Qui = Who/which/that (French Relative Pronouns)

 

Look at these sentences using qui:

Il a mangé une pizza qui avait une pâte fine.He ate a pizza which/that had a thin crust.

Nous étudions un livre qui s'appelle "Moby Dick".We are studying a book which/that is called "Moby Dick".

Marie connaît Julien qui joue de la guitare.Marie knows Julien who plays guitar.

Il adore les restaurants qui servent de la cuisine italienne.He loves the restaurants which serve Italian food.

Note that qui is used to express both singular and plural which/who, just like in English.

Knowing when to use qui and when to use que can be tricky for English speakers, as we often mistakenly think qui only means who, but it can be used to refer to inanimate objects as well as people.

How to use qui (instead of que) in French

There's an easy pattern to spot when deciding between qui and que to say who, that or which:

Use qui when the following word is a verb or reflexive /object pronoun (e.g. me, te, se, lui, le, la, nous, vous, leur, les, etc), and use que if the following word is a noun (thing or person).

In grammar jargon, we use qui when it's the subject of the verb, and que when it's the object of the verb.
If subjects, verbs, and objects confuse you watch the cartoon video explaining them. They're easier than they sound.
Contrast this with: Que = Whom/which/that (French Relative Pronouns)

 

Replacing objects and people with qui

Here are examples of sentences being changed so that people and objects are replaced with relative pronouns in both French and English:

Il a mangé une pizza. Cette pizza avait une pâte fine. -> Il a mangé une pizza qui avait une pâte fine.
He ate a pizza. This pizza had a thin crust. -> He ate a pizza that had a thin crust.
 
Je lis un livre. Ce livre s'appelle "Orgueil et Préjugés". -> Je lis un livre qui s'appelle "Orgueil et Préjugés".
I'm reading a book. A book is called "Pride and Prejudice" -> I'm reading a book which/that is called "Pride and Prejudice".
 
Marie connaît Julien. Julien joue de la guitare. -> Marie connaît Julien qui joue de la guitare.
Marie knows Julien. Julien plays guitar. -> Marie knows Julien who plays guitar.

ATTENTION:

Qui never becomes qu' in front of a vowel or mute h: only the letter e can be omitted for pronunciation in this case!

See also the more advanced lessons:

Using [preposition] + qui/lequel/laquelle/etc = on what/behind whom/beside which/etc (French Relative Pronouns)

À + qui, auquel, à laquelle = to whom, what, which (French Relative Pronouns)

De qui/dont/duquel = of/about whom, of/about which - with prepositional verbs with "de" (French Relative Pronouns)

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Learn more about these related French grammar topics

Examples and resources

C'est l'imagination qui étend pour nous la mesure des possibles, et nourrit les désirs par l'espoir de les satisfaire.
(Jean-Jacques Rousseau)
It's the imagination that extends for us the measure of what's possible, and feeds desires with the hope of satisfying them.
(Jean-Jacques Rousseau)
Vive le vent d'hiver, 
Qui s'en va sifflant, soufflant,  
Dans les grands sapins verts, oh !
Long live the winter wind, 
that goes whistling, blowing, 
through the big green pine trees, oh!
Nous étudions un livre qui s'appelle "Moby Dick".We are studying a book which/that is called "Moby Dick".
Je lis un livre qui s'appelle "Orgueil et Préjugés".I'm reading a book which/that is called "Pride and Prejudice".
Il a mangé une pizza qui avait une pâte fine.He ate a pizza which/that had a thin crust.
Marie connaît Julien qui joue de la guitare.Marie knows Julien who plays guitar.
J'aime le chocolat qui vient de Suisse.I like chocolate which/that comes from Switzerland.
Elle a un collier qui appartenait à sa grand-mère.She has a necklace which/that belonged to her grandmother.
Tu as reçu une lettre qui est de ta cousine.You received a letter which/that is from your cousin.
Il adore les restaurants qui servent de la cuisine italienne.He loves the restaurants which serve Italian food.
Ces fleurs, qui sont des tournesols, poussent bien ici.These flowers, which are sunflowers, grow well here.
Et tout là-haut le vent,
Qui siffle dans les branches...
And all above the wind,
Which whistles in the branches...
Qui = Who/which/that (French Relative Pronouns)
1 of 1
"La fille qui aime Luc a les yeux bleus." means:

Q&A Forum 23 questions, 45 answers

Hillary Patricia W.B2Kwiziq community member

Word missing in one of the test anwers

She knows this girl who plays guitar. It should be ----THE guitar
Asked 1 week ago
CécileKwiziq Native French TeacherCorrect answer

Hillary, 

Having carried out some research and discussed with some members of the team, this is what I found -

" Both versions are grammatically correct and can be used in English, but they have slightly different meanings:

1. "This is the girl who plays guitar" - This implies that the girl generally plays guitar as an instrument or skill. It doesn't refer to a specific guitar.

