où que + Subjunctive

The expression où que means 'wherever' or 'no matter where' and is a powerful tool for expressing unconditional situations based on location. It belongs to the concessive family of expressions (along with qui que, quoi que, and quel que), which all trigger the subjunctive.

1. With the Subjunctive: Because où que introduces an indefinite or hypothetical place, it is followed by the subjunctive mood in standard French. It is frequently used with verbs of location, state, and movement, such as être, aller, se trouver, habiter, vivre, venir, or passer. It can also take the past subjunctive for completed actions.
Examples: Où que tu ailles... (Wherever you go...) / Où qu'il soit allé... (Wherever he may have gone...).

2. Noun Subject Inversion: When the subject of the verb following où que is a noun, it typically requires inversion.
Example: Où que soit la maison... (Wherever the house is...).

3. Elision: Remember that que elides to qu' before a vowel or mute h. For example: Où qu'il soit (Wherever he is).

4. Important Variations:
- où que ce soit: This fixed phrase means 'anywhere at all'. While it is frequently used in negative, conditional, or doubtful contexts (e.g., Je ne veux pas aller où que ce soit. - I don't want to go anywhere at all), it can also be used in affirmative statements for strong emphasis. However, for standard positive statements like 'I will follow you anywhere', n'importe où is more common.
- d'où que: This means 'from wherever'. (e.g., D'où qu'il vienne... - Wherever he comes from...)
- par où que: This means 'through wherever' or 'whichever way'. (e.g., Par où qu'il passe... - Whichever way he goes...)

5. Contrast with 'partout où': English speakers often confuse où que (indefinite/hypothetical place, takes the subjunctive) with partout où (concrete/realized place, takes the indicative). Both can translate to 'wherever' or 'everywhere'. Example: Partout où je vais, il me suit. (Everywhere/Wherever I go, he follows me.)

6. Distinction from 'ou que': Do not confuse où que (wherever) with ou que (without an accent on the u). The unaccented ou que can be the conjunction 'ou' (or) followed by 'que' (that), which takes the mood dictated by the main verb (e.g., Je sais qu'il est là ou qu'il arrive.). It can also substitute for 'ou si' (or if), since que alone substitutes for a repeated si (if), in which case it takes the subjunctive.

7. Colloquial Use: In very casual or regional spoken French, you might hear où que used simply to mean 'where' in questions followed by the indicative (e.g., Où que tu vas ? - Where are you going?), or as a relative pronoun instead of just où (e.g., C'est la ville où qu'il habite. - That's the city where he lives). These uses are not considered standard.