French · Rung 20 of 26

Relatives: qui, que, dont, où

Qui is the subject of what follows and never elides: l'homme qui parle. Que is the direct object and does elide: l'homme qu'elle voit. The quick test: if a verb follows, qui; if a subject follows, que. Dont replaces a complement with de and has no clean English equivalent: le livre dont je parle (“that I am talking about”), la femme dont le fils est médecin (“whose son”). And où covers place and also time, where English says “when”: le jour où je suis arrivé. Ce qui and ce que do the same job when there is no noun to hang on to: je ne sais pas ce que tu veux.

Where this sits

Comes after
Object pronouns

Exercises from this rung

Generated by the app, from easiest to hardest

  1. Le livre ___ tu lis est à moi.

    • que
    • où
    • qui
    • dont

    Why A subject follows (tu), so the relative is the direct object: que. Before a vowel it elides: le livre qu'il lit. That is the other difference from qui, which never elides.

    easier

  2. La ville ___ je suis né.

    • qui
    • que
    • dont
    • où

    Why où covers place, like “where”. It carries a grave accent to tell it from ou (or), which sounds the same.

    in between

  3. La femme ___ le fils est médecin.

    • dont
    • de qui
    • que
    • qui

    Why dont also does the work of “whose”, with one important difference: the article follows, not a possessive. La femme dont le fils, not “dont son fils”.

    harder