📚 French Relative Pronouns – Complete Grammar Guide

Master the use of French relative pronouns such as qui, que, dont, où, lequel and their variations. These essential grammar tools connect clauses and give precision to your sentences. Whether you are a beginner or refining your French skills, this guide will help you use them naturally and correctly.

📝 What is a French Relative Pronoun?

A French relative pronoun is a word used to link two clauses together by replacing a repeated noun and introducing a subordinate clause. It helps avoid repetition and adds precision to your sentence.

In English, relative pronouns include “who,” “whom,” “whose,” “which,” and “that.” In French, the most common relative pronouns are qui, que, dont, où, and the forms of lequel.

✔️ Key points:

• They connect a main clause and a relative clause.
• They replace a noun from the main clause inside the relative clause.
• They agree in gender and number with the noun they replace (in some cases).

✔️ Examples

• La femme qui parle est ma professeure – The woman who is speaking is my teacher
• Le livre que j’ai lu était passionnant – The book that I read was fascinating
• Voici l’ami dont je t’ai parlé – Here is the friend whom I told you about
• C’est la ville où je suis né – That’s the city where I was born

📜 List of French Relative Pronouns

Here is a complete list of the main French relative pronouns with their English equivalents and 4 examples for each.

• ✔️ qui – who / that (subject)
  • L’homme qui parle – The man who is speaking
  • La femme qui chante – The woman who is singing
  • Les enfants qui jouent – The children who are playing
  • J’ai un ami qui vit à Paris – I have a friend who lives in Paris
• ✔️ que – whom / that (direct object)
  • Le livre que j’ai acheté – The book that I bought
  • La robe que tu portes – The dress that you are wearing
  • Les films que nous aimons – The movies that we like
  • Voici le gâteau que j’ai préparé – Here is the cake that I made
• ✔️ dont – whose / of which / about whom
  • Une femme dont je me souviens – A woman I remember
  • Un livre dont j’ai besoin – A book that I need
  • Des amis dont je parle souvent – Friends I often talk about
  • Un film dont tout le monde parle – A movie everyone is talking about
• ✔️ où – where / when
  • La ville où je vis – The city where I live
  • Le jour où nous nous sommes rencontrés – The day when we met
  • Un endroit où il fait bon vivre – A place where it’s nice to live
  • Une époque où tout semblait possible – A time when everything seemed possible
• ✔️ lequel / laquelle / lesquels / lesquelles – which (after a preposition)
  • Le stylo avec lequel j’écris – The pen with which I write
  • La chaise sur laquelle il est assis – The chair on which he is sitting
  • Les amis avec lesquels je pars en voyage – The friends with whom I’m traveling
  • Les règles selon lesquelles nous travaillons – The rules according to which we work
• ✔️ auquel / à laquelle / auxquels / auxquelles – to which
  • La personne à laquelle je pense – The person to whom I’m thinking
  • Le projet auquel il participe – The project in which he participates
  • Les idées auxquelles je crois – The ideas in which I believe
  • L’entreprise à laquelle elle appartient – The company to which she belongs
• ✔️ duquel / de laquelle / desquels / desquelles – of which / from which
  • Le village près duquel je suis né – The village near which I was born
  • La colline au sommet de laquelle se trouve un château – The hill at the top of which there is a castle
  • Les documents à propos desquels nous avons parlé – The documents about which we spoke
  • Une décision à la suite de laquelle il a démissionné – A decision as a result of which he resigned

💡 When & How to Use Each Relative Pronoun

Each French relative pronoun has a specific role. Understanding when and how to use them will make your sentences smoother and more accurate.

✔️ qui – subject

Use qui when the pronoun is the subject of the verb in the relative clause. It can refer to a person, animal, or thing.

• L’homme qui parle – The man who is speaking
• La voiture qui est garée là – The car that is parked there
• Les enfants qui jouent dehors – The children who are playing outside
• J’ai un voisin qui adore cuisiner – I have a neighbor who loves cooking

✔️ que – direct object

Use que when the pronoun is the direct object of the verb in the relative clause. It agrees in gender and number with the noun it replaces.

• Le livre que j’ai lu – The book that I read
• La chanson que tu chantes – The song that you are singing
• Les cadeaux que nous avons reçus – The gifts that we received
• Voici la maison que j’ai achetée – Here is the house that I bought

✔️ dont – whose / of which

Use dont to replace “de + noun” and indicate possession, relationship, or association. It is also used with verbs and expressions followed by de.

• Un écrivain dont j’admire les œuvres – A writer whose works I admire
• Le film dont je t’ai parlé – The movie I told you about
• Des amis dont je me souviens bien – Friends I remember well
• Une décision dont les conséquences sont importantes – A decision whose consequences are important

✔️ où – where / when

Use où to refer to a place or a moment in time.

