French relative pronouns can seem confusing because qui, que, dont, and où all connect two parts of a sentence.

The easiest way to understand them is to look at the role the missing word plays in the second part of the sentence.

Here is the quick rule:

Qui = subject

Que = direct object

Dont = replaces de

Où = place or time

For example:

J’ai un ami qui habite à Paris.
I have a friend who lives in Paris.

J’aime le livre que tu m’as donné.
I like the book that you gave me.

C’est le film dont je t’ai parlé.
It is the movie I told you about.

Paris est la ville où je suis née.
Paris is the city where I was born.

In this guide, you will learn when to use qui, que, dont, and où, how to tell them apart, and the common mistakes French learners make.

Quick Answer: Qui, Que, Dont or Où?

Use:

Qui when the pronoun is the subject of the second part of the sentence.

Que when the pronoun is the direct object.

Dont when the verb or expression uses de.

Où when you are talking about a place or time.

Compare:

C’est la femme qui parle.
She is the woman who is speaking.

C’est la femme que je connais.
She is the woman whom I know.

C’est la femme dont je parle.
She is the woman I am talking about.

C’est la ville où elle habite.
It is the city where she lives.

What Is a Relative Pronoun?

A relative pronoun connects two sentences that refer to the same person or thing.

For example:

J’ai un ami.

Il habite à Lyon.

You can combine them:

J’ai un ami qui habite à Lyon.
I have a friend who lives in Lyon.

Instead of repeating un ami / il, French uses qui.

Relative pronouns make your French sound more natural and less repetitive.

When to Use Qui

Use qui when the person or thing is the subject of the verb that comes after it.

For example:

J’ai une sœur qui habite à Bordeaux.
I have a sister who lives in Bordeaux.

What comes after qui?

habite

Who is doing the action?

Ma sœur.

So qui is the subject.

Another example:

C’est un restaurant qui ouvre à midi.
It is a restaurant that opens at noon.

What opens at noon?

Le restaurant.

So use qui.

A Simple Trick for Qui

Look at what comes immediately after the relative pronoun.

If you see a verb right after it, you will often need qui.

For example:

Le garçon qui parle est mon frère.
The boy who is speaking is my brother.

Le livre qui est sur la table est à moi.
The book that is on the table is mine.

La voiture qui arrive est la sienne.
The car that is arriving is his/hers.

This is not a perfect rule in every advanced sentence, but it is very useful for beginners.

When to Use Que

Use que when the person or thing is the direct object of the verb that follows.

For example:

Le film que je regarde est très bon.
The movie that I am watching is very good.

Who is doing the action?

Je.

What am I watching?

Le film.

So le film is the direct object.

That is why you use que.

Another example:

La femme que tu connais est ma tante.
The woman you know is my aunt.

Who knows?

Tu.

Who do you know?

La femme.

So use que.

A Simple Trick for Que

If the relative pronoun is followed by a subject, you will often need que.

For example:

Le livre que tu lis est intéressant.
The book that you are reading is interesting.

After que, you see:

tu

That is the subject.

Another example:

La chanson que j’aime passe à la radio.
The song that I like is playing on the radio.

After que, you see:

je

So que is the direct object.

Qui vs Que

This is the most important distinction.

Compare:

La femme qui parle est ma professeure.
The woman who is speaking is my teacher.

La femme que je vois est ma professeure.
The woman I see is my teacher.

In the first sentence, la femme is doing the action.

She is speaking.

So use:

qui

In the second sentence, je is doing the action.

I see the woman.

So use:

que

A very useful shortcut is:

Qui + verb

Que + subject + verb

For example:

Le chien qui court est à moi.
The dog that is running is mine.

Le chien que je regarde est à moi.
The dog that I am looking at is mine.

Que Becomes Qu’ Before a Vowel

Just like many other French words, que becomes qu’ before a vowel or silent h.

For example:

Le film qu’elle regarde est français.
The movie that she is watching is French.

La robe qu’il préfère est noire.
The dress that he prefers is black.

Le livre qu’on lit est intéressant.
The book that we are reading is interesting.

So:

que elle

becomes:

qu’elle

When to Use Dont

Use dont when the verb, adjective, or expression normally uses de.

This is the key to understanding it.

For example:

Je parle de ce film.
I am talking about this movie.

You can say:

C’est le film dont je parle.
It is the movie I am talking about.

Why dont?

Because the expression is:

parler de

Another example:

J’ai besoin de ce document.
I need this document.

C’est le document dont j’ai besoin.
It is the document I need.

The expression is:

avoir besoin de

So use dont.

Common Expressions That Use Dont

Here are some useful expressions with de:

parler de
to talk about

avoir besoin de
to need

avoir envie de
to feel like / want

se souvenir de
to remember

rêver de
to dream about

être fier / fière de
to be proud of

For example:

C’est la personne dont je me souviens.
That is the person I remember.

Voici le projet dont elle est fière.
Here is the project she is proud of.

C’est le voyage dont je rêve.
It is the trip I dream about.

Dont Can Also Mean Whose

Dont can also express possession.

For example:

J’ai un ami dont la sœur habite à Paris.
I have a friend whose sister lives in Paris.

Another example:

C’est une actrice dont les films sont très connus.
She is an actress whose movies are very well known.

In these sentences, dont means something close to whose.

This use is especially helpful once you start reading and writing more advanced French.

When to Use Où

Use où when you refer to a place.

