Relative Pronouns Qui, Que and Ou to Link Clauses
A relative pronoun joins two clauses about the same noun into one longer sentence, which examiners reward as a sign of range and complexity. Qui replaces the SUBJECT of the clause that follows and is always directly followed by a conjugated verb, as in 'la fille qui habite à côté'.
Before you start
Make sure you're comfortable with these topics first:
Method
- Find the two short sentences that share a repeated noun, and decide which one becomes the main clause and which becomes the relative clause.
- In the relative clause, work out what job the repeated noun does: is it the subject of the verb, the object of the verb, or an expression of place/time?
- If it is the subject, use qui and follow it immediately with a conjugated verb, with no elision even before a vowel: 'le garçon qui arrive'.
- If it is the object, use que (elided to qu' before a vowel or silent h) and follow it with a new subject then its verb: 'le film que j'ai vu'.
- Remember that a preceding direct object que still triggers past participle agreement in the perfect tense, exactly like a direct object pronoun: 'les photos que j'ai prises'.
- Use où to replace a place or a time, never a person: 'la maison où j'habite' (where); 'l'été où nous sommes allés en France' (when).
- Do not confuse the relative/interrogative où (with a grave accent, meaning 'where') with the conjunction ou (no accent, meaning 'or'): read the sentence for meaning before choosing.
- Combine two short simple sentences into one relative-pronoun sentence to raise the level of a piece of writing, since GCSE mark schemes reward complex sentences over strings of short ones.
Worked example
Combine these two sentences into one, using the correct relative pronoun: 'J'ai un ami. Mon ami habite à Paris.'
- Identify the repeated noun: 'un ami' and 'mon ami' refer to the same person.
- Decide the job of 'mon ami' in the second sentence: it is the subject of 'habite', so the relative pronoun must be qui.
- Delete the repeated noun and replace it with qui, keeping the verb straight after it: '... qui habite à Paris'.
- Join the clauses: 'J'ai un ami qui habite à Paris.'
Practice questions
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Q1Choose qui or que: 'C'est le professeur ___ enseigne les maths.'Show answer
Answer: qui (it is the subject of 'enseigne').
Q2Choose qui or que: 'Voici le livre ___ j'ai acheté hier.'Show answer
Answer: que (it is the object of 'j'ai acheté').
Q3Fill the gap with qui, que or où: 'Le restaurant ___ nous avons mangé était excellent.'Show answer
Answer: où (it replaces the place, 'in which').
Q4Correct the elision error: 'C'est le film que je aime le plus.'Show answer
Answer: C'est le film que j'aime le plus.
Q5Complete with the correct relative pronoun: 'C'est le jour ___ je suis né.'Show answer
Answer: où (it replaces the time expression).
Q6Add the correct past participle agreement: 'Voici les lettres que j'ai écrit___ hier soir.'Show answer
Answer: écrites (que refers to 'les lettres', feminine plural, and is a preceding direct object).
Q7Combine into one sentence using qui: 'J'ai une soeur. Ma soeur joue au tennis.'Show answer
Answer: J'ai une soeur qui joue au tennis.
Q8Combine into one sentence using que: 'Regarde la robe. J'ai choisi la robe.'Show answer
Answer: Regarde la robe que j'ai choisie.
Exam-style questions
Written in the style of a GCSE French exam paper, with a full mark scheme.
Translate this passage into English: 'Le collège où je vais est très moderne. J'ai des professeurs qui sont patients et je fais souvent mes devoirs avec des copains que je connais depuis l'école primaire.'
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Translate into French: 1. The girl who lives next door is my best friend. 2. I lost the book that I borrowed. 3. That is the town where I was born.
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Fill each gap with qui, que/qu' or où, then translate the completed sentence into English: 1. J'habite dans une ville ___ il y a beaucoup de monuments. 2. Le film ___ nous avons regardé était trop long. 3. Elle a un frère ___ étudie la médecine. 4. C'est le sac ___ j'ai perdu au parc. 5. Août est le mois ___ il fait le plus chaud.
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See real GCSE French past-paper questions, with official mark schemes →
Free printable worksheet
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