2. "This is the girl who plays the guitar" - This version, with "the" before guitar, can imply either:

a) She plays a specific guitar that has been previously mentioned or is known in context.

b) She plays the guitar as an instrument in general (similar to the first version, but slightly more formal).

Both forms are commonly used and often interchangeable in casual conversation when referring to playing an instrument.

Anne, these are our guidelines for the English we use -

https://www.kwiziq.com/is-this-english-correct

 

I hope this helps!

Anne D.C1Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor

I’d say that "plays guitar" is American English and "plays the guitar" is British English - the former construction is creeping into the UK media eg he plays piano, but it isn’t necessarily regarded as grammatical English here! 

I’d be interested to know the general policy of the language experts on this site vis à vis usages from the UK/US/other Anglophone countries.

Hillary Patricia W. asked:

Word missing in one of the test anwers

She knows this girl who plays guitar. It should be ----THE guitar

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M. P.C1Kwiziq community member

Why is this page all in English?

There seems to be a mistake on this page. Everything is in English!

Asked 1 year ago
CécileKwiziq Native French TeacherCorrect answer

Hi Myrna, 

The page looks fine to me too.

Not sure if you are querying the grammar explained in English but this is the way it is conducted in Kwiziq.

Bonne Continuation !

Maarten K.C1 Kwiziq Q&A super contributor

Must be technical hitch somewhere - looks fine now. Best to contact help desk if persists in your connection.

M. P. asked:

Why is this page all in English?

There seems to be a mistake on this page. Everything is in English!

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Thy M.B1Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor

"les" or "des"

Bonjour,

I have a tiny off-topic question relating the articles of the nouns before qui/que.

Must the articles always be "les" instead of "des" because the noun is defined by qui/que later on already. Is this the right way to understand it?

The examples in this lesson always use un/une and verb of preference like "adorer" (which we all know must go with definite articles).

So I'm just asking what if I want to say: "They are the girls who I saw yesterday". Should it be:

   a) Elles sont les filles que j'ai vues hier

   b) Elles sont des filles que j'ai vues hier

Merci.

Asked 2 years ago
CécileKwiziq Native French TeacherCorrect answer

Hi Thy, 

The answer is neither as it should be -

Ce sont les filles que j'ai vues hier These are the girls I saw yesterday 

If you said -

Ce sont des filles que j'ai vues hier = These are some girls that I saw yesterday.

Hope I understood your question correctly, let me know if not.

Thy M.B1Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor

Hello Cécile,

Yes you understand it correctly, thank you for your answer, it clears up my confusion.

Bonne journée.

Thy M. asked:

"les" or "des"

Bonjour,

I have a tiny off-topic question relating the articles of the nouns before qui/que.

Must the articles always be "les" instead of "des" because the noun is defined by qui/que later on already. Is this the right way to understand it?

The examples in this lesson always use un/une and verb of preference like "adorer" (which we all know must go with definite articles).

So I'm just asking what if I want to say: "They are the girls who I saw yesterday". Should it be:

   a) Elles sont les filles que j'ai vues hier

   b) Elles sont des filles que j'ai vues hier

Merci.

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hemlata g.A2Kwiziq community member

Pronom relatif simple ou composé

Bonjour Aurélie

I was doing an exercise that asked me to choose between pronom relatif simple or composé. I'm confused which one to use here.

La question........ j'aimerais une réponse est la suivante : où allons-nous ?

can I use que here?

Asked 2 years ago
Chris W.C1 Kwiziq Q&A super contributor Correct answer

You may want to read this exercise (scroll about halfway down):

Ce qui (vs ce que) = what/which (French Relative Pronouns)

 

hemlata g. asked:

Pronom relatif simple ou composé

Bonjour Aurélie

I was doing an exercise that asked me to choose between pronom relatif simple or composé. I'm confused which one to use here.

