synth371k

[queen star]

Please be patient

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

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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.

[trail flint]

Before answering, which one are you asking about?
If it's the relative pronouns

Je connais l'homme qui habite à côté de moi
La femme que tu as vue est ma voisine
Je sais où le trésor se cache
go here: https://www.lawlessfrench.com/grammar/relative-pronouns/

If it's the question words

Qui a fait ça ?
Que voulez-vous ?
Où se situe le musée ?
go here:
https://www.lawlessfrench.com/grammar/interrogative-pronouns/
https://www.lawlessfrench.com/grammar/interrogative-adverbs/

[chilly pollen]

thanks it was the relative pronouns, I guess that qui is used for people, que for objects and ou for places?

[edgy scroll]

That's already pretty close!

• Qui : refers to or replaces the subject of the sentence (whoever/whatever is performing the action)
• Que : refers to or replaces the direct object (the thing affected by the action of the subject)
• Où : Where

Be careful with the spelling of 'où', because without the accent (ou) it means 'or'.

[trail flint]

Should be noted that « qui/que » and its translation 'who/that' have similar but different functions. « qui/que » depends on the status of the thing it's replacing, whether it's a subject or a direct object, whereas 'who/that' depends on the animacy/life of the thing it's replacing.

(1) « J'ai acheté la porte qui venait de tomber. »
(2) « J'ai acheté la porte que tu avais construite. »
(3) « L'homme qui vient d'arriver est le professeur. »
(4) « L'homme que tu as rencontré est le professeur. »

Here, the difference between « qui/que » depends on the function. In (1) and (3), it's replacing a subject (« la porte venait de tomber », « L'homme vient d'arriver ») so it takes « qui » but in (2) and (4), it's replacing a direct object (« tu avais contruit la porte », « tu as rencontré l'homme ») so it takes « que ».

[edgy scroll]

Something else: 'que' can be shortened, such as in 'Qu'est-ce ...' (que + est-ce). This cannot be done with 'qui'.

[trail flint]

The English translations of these sentences alternate 'that/who' based on animacy: 'that' for dead things and 'who' for living beings.
(1) 'I bought the door that had just fallen.’
(2) 'I bought the door that you had constructed.'
(3) 'The man who has just arrived is the teacher.'
(4) 'The man who you've met is the teacher.'

[edgy scroll]

*the door that just fell/that had just fallen.

[trail flint]

Thanks, I originally wrote the first but opted for the second for the tense sequence but forgot to change the participle

[edgy scroll]

I do that all the time. Deleting only half of a sentence leads to so many mistakes. :D