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Relative Pronouns

 

 

• Relative pronouns allow you to qualify or expand your main clause by attaching it to a second clause.

 

 

• Simple sentence and repetition:

 

J’aime ce film. Ce film vient de sortir.

(I like this film. This movie just came out.)

 

 

 

• Main clause + relative clause:

J’aime ce film qui vient de sortir.

(I like this movie that just came out.)

 

 

• In the example above qui is the relative pronoun that links the two clauses. There are several relative pronouns to choose from in French, depending on how the pronoun functions in the relative clause.

 

 

• Qui and Que are the most commonly used relative pronouns in French:

 

 

• Qui functions as a subject. Its antecedent is either a person or a thing. The verb in the relative clause agrees in number (singular/plural) with that of the antecedent.

 

 

Ex. L’actrice qui joue le role principal du film n’est pas très bonne.

(The actress who plays the leading role in the film isn’t very good.)

 

 

• When qui is followed by a vowel, there is no elision.

 

• Que functions as a direct object, its antecedent can be either a person or a thing.

 

• Que takes the gender and number of its antecedent, so a past participle in the relative clause must agree with the gender and number of the antecedent.

 

 

Ex. Le film que nous avons vu est très bon.

 

 

• When the relative pronoun que is followed by a vowel, the e of que is elided with that vowel.

 

 

• Ce qui or ce que is used instead of qui or que when the antecedent is not clearly stated. Both of these are translated as what.

 

 

Ex. Je ne comprends pas ce qui se passe dans ce film.

(I don’t understand what is happening in this movie.)

 

 

• Dont is the relative pronoun used to replace de + its object in a relative clause. The object preposition can be either a person or a thing.

 

 

• Dont is the relative pronoun to use with the following common expressions:

 

 

avoir besoin de          être satisfait de         se moquer de

avoir envie de            être fier de                 parler de

avoir peur de                         se souvenir de          

être content de          se servir de

 

 

Ex. Le grand classique dont il se souvient le mieux est Casablanca.

(The classic film he remembers best is Casablanca.)

 

• Dont is the relative pronoun that sometimes translates into English as whose.

 

• Ce dont is used instead of dont when the antecedent is not clearly stated.

 

 

Ex. Je ne comprends pas ce dont vous avez peur dans ce film d’horreur.

(I don’t understand what you are afraid of in this horror film.)

 

 

• If the relative clause has a preposition other than de, use the pronoun qui when referring to people, and a form of lequel (laquelle, lesquels, lesquelles) when referring to things.

 

 

Ex. Je ne sais plus à qui j’ai prêté le DVD.

(I no longer know to whom I lent the DVD.)

 

 

Ex. Explique-moi les raisons pour lesquelles tu préfères cette chaîne.

(Explain to me the reasons why you prefer this channel.)

 

 

• Où is the relative pronoun used when expressing time or place.

 

 

Ex. Quel est le nom du restaurant où tu as vu Harry Styles?

(What is the name of the restaurant where you saw Harry Styles?)