La question........ j'aimerais une réponse est la suivante : où allons-nous ?

can I use que here?

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M. P.A1Kwiziq community member

question on grammar explanation

Hia - in the lessons notes, it says: "If subjects, verbs, and objects confuse you watch the cartoon video explaining them. They're easier than they sound."

Can you advise where the video is to watch? Maybe I am missing the obvious ;-)

Asked 2 years ago
CélineKwiziq Native French TeacherCorrect answer

Bonjour M.,

In this lesson, there is a set of 3 2 videos (at the end of the lesson - under "Examples and Resources"), one of which is titled "Subject, verbs and objects (direct and indirect) MADE EASY!". This is the one explaining them.

I hope this is helpful. 

Bonne journée !

EDIT: This lesson included 3 videos originally. It only includes 2 videos after one of the videos was reported as being unavailable online.

CélineKwiziq Native French TeacherCorrect answer

Bonjour,

One of the video got removed a while after I first replied.

I have amended my reply.

Bonne journée !

Aashpreet K.A1Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor

Hello, I can't see the 3rd video you are talking about. Is it removed?

There are just 2 videos on this page! Please advise.

M. P. asked:

question on grammar explanation

Hia - in the lessons notes, it says: "If subjects, verbs, and objects confuse you watch the cartoon video explaining them. They're easier than they sound."

Can you advise where the video is to watch? Maybe I am missing the obvious ;-)

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ersan o.B1Kwiziq community member

qui and est cannot come together

qui+est  = qu'est ??

Asked 3 years ago
Jim J.C1 Kwiziq Q&A super contributor Correct answer

Hi Ersan,

Copied directly from the lesson:-

"ATTENTION:

Qui never becomes qu' in front of a vowel or mute h: only the letter e can be omitted for pronunciation in this case!"

Jim

ersan o. asked:

qui and est cannot come together

qui+est  = qu'est ??

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Andrea N.B2Kwiziq community member

Une famille de musiciens (Vocabulaire)

" Ia rencontré mon grand-Père qui, lui, jouait de la trompette, "

I came across this sentence in a recent test.  I understand that 'qui'  replaces the subject (grand-père ).  What is the function of 'lui' ?

Asked 3 years ago
CélineKwiziq Native French TeacherCorrect answer

Bonjour Andrea,

As Alan pointed out 'lui' is a stress pronoun. It replaces 'mon grand-père'.

Here is a link to the Kwiziq lesson on this particular grammar point:

stressed-pronouns

I hope this is helpful.

Bonne journée ! 

Jim J.C1 Kwiziq Q&A super contributor

Hi Andrea,

I see "lui" to be an indirect object pronoun.

The family of musicians met your grandfather who used to play the trumpet WITH it (A family (une)).

Hope this helps.

Jim

Alan G.C1 Kwiziq Q&A super contributor

I thought it was a stress pronoun, used to emphasise the contrast/similarity with the grandmother who played violin. We could perhaps use "himself" in English.

"My grandmother, who used to play violin in an orchestra, met my grandfather who himself played trumpet, at a concert."

Andrea N. asked:

Une famille de musiciens (Vocabulaire)

" Ia rencontré mon grand-Père qui, lui, jouait de la trompette, "

I came across this sentence in a recent test.  I understand that 'qui'  replaces the subject (grand-père ).  What is the function of 'lui' ?

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Guilherme S.B1Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor

lui, le, la, leur - reflexive pronouns?

In this lesson you say "Use qui when the following word is a verb or reflexive pronoun (e.g. me, te, se, lui, le, la, nous, vous, leur, les, etc)", but isn't there a mistake here? Can lui, le, la, leur be reflexive pronouns?

Asked 4 years ago
CécileKwiziq Native French TeacherCorrect answer

Hi Guilherme, 

Thank you for pointing this out and for your suggestion which is now added to the lesson paragraph.

Bonne Continuation!

 

Jim J.C1 Kwiziq Q&A super contributor

Hi Guilherme,

Pronouns:-

lui / leur - indirect      le / la / les - direct   

me / te / se / nous / vous - reflexive     and also (except se)  direct or indirect as appropriate.

