#bunniiee.

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thorn wagonBOT
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Please be patient

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thin ermine
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There are two kinds of qui and que.

  • They are interrogative pronouns used in questions.
    Que is used for objects.

Que fais-tu ? = What do you do?
Qui is used for persons.
Qui t'a donné ce livre ? = Who gave you this book?
Pretty simple so far.

  • They are relative pronouns. Their choice depends on the grammatical role of the antecedent (the noun or expression in front of a relative pronoun) in relation to the relative clause.
    Que notes the direct object of the relative clause.

Je t'apporte le repas que mon ami a préparé = I bring you the meal that my friend cooked
"Le repas" is the grammatical direct object of the verb "a préparé" that is in the relative clause, thus the relative pronoun que is used.
Qui notes the subject of the relative clause.
Le gars qui a frappé la fille est son petit-ami = The guy who hit the girl is her boyfriend
"Le gars" is the grammatical subject of the verb "a frappé" that is in the relative clause, thus the relative pronoun qui is used.
Animacy and inanimacy don't factor in the choice of a relative pronoun between qui and que (unlike the interrogative pronouns). Meaning an object can precede qui and a person can precede que as long as that object is the subject and that person is the object of a relative clause.
Examples:
Le monsieur que j'ai vu au port est parti en bateau = The mister whom I saw on the harbor left on a boat
J'ai acheté le journal qui vient de paraître = I bought the newspapers which/that just came out