que (pronom relatif)
Relative Pronoun Que (Object)
Use que to link two parts of a sentence when the person or thing you are describing is the object of the action. It is mandatory in French, even when 'that' or 'whom' is dropped in English.
How It Works
The relative pronoun que is a fundamental tool for connecting clauses. Its primary role is to represent the direct object (COD) of the relative clause.
1. People and Things
Unlike some languages, French uses que for both people and objects.
Example: L'ami que je regarde (The friend whom I am watching) and Le livre que je lis (The book that I am reading).
2. Mandatory Usage
Unlike English, where you can say 'The movie I saw,' French requires the pronoun: Le film que j'ai vu. You can never omit it.
3. Elision (qu')
When the word following que starts with a vowel or a mute 'h', it must shorten to qu'.
Example: Le cadeau qu'il a choisi (The gift that he chose).
Note: Unlike que, the subject pronoun qui never elides.
4. Past Participle Agreement
To become proficient in French, remember that in compound tenses like the passé composé, the past participle must agree in gender and number with the noun que represents.
Example: Les fleurs que j'ai achetées (The flowers [fem. pl.] that I bought).
5. Important Distinctions
If the verb requires the preposition de (like avoir besoin de), you must use dont instead of que. If you are referring to an unspecified idea ('what') rather than a specific noun, use ce que.
Examples (4)
- C'est le gâteau que j'ai préparé.
This is the cake that I made.
Word by Word: It is the cake that I have prepared.
'Gâteau' is the direct object of 'préparé', so we use 'que'.
- L'homme que tu vois est mon oncle.
The man [whom] you see is my uncle.
Word by Word: The man that you see is my uncle.
Even though the antecedent is a person, we use 'que' because he is the object of the verb 'vois' (you see him).
- Les photos qu'elle a prises sont belles.
The photos that she took are beautiful.
Word by Word: The photos that she has taken are beautiful.
Note the elision (qu') before 'elle' and the agreement of 'prises' with the feminine plural 'photos'.
- Le livre que nous lisons est long.
The book [that] we are reading is long.
Word by Word: The book that we read is long.
In English, 'that' is often optional, but in French, 'que' is strictly required.
Common Mistakes
Omitting 'que' (Zero-Relative).
Le livre je lis est bon.Le livre que je lis est bon.In English, you can say 'The book I'm reading,' but in French, you must always include the relative pronoun.
Confusing 'que' (object) with 'qui' (subject).
L'ami qui j'appelle arrive.L'ami que j'appelle arrive.Use 'que' when the noun is the object (I call the friend). Use 'qui' only when the noun is doing the action (The friend calls me).
Forgetting past participle agreement.
La lettre que j'ai écrit.La lettre que j'ai écrite.When 'que' (the direct object) comes before the verb in the passé composé, the past participle must agree with the noun it represents (lettre is feminine singular).
How It Connects
Learn This First
To understand the relative pronoun 'que', learners must first be comfortable with basic sentence structure (Subject-Verb-Object) to identify the direct object being replaced. They also need to understand the concept of elision, as 'que' becomes 'qu'' before a vowel. Finally, familiarity with the subject relative pronoun 'qui' provides a necessary contrast for understanding how relative clauses function in French.
Related Patterns
- Dropping a vowel before another vowel
'Que' must undergo elision to 'qu'' before vowels, which is a fundamental rule of French phonology.
Level 1 - Agreement with a fronted direct object
Using 'que' in compound tenses triggers the specific rule of past participle agreement with the preceding object.
Level 2 - dontRelative Pronoun Dont
Learners often use 'que' when they should use 'dont' for verbs requiring the preposition 'de'.
Level 3 - ce queWhat (Object) with Ce Que
When the object being referred to is not a specific noun but an unspecified idea, 'ce que' is used instead of 'que'.
Level 3 - où (pronom relatif)Relative Pronoun Ou (Place/time)
Learners often use 'que' for time or place, whereas 'où' is required for those contexts.
Level 3
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
- à condition que + SubjunctiveOn the Condition That with a Condition QueLevel 3
- de peur que + SubjunctiveFear of a Result with De Peur QueLevel 3
- Impersonal expressions requiring the subjunctiveLevel 3
- Emotion requires the subjunctiveLevel 3
- il faut que + SubjunctiveNecessity with Il Faut Que + SubjunctiveLevel 3
- vouloir que + SubjunctiveWanting Someone Else to Act with Vouloir QueLevel 3
- avant que + SubjunctiveBefore with Avant QueLevel 3
- lequel / laquelle (relatif)Relative Pronoun Lequel After a PrepositionLevel 3
And 11 more in the full list.
Words in This Pattern
Practice que (pronom relatif) in Bubblegum
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