tout ce qui / tout ce que

Everything That with Tout Ce Qui/que

Level 3

Tout ce qui and tout ce que are used to say 'everything that' or 'all that' in French. They refer to general ideas or a collective whole rather than a specific noun.

How It Works

In French, relative pronouns like qui and que usually refer back to a specific noun (e.g., 'the book that...'). However, when you want to refer to an indefinite 'everything' or 'that which,' you must use the placeholder ce.

1. Structure:
The phrase is composed of tout (all/everything) + ce (that/the thing) + a relative pronoun.

2. Subject vs. Object:

  • Use tout ce qui when the 'everything' is the subject of the next verb.
    Example: Tout ce qui brille... (Everything that shines...).
  • Use tout ce que when the 'everything' is the direct object of the next verb.
    Example: Tout ce que je vois... (Everything [that] I see...).

3. Invariability:
In this construction, tout is almost always masculine singular because it refers to the neutral pronoun ce. It does not change to match the gender of the things you are thinking about.

4. Elision:
Remember that que becomes qu' before a vowel or mute 'h', but qui never changes.

Examples (5)

  1. Tout ce qui brille n'est pas or.

    All that glitters is not gold.

    Word by Word: All that which shines is not gold.

    Here, 'ce qui' is the subject of the verb 'brille' (shines).

  2. Je comprends tout ce que tu dis.

    I understand everything that you are saying.

    Word by Word: I understand all that which you say.

    Here, 'ce que' is the object of 'dis'. 'Tu' is the subject.

  3. Tout ce qu'il veut, c'est dormir.

    All that he wants is to sleep.

    Word by Word: All that which he wants, it is to sleep.

    Note the elision: 'que' becomes 'qu'' before the vowel in 'il'.

  4. Dis-moi tout ce qui s'est passé.

    Tell me everything that happened.

    Word by Word: Tell me all that which itself is happened.

    'Ce qui' is the subject of the verb 'est passé'.

  5. Elle a oublié tout ce que j'ai écrit.

    She forgot everything that I wrote.

    Word by Word: She has forgotten all that which I have written.

    'Ce que' is the object of the action 'écrit'.

Common Mistakes

  • Dropping the 'ce' and saying 'tout que' or 'tout qui'.

    Je mange tout que tu prépares.
    Je mange tout ce que tu prépares.

    In French, 'tout' cannot be followed directly by 'qui' or 'que'. You must include the neutral pronoun 'ce' as an anchor.

  • Using 'qui' when a subject is already present.

    Tout ce qui tu fais est bien.
    Tout ce que tu fais est bien.

    Since 'tu' is the subject of 'fais', you must use the object pronoun 'que'.

  • Contracting 'qui' before a vowel.

    Tout ce qu'arrive est triste.
    Tout ce qui arrive est triste.

    Unlike 'que', the relative pronoun 'qui' never undergoes elision. It remains 'qui' even before a vowel.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

tout ce qui / tout ce queLevel 3Everything That with Tout Ce Qui/que

Learn This First

To learn 'tout ce qui' and 'tout ce que', you first need to understand 'tout' as a pronoun meaning 'everything'. You must also be familiar with the indefinite relative pronouns 'ce qui' and 'ce que', which function as 'what' or 'that which' in English, depending on whether they serve as the subject or the object of the subordinate clause.

Words in This Pattern

ce quice que