6.2.9

Relative Pronouns

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Qui, Que, Dont

'Qui', 'que' and 'dont' are used to refer to both people and things.

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Qui - who, which, that

  • 'Qui' is used for the person or the thing doing the action.
    • Ma sœur, qui a vingt-trois ans, habite à l'étranger.
      • My sister, who is 23, lives abroad.
  • 'Qui' is also used after prepositions (à, pour or de).
    • Elle parle avec qui?
      • Who is she talking to?
    • La femme à qui il parle.
      • The women he is speaking to.
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Que - who, whom, which, that

  • 'Que' is used for the object, the person or thing having the action done to them.
    • Le bus que j'ai pris.
      • The bus that I caught.
    • Les amis que je vois le moins sont Sam et Theo.
      • The friends that I see the least are Sam and Theo.
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Dont - of which, about which, whose

  • 'Dont' is used to replace 'de' when 'de' follows a verb.
    • Parler de → L'homme dont nous avons parlé.
      • To speak about → The man about which we spoke.
  • When talking about something as part of a group.
    • Elle est propriétaire de cinq maisons dont une est à l'étranger.
      • She owns five houses, of which one is abroad.
  • 'Dont' replaces 'de' when it talks about possession.
    • C'est un auteur dont j'admire l'œuvre.
      • The author whose work I admire.

Ce qui, Ce que, Ce dont, Quoi

These are called indefinite relative pronouns. They are used in relative clauses.

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Ce qui - what, which

  • 'Ce qui' is the subject of a sentence, it takes the 'il/elle/on' form of the verb.
    • Ce qui m'intéresse, c'est la nourriture.
      • What interests me is the food.
    • Tu sais ce qui me ferait plaisir?
      • Do you know what would please me?
    • C'est ce qui fait son charme.
      • That is what is part of his charm.
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Ce que, qu' - what

  • "Ce que, qu'" is used as a direct object. It comes after the subject and a verb.
  • It's used when no prepositions are needed.
    • Pour faire valoir ce que de droit.
      • For all due intents and purposes.
    • Dis-moi ce que tu en penses.
      • Tell me what you think of it.
    • Il peut dire ce qu'il veut.
      • He can say what he wants.
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Ce dont - which, what

  • 'Ce dont' is used instead of the preposition 'de'.
    • Ce dont j'ai besoin, c'est un stylo.
      • What I need is a pen.
    • Ce dont il a peur, c'est les araignées.
      • What he is scared of is spiders.
    • J'oublie tout ce dont j'ai rêvé.
      • I forget all of what I dreamed.
Illustrative background for Quoi - which, whatIllustrative background for Quoi - which, what ?? "content

Quoi - which, what

  • 'Quoi' is used instead of any preposition that isn't 'de'.
    • J'ai regardé la télé, après quoi j'ai fait mon devoir.
      • I watched the tv, after which I did my homework.
    • Son mari ferait n'importe quoi pour lui.
      • Her husband would do anything for her.
    • Ce avec quoi je suis d'accord.
      • What I agree with.

Jump to other topics

1Identity & Culture

2Areas of Interest

3Study & Employment

4Common Tenses

4.1Present Tense

4.2Perfect Tense

4.3Imperfect Tense

4.4Imperfect vs Perfect

4.5Future Tense

5Advanced Tenses

6Extra Grammar

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