French Relative Clauses: Qui, Que, Dont, Où, Lequel — The Complete Map

Target: 1,800+ words

Relative clauses are the glue of advanced French. They let you combine short, choppy sentences into elegant, complex ones. And they're everywhere in TEF/TCF reading passages.

The problem? French has more relative pronouns than English, and choosing the wrong one is a dead giveaway of intermediate-level French.

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Part 1: What Is a Relative Clause?

A relative clause provides extra information about a noun (the antecedent).

• Two sentences: "J'ai un ami. Cet ami parle chinois."
• Combined: "J'ai un ami qui parle chinois."

The relative pronoun () replaces the repeated noun and connects the two ideas.

Part 2: QUI — The Subject Pronoun

QUI replaces the subject of the relative clause.

• "La femme qui parle est ma mère." (The woman who is speaking is my mother.)
• "Le livre qui est sur la table est intéressant." (The book that is on the table is interesting.)

QUI is followed directly by a verb (no subject between them).

Part 3: QUE — The Direct Object Pronoun

QUE replaces the direct object of the relative clause.

• "Le film que j'ai vu était excellent." (The movie that I saw was excellent.)
• "La personne que tu cherches est partie." (The person you're looking for has left.)

QUE is followed by a (because it IS the object, not the subject).

Part 4: DONT — The "De" Replacement

DONT replaces any element introduced by DE.

4a. Verbs that use "de"

Part 5: OÙ — Place and Time

OÙ replaces expressions of place or time.

Place:

• "La ville où je suis né est petite." (The city where I was born is small.)

Part 6: LEQUEL and Its Forms — After Prepositions

When the relative pronoun comes after a preposition (à, avec, pour, dans, sur, etc.) and refers to a thing, use LEQUEL.

Part 7: CE QUI, CE QUE, CE DONT — The "What" Relatives

When there's no specific antecedent (the pronoun means "what" or "that which"):

Part 8: Quick Decision Flowchart

1. Is the pronoun the subject of the clause? → QUI
2. Is it the direct object? → QUE
3. Does it replace something with DE? → DONT
4. Does it indicate place or time? → OÙ
5. Is it after a preposition + thing? → LEQUEL (and variants)
6. Is it after a preposition + person? → QUI

Conclusion

Relative clauses are non-negotiable for B2+. The examiner expects you to use them naturally in speaking and writing. If you're still writing "La femme. Elle parle français." as two sentences, your score will suffer. Practice combining sentences daily, and pay special attention to DONT — it's the one most learners get wrong.