CEFR A2
What you will learn
- Distinguish subject qui from direct-object que by rebuilding the relative clause.
- Choose où for place or time and dont when the construction retrieves a de-complement or possession relationship.
Before you start
- Recognise the vocabulary and forms shown in this lesson’s key idea and paradigm.
The idea
You do not choose the relative by what it means, but by the hole it fills inside its own clause.
Think of the relative clause as a loose sentence with a piece missing. If what is missing is the subject, the relative is “qui” and a verb follows: “l'homme qui parle”. If what is missing is the direct object, it is “que” and another subject follows: “le livre que je lis”.
That is the whole trick, and it does not depend on whether you are talking about a person or a thing. “Qui” does not mean “who” and “que” does not mean “that”: one fills the subject hole and the other fills the object hole. Look at what comes next and you will know which.
“Où” fills the hole of a place — “la ville où je vis” — and also, which surprises people, of a moment: “le jour où je suis arrivé”. You do not use “quand” inside a relative clause.
“Dont” picks up a “de” that was inside the clause. “Je t'ai parlé de ce film” becomes “le film dont je t'ai parlé”. It works for possession too: “une maison dont les fenêtres sont bleues”.
And one thing French will not let you do: leave the relative out. The sentence always needs that word, however well it may sound in your head without it.
Relative pronouns
| fonction manquante | pronom | modèle |
|---|---|---|
| sujet | qui | la personne qui parle |
| COD | que / qu' | le livre que je lis |
| lieu / moment | où | la ville où je vis |
| complément avec de / possession | dont | le sujet dont je parle |
How it sounds
- L'homme qui parle est mon oncle.The subject of “parle” is missing, so “qui”.
- Le livre que je lis est passionnant.“Je” follows: the hole is the object, so “que”.
- Le jour où je suis arrivé, il neigeait.A moment in time is also picked up by “où”, not by “quand”.
- C'est le film dont je t'ai parlé.“Parler de” left a “de” hanging, and “dont” picks it up.
Check objective 1Another case
A proposed answer is “que” for this case: “La femme que habite en face est médecin.”. Choose the only valid form.
A proposed answer is “dont” for this case: “La femme dont habite en face est médecin.”. Choose the only valid form.
Answer available without interaction
Answer: qui — A verb with no subject follows: the hole is the subject.
A verb with no subject follows: the hole is the subject.
Answer: qui — A verb with no subject follows: the hole is the subject.
A verb with no subject follows: the hole is the subject.
Check objective 2Another case
A proposed answer is “que” for this case: “C'est un sujet que tout le monde parle.”. Choose the only valid form.
A proposed answer is “qui” for this case: “C'est un sujet qui tout le monde parle.”. Choose the only valid form.
Answer available without interaction
Answer: dont — Parler de needs “de”, and that “de” is picked up by “dont”.
“Parler de” needs “de”, and that “de” is picked up by “dont”.
Answer: dont — Parler de needs “de”, and that “de” is picked up by “dont”.
“Parler de” needs “de”, and that “de” is picked up by “dont”.
When it doesn't hold
What breaks the rule, said out loud. Hiding it is what makes you feel cheated in the exam.
- “Que” elides before a vowel and “qui” never does, however many vowels follow.L'homme qui est là. Le livre qu'il lit.
- “Dont” also expresses possession, and there French does not repeat the possessive: you never say “dont ses fenêtres”.Une maison dont les fenêtres sont bleues.
What your own language pushes you to say
Wrong Le livre je lis est passionnant.
Right Le livre que je lis est passionnant.
Your mistake is not choosing the wrong one: it is leaving it out. English says “the book I read” with nothing in the middle, and French cannot do that — the word has to be there. Once you have decided to write one, the choice is easy: verb next means “qui”, subject next means “que”.
Challenge: apply both rules
Solve both cases and justify each choice: 1) Una propuesta responde «que» a este caso: «La femme que habite en face est médecin.». Elige la única forma válida. 2) Una propuesta responde «que» a este caso: «C'est un sujet que tout le monde parle.». Elige la única forma válida.
Answer available without interaction
- Distinguish subject qui from direct-object que by rebuilding the relative clause.
- Choose où for place or time and dont when the construction retrieves a de-complement or possession relationship.
Answer: qui · dont
A verb with no subject follows: the hole is the subject. “Parler de” needs “de”, and that “de” is picked up by “dont”.
Curriculum alignment and sources
- CEFR A2 · routine tasks and simple exchanges of direct information. · Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Companion Volume
- French-specific reference descriptions used to cross-check A2 forms; they are not a universal school curriculum. · Reference Level Descriptions · French
- MCER como referencia; sin asignación estatal A2.1/A2.2 por curso. La máscara 3.º/4.º ESO del catálogo es editorial. · Real Decreto 217/2022, currículo básico de ESO
- El dossier validado acredita itinerarios distintos. Este paquete no publica una equivalencia universal A2→ano. · Organização curricular · Francês · iniciação e continuação
- La fuente reutilizada fija A1 al final de la secundaria de primer grado para esta materia. No se atribuye A2 a un curso italiano. · Decreto 9 dicembre 2025, n. 221 · nuove Indicazioni nazionali
Continue along this corridor
Practise this: qui, que, où, dontLe, la, les, lui or leur: object and positionEn and y: replacing quantities, de, à and placesImparfait or passé composé: setting, habit and eventFuture and conditional: stems, endings and usesThe verb and its preposition: à, de or none