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Use qui when the relative pronoun is the subject of the verb that follows, and use que when the relative pronoun is the direct object of a verb whose subject appears after it. La femme qui parle means the woman who is speaking because qui does the speaking; la femme que je vois means the woman whom I see because je is the subject and que is the object. The choice depends on grammar inside the relative clause, not on whether the noun is a person.
qui + verb · que + subject + verb
In relative clauses, qui is the subject. It is followed directly by a verb because qui itself performs the action: le candidat qui réussit, les personnes qui attendent. Que is the direct object. It is followed by a subject because someone else performs the action on the noun: le candidat que nous avons choisi, les documents que vous avez envoyés.
This means qui can refer to people or things, and que can also refer to people or things. La lettre qui est arrivée uses qui because the letter arrived. La lettre que j'ai écrite uses que because I wrote the letter. Do not use the English who/that distinction as your main rule.
J'ai un ami qui parle très bien français.
I have a friend who speaks French very well.
qui is subject of parle
J'ai un ami que tu connais déjà.
I have a friend whom you already know.
tu is subject; que is object
Voici le livre qui m'a aidé.
Here is the book that helped me.
Voici le livre que j'ai acheté.
Here is the book that I bought.
que before passé composé can trigger agreement
Because que is a direct object, it can trigger past participle agreement when it comes before a compound tense with avoir. La lettre que j'ai écrite has écrite because que refers to la lettre, a feminine singular direct object placed before the verb. This is one of the reasons que matters in formal writing.
Qui does not create the same avoir direct-object agreement because it is the subject of the relative clause. Les lettres qui sont arrivées use être agreement because the verb is arriver with être, not because qui is a direct object.
Les erreurs que j'ai corrigées étaient fréquentes.
The mistakes that I corrected were frequent.
que = preceding direct object
Les erreurs qui reviennent souvent sont les plus dangereuses.
The mistakes that come back often are the most dangerous.
La réponse que tu as donnée est claire.
The answer that you gave is clear.
La réponse qui convient le mieux est la deuxième.
The answer that fits best is the second one.
| Pattern | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| noun + qui + verb | relative pronoun is subject | le cours qui commence demain |
| noun + que + subject + verb | relative pronoun is direct object | le cours que je suis |
| person + qui | person doing action | la personne qui appelle |
| person + que | person receiving action | la personne que j'appelle |
| thing + qui | thing doing action | le message qui arrive |
| thing + que | thing receiving action | le message que j'envoie |
Do not choose qui only because the noun is a person. La personne que j'ai rencontrée takes que because j' is the subject and the person is the direct object of rencontrer. The human/non-human distinction is not the rule for relative qui and que.
Do not forget elision: que becomes qu' before a vowel or mute h, but qui does not. Write l'examen qu'il prépare, but l'examen qui approche. Qui never becomes qu' in standard French.
Do not confuse relative que with interrogative que. In que veux-tu ?, que asks what. In le document que tu veux, que links a noun to a relative clause. Same spelling, different job.
Cover the noun before the relative clause and look at what comes next. If the next word is a verb with no visible subject, qui is probably doing the action. If the next word is je, tu, il, elle, nous, vous, ils, a noun, or a name, que is probably receiving the action. The words after the blank decide.
Qui vs que is one of the easiest ways to upgrade TEF/TCF writing because relative clauses create complex sentences without rare vocabulary. Instead of writing two short sentences, combine them: j'ai choisi un cours. Ce cours commence lundi → j'ai choisi un cours qui commence lundi. Or: j'ai reçu le document. Vous avez envoyé ce document → j'ai reçu le document que vous avez envoyé. At B2, watch the agreement after que in passé composé; it is a visible accuracy signal in formal writing.
No. Relative qui can refer to people or things. It is used when the pronoun is the subject of the verb: le livre qui m'aide, la personne qui parle.
Que becomes qu' before a vowel or mute h: le cours qu'il suit. Qui does not elide: le cours qui est difficile.
Because je is the subject of vois, and la femme is the direct object. In the relative clause, the pronoun receives the action, so French uses que.
Yes, with avoir in compound tenses when que is a preceding direct object: les lettres que j'ai écrites. This is important in formal writing.