10.6. Les propositions relatives

Relative Clauses with Qui, Que, and Où

10.6.1. The Main Idea

Relative clauses add extra information about a person, place, or thing.

un ami qui parle français	a friend who speaks French
un film que j’aime	a movie that I like
un café où je vais souvent	a café where I often go

The three useful words here are:

qui	who / that / which
que	that / which / whom
où	where / when

10.6.2. Qui

Use qui when the person or thing after it is doing the action.

J’ai un ami qui parle français.	I have a friend who speaks French.
C’est une personne qui aime voyager.	It is a person who likes to travel.
C’est un restaurant qui est très populaire.	It is a restaurant that is very popular.
J’aime les films qui sont drôles.	I like movies that are funny.

In these examples, qui is followed by a verb.

10.6.3. Que

Use que when the person or thing before it receives the action.

C’est un film que j’aime.	It is a movie that I like.
C’est une chanson que j’écoute souvent.	It is a song that I often listen to.
Voici le cadeau que j’ai reçu.	Here is the gift that I received.
C’est la chemise que je veux acheter.	It is the shirt that I want to buy.

Before a vowel sound, que becomes qu’.

le film qu’il aime	the movie that he likes
la chanson qu’elle écoute	the song that she listens to

10.6.4. Qui vs. Que

Use qui when the noun is doing the action.

un ami qui parle français	a friend who speaks French
un café qui est calme	a café that is quiet

Use que when someone else is doing the action to the noun.

un ami que je connais	a friend whom I know
un café que je préfère	a café that I prefer

Tiny test:

qui + verb	the noun does the action
que + subject + verb	someone does the action to the noun

10.6.5. Où

Use où for a place or a time.

C’est un café où j’étudie.	It is a café where I study.
C’est une ville où j’habitais.	It is a city where I used to live.
Voici la maison où j’ai grandi.	Here is the house where I grew up.
C’est le jour où je suis arrivé.	It is the day when I arrived.
C’est l’année où j’ai commencé le français.	It is the year when I started French.

10.6.6. Examples with Holidays and Celebrations

Noël est une fête que j’aime beaucoup.	Christmas is a holiday that I like a lot.
C’est une fête qui est importante pour ma famille.	It is a holiday that is important to my family.
Voici le cadeau que j’ai reçu.	Here is the gift that I received.
C’est le restaurant où nous avons célébré mon anniversaire.	It is the restaurant where we celebrated my birthday.
C’est le jour où j’ai reçu une invitation.	It is the day when I received an invitation.

10.6.7. Examples with People

C’est un ami qui habite à Calgary.	He is a friend who lives in Calgary.
C’est une amie que je vois souvent.	She is a friend whom I see often.
C’est un professeur qui explique bien.	He / she is a teacher who explains well.
C’est une personne que je respecte.	It is a person whom I respect.

10.6.8. Core Patterns

noun + que + subject + verb	a person/thing that someone does something to
noun + qui + verb	a person/thing that does something
noun + où + subject + verb	a place/time where/when something happens

un ami qui parle français	a friend who speaks French
un film que j’aime	a movie that I like
un café où j’étudie	a café where I study

10.6.9. Practice

a friend who speaks French |

a movie that I like |

a café where I study |

a gift that I received |

a restaurant that is popular |

a person whom I respect |

the day when I arrived |

the city where I used to live |

10.6.10. Answers

a friend who speaks French	un ami qui parle français
a movie that I like	un film que j’aime
a café where I study	un café où j’étudie
a gift that I received	un cadeau que j’ai reçu
a restaurant that is popular	un restaurant qui est populaire
a person whom I respect	une personne que je respecte
the day when I arrived	le jour où je suis arrivé
the city where I used to live	la ville où j’habitais

10.6.11. Short Dialogue

A : C’est qui ?	A: Who is it?
B : C’est un ami qui parle français.	B: It is a friend who speaks French.
A : Et ce cadeau ?	A: And this gift?
B : C’est un cadeau que j’ai reçu pour mon anniversaire.	B: It is a gift that I received for my birthday.
A : Tu vas souvent dans ce café ?	A: Do you often go to this café?
B : Oui, c’est le café où j’étudie.	B: Yes, it is the café where I study.

10.6.12. Checkpoint

By the end of this lesson, you should be able to use qui for the person or thing doing the action, que for the person or thing receiving the action, and où for places or times.