Relative Pronouns For Intermediate learners
What Are Relative Pronouns (Les pronoms relatifs) in French?
Relative pronouns (les pronoms relatifs) provide additional details about a noun without repeating it and are used to connect two clauses.
They refer back to a previously mentioned noun, known as the antecedent, and introduce a relative clause.
What Is a Relative Pronoun? (Pronom relatif)
A relative pronoun replaces a noun inside a clause and connects that clause to the main sentence.
J'ai un ami qui habite à Paris.
I have a friend who lives in Paris.
Here, qui replaces un ami as the subject of habite.
The Four Main Relative Pronouns
The most important relative pronouns are:
Pronoun | Function | Refers to | English |
|---|---|---|---|
qui | subject of the relative clause | person or thing | who / which / that |
que | direct object of the relative clause | person or thing | whom / which / that |
dont | object of de | person or thing | whose / of which |
où | place or time | place or time | where / when |
Qui – Subject of the Relative Clause
Qui is used when the relative pronoun is the subject of the verb in the relative clause.
If the pronoun does the action, use qui.
C'est une femme qui travaille ici.
She is a woman who works here.
J'ai lu un livre qui est très intéressant.
I read a book that is very interesting.
Les enfants qui jouent sont bruyants.
The children who are playing are noisy.
Tip!
If the verb after the pronoun needs a subject, use qui.
Que – Direct Object of the Relative Clause
Que is used when the relative pronoun is the direct object of the verb.
If the noun receives the action, use que.
J'ai un livre que je lis.
I have a book that I'm reading.
C'est la chanson que tu aimes.
Les lettres que tu écris sont longues.
The letters that you write are long.
Tip!
When que is the direct object before the verb in the passé composé, the past participle agrees with the noun replaced by que.
Les fleurs que j'ai achetées.
The flowers that I bought.
Dont – Object of de
Dont is used when the verb, adjective, or noun nouns followed by de.
C'est un sujet dont je parle souvent. (parler de)
It's a topic that I often talk about.
Voilà la chose dont j'ai besoin. (avoir besoin de)
There is the thing I need.
La femme dont je connais le frère. (le frère de cette femme)
The woman whose brother I know.
C'est une ville dont je suis fier. (être fier de)
It's a city I'm proud of.
Où – Place or Time
Où is used for places and moments in time. If you can say where or when in English, use où.
La ville où je vis est très calme.
The city where I live is very quiet.
Le jour où nous sommes arrivés.
The day when we arrived.
How to Choose the Correct Relative Pronoun
To choose the correct relative pronoun, remove the relative clause and rebuild it as a simple sentence.
Then identify the role of the missing word (subject, direct object, de-complement, place, or time).
La femme qui parle est médecin. → La femme parle.
The woman who is speaking is a doctor.
The missing word (la femme) is the subject of parle → use qui.
Le film que j'ai vu est intéressant. → J'ai vu le film.
The movie that I saw is interesting.
The missing word (le film) is the direct object of voir → use que.
La femme dont je connais le frère. → Je connais le frère de la femme.
The woman whose brother I know.
The missing word is part of a de + noun structure → use dont.
La ville où je vis est très animée. → Je vis dans cette ville.
The city where I live is very lively.
The missing word refers to a place → use où.
Warning!
French relative pronouns are not optional the way that can be in English.
The book I read. ✔ → The book that I read. ✔
Le livre je lis. ✖ → Le livre que je lis. ✔
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