# Relative Pronouns

https://langs123.com/en/french/phrase/relatives/
CEFR A2 · 2026-10-24 · CC BY 4.0, langs123 contributors (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

> The relative pronouns **qui**, **que** and **où** link a noun to the clause that describes it: subject, object or place. **Qui** is followed by a verb; **que** is followed by a subject and a verb: Un ami **qui** parle. Un ami **que** j’aime.

## Summary

| Point | Rule | Example |  |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Qui | the subject, person or thing; a verb follows | J’ai un ami **qui** habite à Lyon. | I have a friend who lives in Lyon. |
| Que | the direct object; a subject and a verb follow; **qu’** before a vowel | Voici le livre **que** je lis. | Here is the book that I'm reading. |
| Où | the place; a subject and a verb follow | La ville **où** j’habite est petite. | The town where I live is small. |
| Choice | a verb next: **qui**; a subject next: **que** | L’homme **qui** parle / L’homme **que** je vois | the man who is speaking / the man whom I see |
| Trap | **que** becomes **qu’** before a vowel; **qui** never changes | Le film qu’il voit est long. | The film he is watching is long. |
| Trap | a place is expressed by **où**, never **que** | Le café **où** je travaille est près de la gare. | The café where I work is near the station. |

## Overview

- A relative pronoun links a noun to a clause that describes it. J’ai un ami **qui** habite à Paris. / C’est la ville **où** je travaille. (I have a friend who lives in Paris. / It's the city where I work.)
- The relative pronoun comes right after the noun it describes. La femme **qui** parle est ma sœur. / Le café **où** je travaille est près de la gare. (The woman who is speaking is my sister. / The café where I work is near the station.)
- To describe a noun with an adjective, see Adjectives.
- **Qui**, **que** and **où** also ask questions: see Questions.

## Form: qui, que, où

| Form | Replaces | Example |  |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| noun + **qui** + verb | the subject: a person or a thing | L’homme **qui** parle est mon père. / Le train **qui** arrive est en retard. | The man who is speaking is my father. / The train that is arriving is late. |
| noun + **que** + subject + verb | the direct object: a person or a thing | Le livre **que** je lis est bon. / La fille qu’il aime s’appelle Léa. | The book I'm reading is good. / The girl he loves is called Léa. |
| noun + **où** + subject + verb | a place | La ville **où** j’habite est petite. / Le café **où** je travaille est près de la gare. | The town where I live is small. / The café where I work is near the station. |

- **Que** becomes **qu’** before a vowel; **qui** never changes. Le film qu’elle voit est long. / L’ami **qui** arrive est là. (The film she is watching is long. / The friend who is arriving is here.)
- **Qui** and **que** keep the same form for a masculine, feminine, singular or plural noun. Les filles **qui** parlent sont amies. / Les livres **que** je lis sont bons. (The girls who are talking are friends. / The books I'm reading are good.)
- The verb after **qui** agrees with the noun that **qui** describes. L’enfant **qui** joue est là. / Les enfants **qui** jouent sont là. (The child who is playing is here. / The children who are playing are here.)
- **Qui**, **que** and **où** already stand for the noun: the clause adds no other pronoun. Voici le livre **que** je lis. / La ville **où** j’habite est petite. (Here is the book I'm reading. / The town where I live is small.)
- For the elision of **que** into **qu’**, see Liaison and Elision.

## Compare: qui and que

| qui | que |
| --- | --- |
| the subject of the verb that follows | the direct object of the verb in the clause |
| a verb follows it | a subject and a verb follow it |
| C’est l’homme **qui** parle. (It's the man who is speaking.) | C’est l’homme **que** je vois. (It's the man I see.) |

## Typical errors

| ✗ | ✓ |  |
| --- | --- | --- |
| L’homme que parle est mon père. | L’homme **qui** parle est mon père. | the pronoun is the subject of **parle**: say **qui** |
| Le livre qui je lis est bon. | Le livre **que** je lis est bon. | the pronoun is the object of **lis**, and **je** is the subject: say **que** |
| Le café que je travaille est près de la gare. | Le café **où** je travaille est près de la gare. | a place is expressed by **où**, never **que** |
| Le livre je lis est bon. | Le livre **que** je lis est bon. | the pronoun cannot be left out, although English says “the book I'm reading” |
| Le film que il voit est long. | Le film qu’il voit est long. | **que** becomes **qu’** before a vowel |