navinci

[eternal orchid]

Please be patient

Our volunteers look into many questions every day; sometimes it takes them a little while to answer.

Pro tip: you can rename the thread title with `.tr <thread name>`

Make it descriptive, including relevant context, but also to the point. This way you improve your chances of getting a more relevant and specific answer.

[vast flicker]

que -> for objects
qui -> for subjects

subject | object
le service technique vient d'installer l'ordinateur

l'ordinateur que le service technique vient d'installer est très rapide

with relative pronouns like this, you basically have two sentences that you're smashing together and depending on the function of the noun used where you're smashing the sentences together, you change the relative pronoun

l'ordinateur est très rapide
le service technique vient de *l'*installer
the « l' » above is an object, so:
→ l'ordinateur que le service technique vient d'installer est très rapide

[serene leaf]

So is qui for people and que for things?

[rigid solstice]

No. These rules are for grammatical subjects and objects.

• La pomme qui se trouve sur la table -> The subject here is "la pomme", so we use qui
• La personne que je rencontre -> Here the subject is "je", but the object is "la personne", so we use que

Anything can be a grammatical object, whether it's something you'd typically consider an object, or a person

[serene leaf]

Could you explain it like to a child what's a subject and what's an object

It seems like this whole concept is not really getting to me 💀

[torpid bridge]

The subject initiates the action expressed by a verb, and the object is on its receiving end.

[vast flicker]

the dog ate the steak

the dog → subject, does the action
the steak → object, is acted upon

[serene leaf]

Okay but if I had something like
Un ordinateur qui a été reparé
Then it's acted upon but we use qui?

[vast flicker]

that's an example of passive voice

and in passive voice the grammatical subject is the implied object lol

[serene leaf]

Amazing

[vast flicker]

to take from my example above
the steak was eaten by the dog

the steak → grammatical subject, but undergoes the action
the dog → grammatical object, introduced by "by", and does the action

the passive voice is formed by combining the auxiliary verb to be (in whatever tense is needed) with the past participle

incidentally, the passive voice is formed the same way in French

[serene leaf]

Alrighty, thanks a lot
I'll do some exercises and if I have any more questions I'll ping you if that's okay?