Qui or que in French? A simple subject–object test

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Le train qui arrive means the train that is arriving. Le train que je prends means the train that I take. English uses “that” in both phrases, but French makes a different distinction: is the relative pronoun the subject or the direct object of its clause?

Once you can rebuild the short sentence behind each phrase, choosing qui, que or qu’ becomes much more manageable.

The quick decision: who does what?

A relative clause adds information about a noun mentioned earlier. That noun is called the antecedent. What matters is its role inside the added clause, not its role elsewhere in the sentence.

Tex’s French Grammar at the University of Texas at Austin explains this subject–direct object distinction. Here we focus on relative qui/que without a preceding preposition, rather than question words such as Qui vient ?

Qui: the noun is the subject

Start with two sentences:

• Je regarde le train. — I am watching the train.
• Le train arrive. — The train is arriving.

In the second sentence, le train is the subject of arrive. Replace that repeated subject with qui:

Je regarde le train qui arrive. — I am watching the train that is arriving.

The same pattern works for people and things:

• La femme qui parle est ma voisine. — The woman who is speaking is my neighbour.
• Le téléphone qui sonne est sur la table. — The phone that is ringing is on the table.

Qui does not change for gender or number. The verb still agrees with its subject: les trains qui arrivent. Learn the whole phrase so that the pronoun and verb form stay connected.

Que: the noun is the direct object

Now rebuild another pair:

• Voici le train. — Here is the train.
• Je prends le train. — I take the train.

In the second sentence, je is the subject and le train is the direct object: what do I take? The train. Join them like this:

Voici le train que je prends. — Here is the train that I take.

A person can be the direct object too:

La femme que tu connais est ma voisine. — The woman you know is my neighbour.

So “qui for people, que for things” is not a useful rule. The same woman can be qui parle or que tu connais. Her grammatical role changes; being a person does not.

One extra English-language trap: you can say “the train I take” without “that”. You cannot simply drop que in French.

Qu’: the shorter form of que

Before a vowel or silent h, que becomes qu’:

• le train qu’elle prend — the train she takes
• le livre qu’il lit — the book he reads

Qui does not undergo this shortening in standard French: le train qui arrive, not le train qu’arrive.

First decide the role. Only then check whether que needs an apostrophe. A following vowel by itself does not tell you to use qu’.

A dependable four-step test

For le livre … tu lis:

1. Find the noun being described: le livre.
2. Restore the added sentence: Tu lis le livre.
3. Identify the roles: tu is the subject; le livre is the direct object → que.
4. Check the next word: le livre que tu lis, but le livre qu’elle lit.

“Qui is followed by a verb; que is followed by a subject” is a handy clue for simple examples, not the underlying rule. In le livre qui me plaît, me comes between qui and plaît. The book is still the subject: Le livre me plaît.

Three mistakes worth catching early

Do not repeat the subject. Say le train qui arrive, not le train qui il arrive.

Do not lose a preposition. Je parle de ce livre becomes le livre dont je parle, not le livre que je parle. A de complement needs a different construction.

Watch agreement in compound tenses. In la lettre que j’ai écrite, the preceding feminine direct object accounts for écrite with avoir. You can practise the subject–object choice in the present tense first, then add this agreement step. See also the guide to passé composé and imparfait.

Six exercises: qui, que or qu’?

Choose the missing form, then rebuild the short sentence that explains it.

1. Le café ___ ouvre à huit heures est près de la gare.
2. Le café ___ nous cherchons est près de la gare.
3. La collègue ___ travaille ici parle italien.
4. La collègue ___ tu invites parle italien.
5. Le film ___ elle regarde est français.
6. J’aime les chansons ___ me donnent envie de danser.

Answers and explanations

1. qui: Le café ouvre à huit heures. The café is the subject, even before the vowel in ouvre.
2. que: Nous cherchons le café. Nous is the subject; the café is the direct object.
3. qui: La collègue travaille ici. The colleague is the subject.
4. que: Tu invites la collègue. The colleague is a person, but also the direct object here.
5. qu’: Elle regarde le film. The film is the direct object; que shortens before elle.
6. qui: Les chansons me donnent envie de danser. The songs are the subject; me is not another subject.

Move from choosing a word to building a sentence

Take an everyday noun and give it two different continuations: le restaurant qui ouvre à midi and le restaurant que tu préfères. Say both aloud and add a main clause. This turns the grammar choice into something you can use when speaking or writing.

In Lingo Phrase Cards, you can select a set in an offered French-learning direction, study prepared phrases with target-language IPA and audio, and switch the card direction. In regular study, answer before revealing the other side, then assess your answer; this updates the box and due date. Extra pool, box or error-card practice does not change that card progress. Categorised sets may require a licence.

The sentences above are editorial exercises. For your own routine, choose phrases from your set and notice each word’s role. The guide to learning vocabulary in context explains how to work with complete expressions.

Remember: rebuild the clause first. Subject → qui; direct object → que/qu’.

Explore the offered language directions and sets in Lingo Phrase Cards.

Further reading

• University of Texas at Austin: Relative pronouns: qui and que.
• Lingolia: Relative pronouns in French.