Que and qui

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That, what, which, who

The French pronouns que and qui are both two different types of pronouns. Click the links for detailed lessons on the difference between them.

Interrogative pronouns

As interrogative pronouns, que means "what" and qui means "who" or "whom."

Par exemple…

Que lisez-vous ?		What are you reading?
Qui est-elle ?		Who is she?

Relative pronouns

When they are relative pronouns, que and qui can both mean "that," "what," or "who."

Par exemple…

Hélène est la femme que j’aime.		Hélène is the woman that I love.
Hélène est la femme qui m’aime.		Hélène is the woman who loves me.

Notes

• Que is also a subordinating conjunction.
• Qu’ is the contraction of que plus a vowel or mute h.
• Qui is an informal contraction of que + il or que + ils.

 Related lessons

• Interrogative pronouns
• Relative pronouns
• The Pronommeur

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