B1IntermediatePronouns · Point 34 / 40

qui, que, où, dont

These little words join two ideas into one sentence.

Pronoun	Pattern	Meaning
qui	—	replaces the subject, never followed by another subject
que	—	replaces the direct object
où	—	replaces a place or time complement
dont	—	replaces a complement introduced by “de”

Tip: if the word right after is a subject (“je”, “vous”, “on”), it is “que”; if it is a verb, it is “qui”.

Examples from our dialogues 5 · 5 with audio

Listen
Merci. Y a-t-il des outils que je devrais installer dès aujourd'hui ?
Thank you. Are there tools I should install today?
Check The Full DialogueIntroducing yourself to your new team

Listen
Et si je remarque une transaction que je ne reconnais pas ?
And if I notice a transaction I don't recognize?
Check The Full DialogueOpening a bank account

Listen
Je connais un voisin qui a une petite sono, et l'église du coin prête des tables.
I know a neighbour who has a small sound system, and the local church lends tables.
Check The Full DialogueJoining the neighbourhood committee

Listen
Justement. Racontez-moi une situation où vous avez géré un conflit dans une équipe.
Precisely. Tell me about a time you managed a conflict within a team.
Check The Full DialogueA job interview

Listen
Est-ce qu'il y a des allergies ou des régimes dont je devrais tenir compte ?
Are there any allergies or diets I should keep in mind?
Check The Full DialogueA potluck dinner among neighbours

Le formulaire qui vous avez rempli.Le formulaire que vous avez rempli.
After the pronoun there is a subject (“vous”), so it must be “que”. “Qui” takes no subject after it — it is the subject itself.
Le document que j'ai besoin.Le document dont j'ai besoin.
“Avoir besoin de” contains “de”, so the relative pronoun is “dont”. Same for “parler de”, “se souvenir de”, “tenir compte de”.

The office, meetings, networking — the French of the workplace.

These dialogues use this point. They open on the dialogue page (audio, vocabulary to save).