Hope this helps

Jim

Guilherme S.B1Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor

Thanks. In that case, I suggest adding the word "objects" to the following line: "Use qui when the following word is a verb or reflexive/object pronoun (e.g. me, te, se, lui, le, la, nous, vous, leur, les, etc)."

Second paragraph of the section "How to know when to use qui (instead of que) in French"

Guilherme S. asked:

lui, le, la, leur - reflexive pronouns?

In this lesson you say "Use qui when the following word is a verb or reflexive pronoun (e.g. me, te, se, lui, le, la, nous, vous, leur, les, etc)", but isn't there a mistake here? Can lui, le, la, leur be reflexive pronouns?

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Grant C.A1Kwiziq community member

Where do I find the cartoon video for qui vs que?

Asked 4 years ago
CécileKwiziq Native French TeacherCorrect answer

Hi Grant,

I am not sure which cartoon video you are talking about. I have checked all the videos on the lesson page and they all seem to play ok.

Bonne Continuation!

Grant C. asked:

Where do I find the cartoon video for qui vs que?

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Cher H.A2Kwiziq community member

brûla pendant huit jours. = burned for eight days.

L'huile, qui ne devait brûler qu'un jour, brûla pendant huit jours.The oil, which was supposed to burn only one day, burned for eight days.I have a question in one of the quiz of this lesson, I don't have problem with the use of qui. I just want to know what tense 'brûla' is in. It isn't passe compose nor imperfect. I can't figure out what tense it is. 
Asked 4 years ago
Chris W.C1 Kwiziq Q&A super contributor Correct answer

It is passé simple, a tense mostly used in literary French. Here is more on it:

https://progress.lawlessfrench.com/revision/glossary/verb-tense-mood/the-french-simple-past-le-passe-simple

Cher H. asked:

brûla pendant huit jours. = burned for eight days.

L'huile, qui ne devait brûler qu'un jour, brûla pendant huit jours.The oil, which was supposed to burn only one day, burned for eight days.I have a question in one of the quiz of this lesson, I don't have problem with the use of qui. I just want to know what tense 'brûla' is in. It isn't passe compose nor imperfect. I can't figure out what tense it is. 

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Elle A.A1Kwiziq community member

que or qui

how do you know where to use qui or que

Asked 5 years ago
CécileKwiziq Native French TeacherCorrect answer
Chris W.C1 Kwiziq Q&A super contributor

There are several lessons on that topic. You might want to look them up in the library: https://progress.lawlessfrench.com/revision

Elle A. asked:

que or qui

how do you know where to use qui or que

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Dragana E.C1Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor

Qui ou Lequel

There is a

IIl veut visiter le château qui est au milieu de la forêt.

Can we use lequel ?

Still confused with lequel.

Asked 5 years ago
Chris W.C1 Kwiziq Q&A super contributor

Qui is the subject of a subordinate clause.

Lequel is the indirect object of a subordinate clause and is used in conjunction with a preposition.

Anne m'a montré le livre, qui te plaît tant. -- Anne showed me the book, that you like so much.

Anne m'a montré le livre dans lequel le héros s'appelle comme toi. -- Anne showed me the book, in which the hero has the same name as you.

A remark on the side: care must be taken with the preposition de, which sometimes needs the relative pronoun dont and sometimes duquel/de laquelle, but that's a different story...

Dragana E. asked:

Qui ou Lequel

There is a

IIl veut visiter le château qui est au milieu de la forêt.

Can we use lequel ?

Still confused with lequel.

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Shrey R.A1 Kwiziq Q&A super contributor

Doubt in relative pronouns

Bonjour Madame Cécile,

I am facing a difficulty in understanding a sentence which reads-

"Le déguisement qui vous va le mieux est celui de Catwoman."

 Now, in this sentence the relative pronoun 'qui' has been used because it establishes a link between the noun (déguisement) and the verb (aller) . The problem I am facing is with "vous" but I think it is actually an object pronoun and not a subject pronoun as the verb "va"  agrees with "le déguisement" and not "vous".

The two sentences would be - Le déguisement va le mieux à vous. Il est celui de Catwoman.

Hence "qui" is used.

But if the sentence had been as- " La robe que vous avez achetée est très excellente."

Here "que" is used because it is the object of the verb 'acheter'. It's not the robe which has bought but it's what the pronoun 'vous' has bought.

