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A2 · Pronouns · Published
Qui vs Que in French
Use qui when the relative pronoun is the subject of the next conjugated verb, and use que when the relative pronoun is the object and a new subject comes right after it. The fastest beginner test is to look after the pronoun: qui usually leads to the next verb, while que is followed by a subject.
La femme qui parle est ma voisine.
Le film que je regarde est trop long.
English often uses "that" for both jobs, which hides the difference. French forces you to show whether the missing word is doing the action or receiving it.
In short
- Qui = subject-hunter: it does the next verb’s action — la personne qui parle, la personne qui m’appelle.
- Que = object-hunter: it is usually followed by a subject — le livre que je lis.
- Que becomes qu’ before a vowel sound; qui never becomes qu’.
- After a preposition, use qui for people: l’ami avec qui je voyage.
quique / qu’subject after que· hover a highlighted word for its label
The subject/object test
A relative pronoun links a noun to extra information: "the woman who speaks", "the film that I am watching". In French, the missing role decides the word.
In the simplest pattern, if a verb comes right after the pronoun, the pronoun itself is doing that verb’s action, so use qui.
If the word after the pronoun is a subject like je, tu, Marie, or les enfants, the pronoun is receiving the verb’s action, so use que.
Short object pronouns and negation can sit between qui and the verb: la personne qui m’appelle, le train qui ne part pas. The real question is still the same: is the relative pronoun doing the next conjugated verb’s action?
| Pattern | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| noun + ___ + verb | qui | la femme qui parle |
| noun + ___ + object pronoun + verb | qui | la personne qui m’appelle |
| noun + ___ + subject + verb | que | le film que je regarde |
| person + preposition + ___ + subject + verb | qui | l’ami avec qui je pars |
The woman who is speaking is my neighbor.
— Qui is followed by the verb parle.
The film that I am watching is too long.
— Que is followed by the subject je.
The train that arrives at eight is full.
— Qui is the subject of arrive.
The train that we are taking is full.
— Que is followed by nous, the subject of the next verb.
Que becomes qu’, qui does not
Before a vowel sound, que elides to qu’. Qui does not elide in standard French. That difference is small on the page but very useful in listening: qu’elle, qu’il, qu’on, but qui arrive, qui habite, qui ouvre.
The article that she is writing is important.
— Qu’ appears because elle starts with a vowel sound.
The student who is arriving is in my class.
— Qui stays qui before a vowel sound.
English "that" hides the choice
English can say "the book that is on the table" and "the book that I bought" with the same word. French cannot. In the first sentence, the book is doing the action or holding the state, so use qui. In the second, someone bought the book, so use que.
The book that is on the table belongs to me.
— The book is the subject of est, so use qui.
The book that I bought is for you.
— The subject j’ follows que, so the book is the object.
After a preposition, use qui for people
After prepositions like avec, pour, chez, sans, and à, qui refers to people. This is a separate use from the subject/object test, but it is common and worth learning early. For things after prepositions, French has a larger system with lequel, laquelle, auquel, and duquel; that belongs to the advanced lequel guide.
The friend I am traveling with lives in Lille.
— After avec, French uses qui for a person.
The colleague I am sending this message to is absent.
— After à, qui is used for a person.
What belongs to dont and ce qui
Qui and que do not cover every English "who", "that", or "what". If the missing relationship contains de, French often uses dont: le livre dont je parle. If you mean "what" as "the thing that", you usually need ce qui or ce que, not plain qui or que.
Common mistakes
✗La femme que parle est ma voisine.
✓La femme qui parle est ma voisine.
The pronoun is the subject of parle, so French needs qui.
✗Le film qui je regarde est long.
✓Le film que je regarde est long.
Je is the subject after the pronoun, so the film is the object and the pronoun is que.
✗Le livre qui elle achète coûte cher.
✓Le livre qu’elle achète coûte cher.
Que is required before a subject, and it becomes qu’ before elle.
✗L’étudiant qu’arrive est italien.
✓L’étudiant qui arrive est italien.
Qui never elides. Here the pronoun is the subject of arrive, so it must be qui.
Check yourself
1 / 4La personne ___ appelle est ma sœur.
2 / 4La personne ___ tu appelles est ma sœur.
3 / 4Le message ___ elle envoie est court.
4 / 4L’ami avec ___ je travaille est canadien.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between qui and que in French?
Qui is used when the relative pronoun is the subject of the next verb: la femme qui parle, la personne qui m’appelle. Que is used when the relative pronoun is the object and a subject follows: le livre que je lis. After que, a past participle agrees with the noun que stands for: la lettre que j’ai écrite.
Why does que become qu’ but qui does not?
Que elides before a vowel sound: qu’il, qu’elle, qu’on. Qui normally stays qui, even before a vowel sound: qui arrive, qui habite.
Can qui mean "who" and "that"?
Yes. Qui can refer to people or things when it is the subject of the relative clause: la femme qui parle, le bus qui arrive. This is not the same qui/que as in questions, where qui means "who" and que / qu’est-ce que means "what" — this page covers relative pronouns.
When do I use dont instead of qui or que?
Use dont when the missing relationship involves de: parler de, avoir besoin de, le nom de. For example, le sujet dont je parle means "the subject that I am talking about".
Is "ce qui" the same as qui?
No. Qui points back to a specific noun already named: la chose qui arrive. Ce qui means "what" or "the thing that" when there is no named noun before it; that choice is covered in the ce qui vs ce que guide.
Memory tip
Cover the noun before the relative pronoun and read what comes next. Does the pronoun do the next conjugated verb’s action? Use qui. Is there a new subject doing the action? Use que.
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