Connect ideas fluently using qui, que, dont, and où.
Relative pronouns link clauses and replace a noun to avoid repetition.
Qui — subject of the relative clause (who/that):
La femme qui parle est professeure. — The woman who is speaking is a teacher.
Que — direct object of the relative clause (who/that/which):
Le livre que je lis est intéressant. — The book that I'm reading is interesting.
Dont — replaces de + noun (whose/of which/about which):
Le film dont je parle est français. — The film I'm talking about is French.
L'homme dont je connais la fille... — The man whose daughter I know...
Où — relative pronoun of place or time (where/when):
La ville où j'habite est belle. — The city where I live is beautiful.
Le jour où je suis né... — The day when I was born...
| French | English | Example |
|---|---|---|
| qui | who/that (subject) | Le garçon qui chante est mon ami. |
| que | that/which (object) | La chanson que j'aime est vieille. |
| dont | whose/of which | Le pays dont je rêve, c'est la France. |
| où | where/when (relative) | La maison où j'ai grandi. |
| Word | Phonetic | Tip |
|---|---|---|
| dont | dohn | Nasal "on" — the "t" is silent |
| laquelle | lah-KEL | Stress on "kel" |
| lequel | luh-KEL | Used after prepositions with masculine nouns |
Que elision: Before a vowel, que contracts to qu': L'homme qu'il admire. But qui never elides: La femme qui est là. A common mistake is using qui as a direct object — remember: qui = subject, que = object.
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