The two sentences could be as- Vous avez acheté une robe . La robe est très excellente.

Madame , Please verify if I am correct or is there some flaw ?

Merci d'avance.

Asked 6 years ago
CécileKwiziq Native French TeacherCorrect answer

Hi Varsha,

All correct, the only thing I will correct is the old enemy - c'est/il est

Le déguisement qui va le mieux  à vous, c'est celui de Catwoman

Chris W.C1 Kwiziq Q&A super contributor

Correct. 

Shrey R.A1 Kwiziq Q&A super contributor

Merci beaucoup Madame Cécile 

Bonne année à vous.

Shrey R. asked:

Doubt in relative pronouns

Bonjour Madame Cécile,

I am facing a difficulty in understanding a sentence which reads-

"Le déguisement qui vous va le mieux est celui de Catwoman."

 Now, in this sentence the relative pronoun 'qui' has been used because it establishes a link between the noun (déguisement) and the verb (aller) . The problem I am facing is with "vous" but I think it is actually an object pronoun and not a subject pronoun as the verb "va"  agrees with "le déguisement" and not "vous".

The two sentences would be - Le déguisement va le mieux à vous. Il est celui de Catwoman.

Hence "qui" is used.

But if the sentence had been as- " La robe que vous avez achetée est très excellente."

Here "que" is used because it is the object of the verb 'acheter'. It's not the robe which has bought but it's what the pronoun 'vous' has bought.

The two sentences could be as- Vous avez acheté une robe . La robe est très excellente.

Madame , Please verify if I am correct or is there some flaw ?

Merci d'avance.

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fiona K.B2Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor

Aurélie, both que and qui can be used for which and that. And we qui when the following word is a verb or reflexive pronoun.

 Il veut visiter le château qui est au milieu de la forêt. 'visiter is the verb but it does not follow it is before qui so why is que in this question wrong?
Asked 6 years ago
Chris W.C1 Kwiziq Q&A super contributor
Well, the verb "est" follows right after "qui". It is the relevant verb for the relative clause.
CécileKwiziq Native French Teacher

Hi Fiona,

You could have a subject pronoun or a name  after 'que' as in the following examples :

C'est le château que Claudine a visité = That's the chateau which Claudine visited

Il veut revisiter le château que j'ai déjà vu plusieurs fois = He wants to revisit the chateau that I have seen several times already

Hope this helps 

fiona K.B2Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor
Thank you both Chris and Cecile (sorry Cecile my accent is not working). I am still wrapping my head around these, I will practise more.
fiona K. asked:

Aurélie, both que and qui can be used for which and that. And we qui when the following word is a verb or reflexive pronoun.

 Il veut visiter le château qui est au milieu de la forêt. 'visiter is the verb but it does not follow it is before qui so why is que in this question wrong?

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Steven L.C1Kwiziq community member

I can’t work out when it is “ce qui/ce que” or “qui/que”… I.e. when does “Ce” go in front of qui/que? Thank you

Asked 6 years ago
Chris W.C1 Kwiziq Q&A super contributor

Hi Steven, I'll give it a shot.

The pronoun "ce" is used whenever the following relative pronoun (qui or que) refers to an idea that is not specifically mentioned in the same sentence. For example:

Natalie a un livre qui parle de Napoléon. -- Natalie has a book which talk about Napoleon.
Dans ce livre, elle trouve ce qui l'intéresse. -- In that book she finds what interests her.
Elle y apprend ce que Napoléon a fait. -- She learns from it, what Napoleon did.

The first sentence uses "qui" as a relative pronoun which refers to "un livre".

The second sentence uses "ce qui", which refers to a general idea of what interests her. There is no clear target in the sentence to which a mere "qui" could refer. It is "ce qui" because that is the subject of the sentence.

The third sentence uses "ce que" because, again, it referes to a general idea, namely that which Napoleon did. Also, it is the direct object ot the sentence, hence "ce que" instead of "ce qui".

As a rough guideline you can use "ce qui/ce que" whenever you would use "what" in English. If you can use "which", itis "qui/que".

-- Chris (not a native speaker).