• La ville où je suis né – The city where I was born
• Le restaurant où nous avons dîné – The restaurant where we had dinner
• L’année où ils se sont mariés – The year when they got married
• Un jour où il faisait très froid – A day when it was very cold

✔️ lequel and its forms – which (after a preposition)

Use lequel and its variations (laquelle, lesquels, lesquelles) after a preposition to refer to a thing (and sometimes a person).

• Le stylo avec lequel j’écris – The pen with which I write
• La chaise sur laquelle il est assis – The chair on which he is sitting
• Les principes selon lesquels nous travaillons – The principles according to which we work
• Les amis avec lesquels je pars – The friends with whom I’m leaving

🗂️ Examples in Context

Let's see how each French relative pronoun works in full sentences with real-life context.

✔️ qui – subject

• La voisine qui habite en face est très gentille – The neighbor who lives across the street is very kind
• Voici le chanteur qui a gagné le concours – Here is the singer who won the contest
• J’ai un professeur qui explique très bien – I have a teacher who explains very well
• Les personnes qui travaillent ici sont compétentes – The people who work here are competent

✔️ que – direct object

• La voiture que j’ai achetée est rouge – The car that I bought is red
• Les fleurs que tu as offertes sont magnifiques – The flowers you gave are beautiful
• Voici le film que nous avons vu hier – Here is the movie we watched yesterday
• Le gâteau que j’ai préparé est pour toi – The cake that I made is for you

✔️ dont – whose / of which

• Un livre dont l’auteur est célèbre – A book whose author is famous
• La femme dont le fils est médecin – The woman whose son is a doctor
• C’est un sujet dont nous avons beaucoup discuté – It’s a topic we discussed a lot
• Des paysages dont je me souviendrai toujours – Landscapes I will always remember

✔️ où – where / when

• Paris est la ville où je veux vivre – Paris is the city where I want to live
• Le moment où il est arrivé était parfait – The moment when he arrived was perfect
• L’école où j’ai étudié est loin d’ici – The school where I studied is far from here
• C’était un été où il faisait toujours beau – It was a summer when the weather was always nice

✔️ lequel and its forms – which (after a preposition)

• Les règles selon lesquelles nous travaillons sont strictes – The rules according to which we work are strict
• La maison dans laquelle ils vivent est ancienne – The house in which they live is old
• Les personnes avec lesquelles je collabore sont formidables – The people with whom I collaborate are great
• Le chemin par lequel nous sommes passés était dangereux – The path through which we passed was dangerous

✅ Agreement Rules

In French, relative pronouns can affect agreement in certain cases. The main rule is that the past participle agrees in gender and number with the direct object when it comes before the verb, which happens with que.

✔️ With "que"

When que introduces a direct object before the verb in compound tenses, the past participle agrees with the noun replaced by que.

• La robe que j’ai achetée – The dress that I bought (robe = feminine singular → achetée)
• Les lettres que tu as écrites – The letters that you wrote (lettres = feminine plural → écrites)
• Le livre que nous avons lu – The book that we read (livre = masculine singular → lu)
• Les films que j’ai vus – The movies that I saw (films = masculine plural → vus)

✔️ With "dont", "où", "qui"

These pronouns do not cause past participle agreement, because they are not direct objects.

• Les villes où j’ai vécu – The cities where I lived
• Les amis dont j’ai parlé – The friends I talked about
• Les personnes qui sont venues – The people who came

🛠️ Tips & Common Mistakes

Here are some practical tips to help you master French relative pronouns and avoid common mistakes.

• ✔️ Don’t confuse "qui" and "que" – Qui is the subject of the verb, que is the direct object. Example: C’est la femme qui parle – It’s the woman who is speaking. Example: C’est la femme que j’ai vue – It’s the woman whom I saw.
• ✔️ Use "dont" for possession and verbs with "de" – Example: Le livre dont je parle – The book (that) I’m talking about. Example: Une actrice dont le talent est incroyable – An actress whose talent is incredible.
• ✔️ Use "où" only for places and times – Example: La ville où je vis – The city where I live. Example: Le jour où nous nous sommes rencontrés – The day when we met.
• ✔️ After a preposition referring to a thing, use "lequel" (and forms) – Example: La table sur laquelle j’ai posé mon sac – The table on which I put my bag. Example: Les raisons pour lesquelles il est parti – The reasons for which he left.
• ✔️ After a preposition referring to a person, use "qui" or "lequel" – Example: La femme avec qui je travaille – The woman with whom I work. Example: L’ami avec lequel je voyage – The friend with whom I travel.
• ✔️ Remember past participle agreement with "que" – Example: La robe que j’ai achetée – The dress that I bought. Example: Les lettres que nous avons écrites – The letters that we wrote.

✏ Practice Exercises

Test your knowledge of French relative pronouns with these interactive exercises. Try to answer first, then check the solutions inside the Show Answers dropdown.

🔚 Conclusion

Mastering French relative pronouns is key to forming complex and precise sentences. By understanding the role of each pronoun, practicing their placement, and avoiding common mistakes, you will be able to speak and write with more fluency and accuracy in French.