French Relative Pronouns Qui, Que, Où, Dont: A Simple Guide with Examples

Reading time: 8 minutes

 

🇫🇷 In short : Qui, que, où, dont: these four relative pronouns help you connect two sentences and speak more naturally. Here is a simple guide to understand and use them.

This difficulty is very common among French learners because the rule seems simple at first… then exceptions and natural usage appear in conversations.

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What are relative pronouns for?

Relative pronouns help you avoid repetition and connect two ideas.

Instead of saying: J’ai vu un film. Le film était très intéressant. You can say: J’ai vu un film qui était très intéressant.
 

Qui: the subject

Use qui when the pronoun replaces the subject of the following verb.

  • J’ai une amie qui habite à Marseille.
  • C’est un livre qui m’a beaucoup aidé.
     

Que: the direct object

Use que when the pronoun replaces the direct object.

  • Le film que j’ai vu était excellent.
  • La phrase que tu as écrite est correcte.
     

Où: place or time

Use où to talk about a place, and sometimes a time.

  • La ville où j’habite est très calme.
  • Le jour où je suis arrivée, il pleuvait.
     

Dont: de + something

Use dont when the verb or expression requires de.

  • C’est le livre dont je t’ai parlé.
  • Voilà le sujet dont j’ai besoin.
  • C’est une personne dont je me souviens très bien.
     

Key takeaway

The right question is not only: “What is the rule?” The right question is: “In what situation do I want to use this sentence?” This is how grammar becomes useful for speaking.

Do you want to speak French with more confidence?

In Objectif : Parler Français, you practise grammar in concrete situations, so you can move from “I know the rule” to “I can use it when speaking”.

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