Steven L.C1Kwiziq community member
 I get it!… And thanks for the little tip at the end, I’ll try it out…Steve 
Steven L. asked:

I can’t work out when it is “ce qui/ce que” or “qui/que”… I.e. when does “Ce” go in front of qui/que? Thank you

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D. V.C1Kwiziq community member

Agreement with Qui as a relative pronoun

In the sentence, "C'est moi qui parle au prof '', does the verb agree with qui (usually 3rd person singular) or with what ''qui '' represents?  Ex:  Ce sont nous qui parle au prof .... ou .... Ce sont nous qui parlent au prof .... ?
Asked 6 years ago
CécileKwiziq Native French TeacherCorrect answer

Hi Deanna,

As Chris says the verb will agree with the preceeding noun. e.g.

C'est vous qui êtes sur la liste des candidats?

C'est nous qui parlons ...

C'est moi qui suis malade...

Hope this helps!

Chris W.C1 Kwiziq Q&A super contributor

Hi Deanna,

yes, the relative pronoun always replaces the noun it relates to. Hence, if "qui" refers to a plural noun, the verb in the subordinate clause needs to be in plural as well.

-- Chris (not a native speaker).

D. V. asked:

Agreement with Qui as a relative pronoun

In the sentence, "C'est moi qui parle au prof '', does the verb agree with qui (usually 3rd person singular) or with what ''qui '' represents?  Ex:  Ce sont nous qui parle au prof .... ou .... Ce sont nous qui parlent au prof .... ?

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Arndis K.A2Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor

This is more of a comment than a question:

I found it a bit frustrating that the quiz is about something other than what was just taught above. The lesson is about when to use QUI and not QUE, but the quiz requires me to also know when to use QUI and when to use CE QUI, which is taught elsewhere. 
Asked 6 years ago
Arndis K. asked:

This is more of a comment than a question:

I found it a bit frustrating that the quiz is about something other than what was just taught above. The lesson is about when to use QUI and not QUE, but the quiz requires me to also know when to use QUI and when to use CE QUI, which is taught elsewhere. 

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CrystalMaiden 7.C1Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor

Qui or Que before Tu?

Asked 6 years ago
Chris W.C1 Kwiziq Q&A super contributor
Please post your question in a bit more detail here. -- Chris.
Alan G.C1 Kwiziq Q&A super contributor

Que. See Que = Whom/which/that (French Relative Pronouns)

use que when the word that follows is (or represents) a person or thing/s, such as Cécile, je, tu, il, etc. (as opposed to qui when the word that follows is a verb).
Chris W.C1 Kwiziq Q&A super contributor

Hi CrystalMaiden/Alan,

The words "que" or "qui" perform different functions: they can be either interrogative pronouns or relative pronouns. Depending on how they are used, they  behave a bit differently.

First their interrogative function:

Qui se trouve dans la chambre? -- Who is in the room?
Que se trouve dans la chambre? -- What is in the room?
Qui sent la chocolate? -- Who smells like chocolate?
Que sent la chocolate? -- What smells like chocolate?

Here "qui" is for persons and "que" for inanimate objects. They always function as the subject of the sentence and behave in their roles very much like the English "who" and "what".

Then there is their functions as relative pronouns. And whether you use "que" or "qui" doesn't depend on whether it concerns a person or an object. Their use is determined by whether it represents the subject (nominative) or the direct object (accusative) of the subordinate clause.

C'est le pull qui me va bien. -- It is the sweater which suits me.
C'est Sabine, qui m'aime. -- It is Sabine who loves me

In both cases you use "qui" because in both instances it functions as the subject in the subordinate clauses.

C'est Sabine, que j'aime. -- It is Sabine whom I love.
Le pull, que tu as acheté, me plaît. -- I like the sweather, which you bought.

Here you use "que" for Sabine as well as the sweater because "que" represents the direct object in the subordinate clause. The correspondingt subjects are "je" and "tu", respectively. Hence the rule: if you can find a subject in the subordinate clause then you will need "que" (as there can't be multiple independent subjects in a clause).

-- Chris (not a native speaker).

Alan G.C1 Kwiziq Q&A super contributor

Hi Chris,

Yes I know, but using "que" rather than "qui" before a noun or non-reflexive pronoun is a quick tip given on the website. The point is that the noun/pronoun that follows must be the subject of a verb, and so the thing referred to by "que" will presumably be the object and so needs "que" rather than "qui". There is a similar quick tip for "qui" which I think CrystalMaiden was referring to.