For example:

Paris est la ville où j’habite.
Paris is the city where I live.

Voici le café où nous nous retrouvons.
Here is the café where we meet.

C’est la maison où j’ai grandi.
It is the house where I grew up.

The place is already mentioned, so où connects it to the second part of the sentence.

Où Can Also Refer to Time

This is one of the most useful things to remember.

Où can also refer to a moment in time.

For example:

C’était l’année où j’ai déménagé en France.
That was the year when I moved to France.

Je me souviens du jour où nous nous sommes rencontrés.
I remember the day when we met.

L’été où je suis allé au Canada était incroyable.
The summer when I went to Canada was incredible.

So où does not only mean “where.”

It can also mean “when” in these kinds of sentences.

Qui, Que, Dont or Où: Compare Them

Let’s compare the four pronouns with similar examples.

La femme qui parle est ma voisine.
The woman who is speaking is my neighbor.

La femme que je connais est ma voisine.
The woman I know is my neighbor.

La femme dont je parle est ma voisine.
The woman I am talking about is my neighbor.

La ville où elle habite est magnifique.
The city where she lives is beautiful.

The difference depends on what role the missing word plays.

Common Mistake: Using Qui Because It Means “Who”

English speakers sometimes think:

who = qui

But this does not always work.

For example:

The woman who I know

You might want to say:

❌ La femme qui je connais

But that is incorrect.

The woman is not doing the action.

Je is doing the action.

So you need:

La femme que je connais.

The key is not the English word.

The key is the grammatical role in French.

Common Mistake: Using Que Instead of Dont

Another common mistake is:

❌ C’est le film que je parle.

But the verb is:

parler de quelque chose

So you need:

C’est le film dont je parle.

The same applies to:

avoir besoin de

se souvenir de

rêver de

avoir envie de

If the original expression uses de, think about dont.

Common Mistake: Using Où Only for Places

Many learners remember:

où = where

But forget that où can also refer to time.

For example:

Le jour où je suis arrivé.
The day when I arrived.

L’année où j’ai commencé à apprendre le français.
The year when I started learning French.

This use is very common in French.

What French Speakers Actually Say

Relative pronouns are everywhere in everyday French.

You will hear sentences like:

C’est quelqu’un qui travaille avec moi.
It’s someone who works with me.

C’est le livre que je t’ai recommandé.
It’s the book I recommended to you.

C’est le restaurant dont je t’ai parlé.
It’s the restaurant I told you about.

C’est l’endroit où on s’est rencontrés.
It’s the place where we met.

Using relative pronouns helps French speakers avoid short, repetitive sentences.

Instead of:

J’ai vu un film. Le film était très bien.

You can say:

J’ai vu un film qui était très bien.
I saw a movie that was very good.

This sounds much more natural.

Qui, Que, Dont or Où? Try These Examples

Choose the correct relative pronoun.

1. C’est le garçon ___ travaille avec Paul.

Answer:

qui

C’est le garçon qui travaille avec Paul.

The boy is doing the action.

2. C’est le film ___ je regarde.

Answer:

que

C’est le film que je regarde.

Je is the subject, and the film is the direct object.

3. C’est le livre ___ j’ai besoin.

Answer:

dont

C’est le livre dont j’ai besoin.

The expression is:

avoir besoin de

4. Voici la maison ___ j’ai grandi.

Answer:

où

Voici la maison où j’ai grandi.

You are referring to a place.

5. C’est la personne ___ tu parles.

Answer:

dont

C’est la personne dont tu parles.

The verb is:

parler de quelqu’un

6. C’est le jour ___ nous sommes partis.

Answer:

où

C’est le jour où nous sommes partis.

Here, où refers to a moment in time.

A Simple Way to Remember the Difference

Ask yourself what the missing word does.

If it does the action, use:

qui

La femme qui parle.

If something else does the action to it, use:

que

La femme que je connais.

If the original expression contains de, use:

dont

La femme dont je parle.

If you are talking about a place or time, use:

où

La ville où j’habite.

Le jour où je suis arrivé.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between qui and que?

Qui is the subject.

Le garçon qui parle.

The boy is speaking.

Que is the direct object.

Le garçon que je vois.

I see the boy.

A useful shortcut is:

qui + verb

que + subject + verb

When should I use dont?

Use dont when the original verb or expression uses de.

For example:

parler de

avoir besoin de

se souvenir de

rêver de

So:

C’est le film dont je parle.

Can dont mean whose?

Yes.

For example:

J’ai une amie dont le frère habite à Paris.
I have a friend whose brother lives in Paris.

Does où only mean where?

No.

It can refer to both place and time.

La ville où j’habite.
The city where I live.

Le jour où je suis arrivé.
The day when I arrived.

Why is it qu’elle and not que elle?

Because que becomes qu’ before a vowel or silent h.

So:

que elle

becomes:

qu’elle

Remember This

The easiest way to choose between qui, que, dont, and où is to look at the role of the missing word.

Use qui when it is the subject.

La femme qui parle.

Use que when it is the direct object.

La femme que je connais.

Use dont when the original expression contains de.

La femme dont je parle.

Use où for a place or time.

La ville où j’habite.

Le jour où je suis arrivé.

Do not choose the pronoun by translating “who,” “that,” or “which” word for word from English.

Instead, look at how the second part of the French sentence is built.

Once you start doing that, relative pronouns become much easier to choose.