J'ai un ami qui habite à Lyon. Le livre que je lis est passionnant. La femme qui parle est ma sœur. C'est le film qu'il préfère.
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GrammarA2relative pronounsqui
Relative pronouns: qui, que
Les pronoms relatifs qui et que
A2fr24 min
What you'll learn
- Combine two sentences into one
- Choose qui vs que correctly
- Never drop the relative pronoun
Tips for this lesson
- qui = subject of the next verb (who/which/that DOES the action).
- que = object of the next verb (who/which/that RECEIVES the action) — and it elides to qu' before a vowel.
- French never drops the relative pronoun — English often does ('the book I read' needs que in French).
Step 1 of 6
1Reading
In context
Read. Notice qui and que each combine two ideas into one sentence — never dropped.
Step 2 of 6
2The pattern
The pattern — qui (subject) vs que (object)
qui replaces the subject of the next verb; que replaces its object. Both are ALWAYS kept in French.
Relative pronouns combine two sentences about the same noun into one, avoiding repetition: "J'ai un ami. Cet ami habite à Lyon." → "J'ai un ami qui habite à Lyon." Choosing between them is simple once you check what follows: qui is the subject of the next verb — directly followed by a verb, no extra subject needed ("...qui habite..."). que is the object of the next verb — followed by its own subject + verb ("...que je lis..."), and que elides to qu' before a vowel. The single biggest thing to remember: French never drops the relative pronoun, even where English casually does — "the book I read" must become "le livre que je lis", never "le livre je lis".
| Pronoun | Replaces | Followed by | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| qui | the subject | a verb directly | l'ami qui habite ici |
| que (qu') | the object | subject + verb | le livre que je lis |
J'ai un ami qui habite à Lyon.
I have a friend who lives in Lyon.
qui + verb directly (habite) — qui is the subject of habite.
Le livre que je lis est bon.
The book I'm reading is good.
que + je + lis — que is the object of lis, whose subject is je.
La femme qui parle est ma sœur.
The woman who is speaking is my sister.
C'est le film qu'il préfère.
It's the film he prefers.
que → qu' before the vowel in il.
Erreurs fréquentes
- Le livre je lis est bon.Le livre que je lis est bon.
English can drop 'that' here ('the book I read'), but French NEVER drops que — it's always required.
- L'ami que habite ici.L'ami qui habite ici.
habite has no subject of its own yet — it needs qui (subject), not que.
- Le livre que il aime.Le livre qu'il aime.
que elides to qu' before a vowel — don't forget the apostrophe.
Exceptions & à retenir
qui never elides
Unlike que, qui NEVER becomes qu' before a vowel: l'ami qui arrive (not qu'arrive) — only que elides.
qui can also follow a preposition, referring to a person
la personne à qui je parle (the person I'm talking to) — qui can follow à/avec/pour + a person. This is a more advanced use; dont and où (for things/places) come at B1.
que also introduces reported speech
je pense que... (I think that...) — this que is a conjunction, not the relative pronoun from this lesson, but it looks identical. Context (is it linking two clauses about the same noun, or introducing what someone thinks/says?) tells you which job it's doing.
Astuces & mémo
- Quick test: look at what comes right after qui/que. If it's a VERB with no subject yet → qui. If it's a SUBJECT (je, il, elle, mon ami...) → que.
- Whenever you're tempted to skip the relative pronoun in French (because English allows it), stop — French always needs qui or que.
- que + vowel = qu' — check this every time, it's an easy slip in fast writing.
Step 3 of 6
3Q&A drill
qui or que?
Match each gap to qui or que, based on what follows.
- Q1l'ami ___ habite à Lyon (verb follows)A____________
- Q2le livre ___ je lis (subject+verb follows)A____________
- Q3la femme ___ parle (verb follows)A____________
- Q4le film ___ il préfère (subject+verb follows)A____________
Step 4 of 6
4Fill the blanks
Guided practice — choose qui or que
Complete with qui or que (or qu').
Example
J'ai un ami (1) habite ici.
→ J'ai un ami qui habite ici.
Exercice
Le livre (1) je lis est bon.
Exercice
La femme (2) parle est ma sœur.
Exercice
C'est le film (3) il aime.
Answer pool — drag onto a blank (or tap to fill the next one)
Next empty blank: 1
Step 5 of 6
5Word order
Build the sentence
Put the words in the correct order.
Example
unj'aiquihabiteamiici→J'ai un ami qui habite ici.
- Sentence 1Tap the words below to build the sentence.
- Sentence 2Tap the words below to build the sentence.
- Sentence 3Tap the words below to build the sentence.
Step 6 of 6
6Speak freely
Produce it
Describe two friends and two objects using qui and que sentences.
Ex.J'ai une amie qui habite à Paris. Le film que j'ai vu hier était excellent.
- 1.Décrivez un ami qui vit dans une autre ville.
- 2.Parlez d'un livre ou d'un film que vous aimez.
- 3.Décrivez un objet que vous utilisez souvent.