Sentence builder
Build relative clauses with qui and que
C'est l'ami qui habite à Lyon; c'est le livre que je lis: tap the tiles to build eight sentences with qui and que, and learn the subject-or-object test.
- B1
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In short
Qui replaces the subject of the next verb (l'homme qui parle), que replaces the object (le film que je regarde). Quick test: if the next word is a verb, use qui; if it's a subject (je, tu, il, Marie), use que.
Yellow the idea to rememberBlue French to learn
| Relative | Replaces | Example |
|---|---|---|
| qui | the subject | La fille qui chante est ma sœur. |
| que / qu' | the object | La chanson qu'elle chante est belle. |
| où | a place or time | La ville où j'habite. |
| dont | de + noun | Le livre dont je parle. |
Tap the words in the right order. Tap a placed word to send it back.
He's the friend who lives in Lyon.
Here's the book I'm reading.
The woman who is speaking is my teacher.
The film we saw was long.
I have a neighbour who plays the piano.
The dress she's wearing is red.
It's the town where I was born.
The cake you made is delicious.
When do you use qui or que in French?
English often drops the relative pronoun ("the book I'm reading"), but French never does: le livre que je lis. Que becomes qu' before a vowel, but qui never elides: l'ami qui arrive. In the passé composé, the participle agrees with que when it refers to a feminine or plural noun: la robe qu'elle a achetée.
- Le livre je lis.Le livre que je lis.
French never drops que.
- L'ami qu'habite à Lyon.L'ami qui habite à Lyon.
Qui never elides.
- La fille que chante.La fille qui chante.
Subject of chante: qui.