CrystalMaiden 7.C1Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor
By this point I've gotten the hang of it. Also, the reason my question was so short is probably that I ran into the word limit through a glitch multiple times and was barely able to post the question, so I was deleting most of the question just to post it.
CrystalMaiden 7. asked:

Qui or Que before Tu?

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Suzanne P.B1Kwiziq community member

lequel

Asked 6 years ago
Chris W.C1 Kwiziq Q&A super contributor

Is there a question you would like tomask?

-- Chris. 

Suzanne P. asked:

lequel

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K. M.C1Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor

It would be helpful if the lesson contrasted qui and ce qui. Thank you, K

Asked 7 years ago
GruffKwiziq Co-founder, CEO
Hi K - if you click on the pronom relatif links in the lesson you''ll see all the lessons we have on that topic, including ce qui and ce que.
Chris W.C1 Kwiziq Q&A super contributor
In a nutshell: you use "qui" (=which/what) as the subject of a subordinate clause to refer to a noun in the main clause. If there is no clear target in the main clause to which "qui" can refer, you use "ce qui" (=that which). 1) Ce qui m'interesse, c'est la musique. -- What interests me is music. 2) La musique, qui m'interesse, est le jazz. -- The music, which interests, me is jazz. In the first example the "what" has no clear target in the main clause, hence "ce qui" is used in French. In the second example, "qui" refers directly to "music" and therefore you can use it by itself. Greetings, -- Chris (not a native speaker).
K. M. asked:

It would be helpful if the lesson contrasted qui and ce qui. Thank you, K

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Victoria M.C1Kwiziq community member

Extra Words - Unnecessary?

A sentence like "Tu as reçu une lettre qui est de ta cousine." seems a little wordy. Is it correct (or incorrect) to just say "Tu as reçu une lettre de ta cousine." ? Merci beaucoup!
Asked 8 years ago
AurélieKwiziq Head of French, Native French TeacherCorrect answer
Bonjour Victoria !

Yes, of course, your sentence "Tu as reçu une lettre de ta cousine." is absolutely correct, and less wordy I agree!
Here we wanted to demonstrate the use of "qui", hence the "wordy" sentence ;)

A bientôt !
Victoria M.C1Kwiziq community member
Merci Aurélie! Sometimes I'm not certain when I should opt for using more or less wordy constructions. So this is extremely helpful to see the flexibility in correct usage. Merci à nouveau!
Victoria M. asked:

Extra Words - Unnecessary?

A sentence like "Tu as reçu une lettre qui est de ta cousine." seems a little wordy. Is it correct (or incorrect) to just say "Tu as reçu une lettre de ta cousine." ? Merci beaucoup!

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mark h.C1Kwiziq community member

I'd like to know why we use qui in the following sentence?

I know a man with whom I have worked which becomes in french: je connais un homme avec qui j'ai travaillé
Asked 8 years ago
AurélieKwiziq Head of French, Native French TeacherCorrect answer

Bonjour Mark,

Here is a slightly different case, which is the use of whom/which when preceded by a preposition: "avec qui".

Please have a look at the matching lesson, and let us know if you have questions:

https://progress.lawlessfrench.com/revision/grammar/prepositions-qui-lequel-laquelle-on-what-behind-whom-beside-which-etc-relative-pronouns

À bientôt !

Andrew W.B2Kwiziq community member

Beacuse it is introduced by a preposition - avec

mark h. asked:

I'd like to know why we use qui in the following sentence?

I know a man with whom I have worked which becomes in french: je connais un homme avec qui j'ai travaillé

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ola k.A2Kwiziq community member

HI,when we should use "ce qui" and when "qui" ?

Asked 9 years ago
LauraKwiziq EditorCorrect answer
Bonjour Ola, Qui is a French relative pronoun and ce qui is an indefinite relative pronoun. You use qui when the antecedent is known, and ce qui when it's abstract.
Take a look at these lessons:

Qui: 
https://progress.lawlessfrench.com/revision/grammar/when-to-use-qui-to-say-who-which-or-that-relative-pronouns

Ce qui: 
https://progress.lawlessfrench.com/revision/grammar/ce-qui-what-which-relative-pronouns
ola k. asked:

HI,when we should use "ce qui" and when "qui" ?

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