Other Pronouns
Relative, demonstrative, and interrogative pronouns
Relative pronouns (Pronoms relatifs)
A favorite mistake among learners: choosing between qui / que by "qui for people, que for things." In fact qui / que split on subject vs. object — it has nothing to do with people or things.
They link two clauses and avoid repetition.
| Pronoun | Function | Example |
|---|---|---|
| qui | subject | L'homme qui parle... (the man who is speaking) |
| que | direct object | Le livre que je lis... (the book that I'm reading) |
| où | place / time | La ville où j'habite... (the city where I live) |
| dont | object of de | Le film dont je parle... (the film I'm talking about) |
💡 Lock it in one line: qui = subject of the clause (a verb comes right after it); que = direct object (a subject + verb comes after it); dont replaces "de + …" (parler de, avoir besoin de); où covers place and time.
⚠️ The nastiest one: qui / que go by subject/object, not person/thing; verbs with de always take dont
Step 1 — look only at what is missing after the blank; ignore whether you're talking about a person or a thing:
| After the blank there's… | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| a verb (the clause lacks a subject) | qui | La femme qui chante (the woman who is singing) |
| subject + verb (the clause lacks an object) | que | Le plat que je préfère (the dish I like best) |
Step 2 — if the verb or adjective itself is built with de, switch to dont, never que:
- parler de qch → le sujet dont je parle (the topic I'm talking about)
- avoir besoin de qch → le livre dont j'ai besoin (the book I need)
- ❌ le livre que j'ai besoin ✅ le livre dont j'ai besoin
Demonstrative pronouns (Pronoms démonstratifs)
| Masc. sing. | Fem. sing. | Masc. pl. | Fem. pl. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Form | celui | celle | ceux | celles |
Often paired with -ci (this one) / -là (that one) / de / qui/que:
- celui-ci (this one) vs celui-là (that one)
- celui de Pierre (Pierre's one)
- celui qui parle (the one who is speaking)
Interrogative pronouns
| Function | Pronoun | Example |
|---|---|---|
| who (subject) | qui | Qui est là ? |
| who (object) | qui | Tu connais qui ? |
| what (subject) | qu'est-ce qui | Qu'est-ce qui se passe ? |
| what (object) | que / qu'est-ce que | Que fais-tu ? |
| which one | lequel / laquelle | Lequel préfères-tu ? |
Stressed pronouns (Pronoms toniques)
| Subject | Stressed |
|---|---|
| je | moi |
| tu | toi |
| il | lui |
| elle | elle |
| nous | nous |
| vous | vous |
| ils | eux |
| elles | elles |
Used for: emphasis, after a preposition, in c'est… structures
- C'est moi ! (It's me!)
- Je pars avec eux. (I'm leaving with them.)