Any relation to complete/incomplete clauses?

BlakeC1Kwiziq community member

Any relation to complete/incomplete clauses?

It seems to me that qui/ce qui are used when the following close is incomplete, and that que/ce que are used when the following close is complete. Is that true?
This question relates to:French lesson "Ce qui (vs ce que) = what/which (French Relative Pronouns)"
Asked 5 years ago
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BlakeC1Kwiziq community member
Sub complete/incomplete with independent/dependent. It's been a while since I've taken middle school English!
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BlakeC1Kwiziq community member
Also sub "close" for "clause." I really wish I could edit messages here!
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ChrisC1 Kwiziq Q&A super contributor

Hi Blake, I think you got it!

If the relative pronoun (qui/que) refers to an object or idea which is not meantioned in the sentence, you need ce qui/ce qui. If the target of the relative pronoun is part of the same sentence, qui/que suffices.

J'aime voir des films, qui me plaisent. -- I like to see movies, which I like (which-->movies).
J'aime voir des films, ce qui me plaît. -- I like to see movies, (a fact) which I like

Like15 years ago
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Blake asked:View original

Any relation to complete/incomplete clauses?

It seems to me that qui/ce qui are used when the following close is incomplete, and that que/ce que are used when the following close is complete. Is that true?

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