “which” in English when these are subjects.

Examples:

  • La femme qui parle est ma mère. (The woman who is speaking is my mother.)
  • Le chien qui aboie appartient à mon voisin. (The dog that/which is barking belongs to my neighbor.)
  • Les étudiants qui travaillent dur réussissent. (The students who work hard succeed.)
  1. Que

Que is used as a pronoun to replace both people and things when they appear as the object in a dependent clause. Unlike qui, which replaces the subject, que replaces the object and is followed by a subject and a verb.

Examples

  • Nous regardons un film. J’aime beaucoup ce film. – We are watching a movie. I really like this movie. 
  • Nous regardons un film que j’aime beaucoup. – We are watching a movie that I really like.

Here, que is “that,” replacing the object (the movie).

  • Elle a acheté une robe. La robe est très belle. – She bought a dress. The dress is very beautiful. 
  • Elle a acheté une robe que je trouve très belle. – She bought a dress that I find very beautiful.

In this case, que is “that,” replacing the object (the dress).

Que (whom, which, that)

Usage:

  • “Que” is used as the direct object of the relative clause.
  • It can refer to both people and things.
  • It doesn’t change form regardless of gender or number.
  • “Que” becomes “qu'” before a vowel or silent h.

Function:

  • Replaces the direct object of the relative clause.
  • Equivalent to “whom,” “that,” or “which” in English when these are objects.

Examples:

  • Le livre que je lis est intéressant. (The book that/which I am reading is interesting.)
  • L’homme que j’ai vu est mon oncle. (The man whom/that I saw is my uncle.)
  • Les pommes que nous avons achetées sont délicieuses. (The apples that/which we bought are delicious.)
  1. Où

Où is used as a pronoun to replace a place or a time in a dependent clause. It translates to “where” or “when” in English and helps to connect the main clause with a subordinate clause that refers to a specific location or moment.

Examples

  • Nous allons au café. Nous nous sommes rencontrés dans ce café. – We are going to the café. We met in this café. 
  • Nous allons au café où nous nous sommes rencontrés. – We are going to the café where we met.

Here, où is “where,” replacing the place (the café).

  • Je me souviens du jour. Nous avons fait une excursion ce jour-là. – I remember the day. We went on a trip that day. 
  • Je me souviens du jour où nous avons fait une excursion. – I remember the day when we went on a trip.

In this instance, où is “when,” replacing the time (the day).

Où (where, when, in which, on which)

Usage:

  • “Où” is used to refer to a place or time.
  • It can replace prepositional phrases like “dans lequel,” “sur lequel,” etc.
  • It doesn’t change form.

Function:

  • Indicates place or time in the relative clause.
  • Equivalent to “where,” “when,” or “in/on which” in English.

Examples:

  • La ville où je suis né est petite. (The city where I was born is small.)
  • Le jour où nous nous sommes rencontrés était pluvieux. (The day when we met was rainy.)
  • La table où j’ai posé mes clés a disparu. (The table on which I put my keys has disappeared.)

Important notes:

Relative pronouns have specific characteristics that make them integral in linking clauses and adding depth to sentences. Here are some key characteristics:

1. Linking Function:

Relative pronouns connect a main clause with a subordinate clause, establishing a relationship between them.

2. Replacing Elements:

They replace nouns (subjects, objects, or possessives) to avoid repetition and make sentences more concise.

3. Mandatory in Some Languages:

In languages like French, the use of relative pronouns is mandatory when linking clauses with shared elements, unlike in English where they can sometimes be optional.

4. Agreement:

Relative pronouns often need to agree in number and sometimes gender with the antecedent (the noun they replace or refer to). La voiture que j’ai achetée est rouge. (The car that I bought is red.)

5. Types of Pronouns:

Different relative pronouns are used depending on whether they replace a subject, an object, a possessive, or indicate a place or time.

6. Position in Sentence:

Relative pronouns typically introduce the relative clause and are placed immediately after the noun they are referring to and before the verb. La fille qui parle français.(The girl who speaks French.)

7. Prepositions:

When a preposition is involved with “qui” referring to a person, the preposition comes before “qui.”. L’ami avec qui je voyage. (The friend with whom I’m traveling.)

Key Differences from English:

  1. In French, you must always use a relative pronoun. In English, “that” can sometimes be omitted. French: Le livre que j’ai lu était intéressant. English: The book (that) I read was interesting.
  2. French does not distinguish between “who” and “whom” like English does.
  3. In French, “qui” and “que” can refer to both people and things, while in English, “who/whom” is typically used only for people.
  4. These relative pronouns are essential for creating complex sentences in French and are used frequently in both spoken and written French. 

Exercises:

1: Fill in the blank with qui, que, or où.

  1. L’homme _____ parle est mon père.
  2. Le film _____ nous avons vu était excellent.
  3. La ville _____ j’habite est près de la mer.
  4. Le chat _____ dort sur le canapé est à moi.
  5. Le restaurant _____ nous allons souvent est fermé aujourd’hui.
  6. La ville _________ je suis né est petite. 
  7. La fille  _____ je te parlais vient d’arriver.
  8. La femme ________ parle est ma mère. 
  9. Le livre ________est sur la table est à moi.
  10. M. Dupont, _____ est facteur, habite au coin de la rue.
  11. Nous rendons souvent visite nos cousins _____ habite en Angleterre.
  12. Ces sont des etudiants _____ vient d’Espagne.

2: Combine the following pairs of sentences using qui, que, or où.

  1. J’ai un ami. Il parle cinq langues.
  2. J’ai acheté une robe. La robe est bleue.
  3. Nous allons visiter Paris. J’ai vécu à Paris pendant deux ans.
  4. Tu as rencontré une fille. La fille est très sympathique.
  5. C’est le jour. Nous nous sommes mariés ce jour-là.

3: Translate the following sentences into French using qui, que, or où.

  1. The book that I’m reading is interesting.
  2. The woman who lives next door is a doctor.
  3. The city where we met is beautiful.
  4. The car that I want to buy is expensive.
  5. The day when we arrived was sunny.

4: Correct the mistakes in the following sentences (if any).

  1. Le garçon que joue au football est mon frère.
  2. La maison où j’ai acheté est grande.
  3. Le film qui nous avons regardé était ennuyeux.
  4. C’est l’endroit où je travaille.
  5. La fille que j’ai parlé est intelligente.

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