Relative pronouns (joining two clauses): A relative pronoun (un pronom relatif) lets you join two short sentences into one by replacing a repeated noun — exactly like English who, which, that, where, whose.
Two sentences become one: Instead of J'ai un ami. Cet ami habite à Lyon. you say J'ai un ami qui habite à Lyon.
The four you need: The four you need at SL are qui, que, où and dont — and the trick is choosing the right one for the job.
- le pronom relatif
- a relative pronoun — joins a clause to a noun (qui, que, où, dont)
- l'antécédent
- the noun the relative pronoun refers back to (l'ami qui… → l'ami is the antécédent)
- qui
- who/which/that as the SUBJECT (the doer) of its clause — l'ami qui parle
- que (qu')
- whom/which/that as the DIRECT OBJECT — le livre que je lis (elides to qu')
- où
- where / when — relative of PLACE or TIME (la ville où…, le jour où…)
- dont
- of which / about which / whose — replaces de + … (le film dont je parle)
Why it matters: Relative pronouns are how you build longer, more sophisticated sentences instead of lots of short ones — and that earns language marks. They come up constantly: describing a person (qui), a thing (que), a place (où) or talking about something (dont).
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Four pronouns, four jobs: These words never change to agree with gender or number — the skill is choosing the right one. Learn the table, then the worked split underneath it.
Decide what role the noun plays in the second clause
- The subject → qui
- The direct object → que
- A place or time → où
- The verb takes de → dont
| Pronom | Rôle | Exemple | Anglais |
|---|---|---|---|
| qui | sujet (subject) | le garçon qui court | the boy who runs |
| que / qu' | objet direct (direct object) | le film que j'aime | the film that I like |
| où | lieu / temps (place / time) | la ville où je vis | the town where I live |
| dont | de + … (of/about/whose) | le sujet dont on parle | the topic we talk about |
| Two sentences | → Joined with a relative pronoun |
|---|---|
| Je connais une fille. Elle chante bien. | Je connais une fille qui chante bien. (qui = subject elle) |
| Voilà le gâteau. Je l'ai fait. | Voilà le gâteau que j'ai fait. (que = object le) |
| C'est le café. J'y travaille. | C'est le café où je travaille. (où = place) |
| C'est un problème. Je m'occupe de ce problème. | C'est un problème dont je m'occupe. (dont = de of s'occuper de) |
qui keeps its -i, que loses it: qui is the subject and never elides — even before a vowel: l'homme qui arrive. que is the object and does elide to qu' before a vowel: la chanson qu'elle écoute. A quick test: if a verb follows directly, you usually need qui; if a new subject (je, tu, il…) follows, you usually need que.
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A quick decision guide: When you're unsure, ask one question about the second clause. Run through the checklist below with its French examples.
One question, four answers
- Is the shared noun doing the action → qui
- Is it receiving the action (with another subject right after) → que
- Is it a place or a time → où
- Does the verb need de → dont
Quel pronom relatif ?
- Is the noun the subject (it does the verb)? → qui — C'est l'homme qui travaille ici. (the man who works here)
- Is the noun the direct object (another subject follows)? → que — C'est le repas que ma mère prépare. (the meal my mother prepares)
- Is it a place? → où — C'est la maison où j'habite. (the house where I live)
- Is it a time (le jour, le moment, l'année…)? → où — C'est le jour où tout a changé. (the day when everything changed)
- Does the verb take de (parler de, avoir besoin de, s'occuper de)? → dont — C'est le livre dont j'ai besoin. (the book I need)
The de test for dont: Before you choose, check the verb of the second clause. If it would naturally take de — parler de (talk about), avoir besoin de (need), rêver de (dream of), s'occuper de (deal with) — then the relative pronoun is dont: le projet dont je m'occupe.
dont = whose: dont also means whose: la femme dont le fils est médecin (the woman whose son is a doctor).
Joining clauses, sentence by sentence: Each sentence below joins two ideas into one with a relative pronoun. Read it for the meaning, then tap Voir la traduction for the English or the audio button to hear it.
For each one, notice which job the pronoun does
- qui (subject)
- que (object)
- où (place and time)
- dont (de)
Les pronoms relatifs en action
Joindre deux idées, phrase à phrase
- J'ai un ami qui habite à Lyon.
- C'est le livre que je lis en ce moment.
- Voici la ville où je suis né.
- C'est un film dont tout le monde parle.
- Je me souviens du jour où nous nous sommes rencontrés.
Steal this for your writing: Notice the pattern: a noun, then a relative pronoun, then the extra detail — un ami qui…, le livre que…, la ville où…, un film dont…. Wherever you'd write two short sentences with the same noun, glue them together with the right relative pronoun and your French instantly reads more fluently.
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The slips anglophone learners make: Four traps cost most marks. Compare the right version with the typical mistake.
The four traps
- Using qui for the object when a new subject follows (le livre qui je lis is wrong → le livre que je lis is right).
- Forgetting that que elides before a vowel (que il aime is wrong → qu'il aime is right), while qui never elides (qui arrive, never qu'arrive).
- Using quand instead of où for a time (le jour quand is wrong → le jour où is right).
- Forgetting dont when the verb takes de (le film que je parle is wrong → le film dont je parle is right).
Correct
- le garçon qui parle
- le livre que je lis
- la chanson qu'elle écoute
- le jour où je suis né
- le film dont je parle
Erreur fréquente
- le garçon que parle
- le livre qui je lis
- la chanson que elle écoute
- le jour quand je suis né
- le film que je parle
Verb-or-subject? Then check for de: Two quick checks. (1) Look at what comes after the gap: a verb directly → qui; a new subject (je, tu, il, elle…) → que (elide to qu' before a vowel).
Check 2: place, time or de: (2) Is the noun a place/time → où (never quand after a noun), or does the verb take de → dont. Run those two checks and you'll pick the right pronoun almost every time.