How to Teach French Relative Pronouns QUI, QUE, OÙ and DONT – A French Teacher’s Guide
When I teach French relative pronouns, I don’t start by asking students to memorize a complicated list of rules. I start with the basic purpose of a relative pronoun. It connects two parts of a sentence and allows us to add information without repeating the same noun or person.
The four relative pronouns I focus on in this lesson are qui, que, où, and dont. They can correspond to several different English words, including who, whom, that, which, whose, where, and when. One thing that makes this topic particularly confusing for English speakers is that English doesn’t always require a relative pronoun. French does.
French Relative Pronouns Qui, Que, Où, Dont – Foldable Lesson Handout Book
Looking for resources to help you teach French relative pronouns? Scroll down to the section at the end of this post to see my ready-to-use resources for this topic.
Start with What a Relative Pronoun Does
I first explain that a relative pronoun connects a main clause with a dependent or subordinate clause.
Rather than making students memorize four French words and their English translations, I have them look at what the relative pronoun is doing in the sentence.
This is especially important because the English translation can change depending on the sentence.
For example, English might use:
who
whom
that
which
where
when
whose
French uses qui, que, où, and dont for many of these situations.
I also point out an important difference between English and French: in English, the relative pronoun is sometimes optional.
For example, we can say:
the movie I saw last night
or:
the movie that I saw last night
In French, we need the relative pronoun.
This gives students a good reason to pay attention to these little words rather than thinking of them as optional words that can simply be left out.
Teach QUI First
I start with QUI.
As a question word, qui means who. But as a relative pronoun, it can mean who or what.
The key point I want students to remember is:
QUI replaces the subject in the dependent clause.
I use two simple sentences first:
Je téléphone à ma mère.
I am calling my mother.
Elle est en Louisiane.
She is in Louisiana.
Then I combine them:
Je téléphone à ma mère qui est en Louisiane.
I am calling my mother who is in Louisiana.
In this example, qui replaces elle, the subject of the second sentence.
I then use an example where qui refers to a thing rather than a person:
Je vais lire le livre.
I am going to read the book.
Il est dans mon sac.
It is in my bag.
These become:
Je vais lire le livre qui est dans mon sac.
I am going to read the book that is in my bag.
Here, qui means that in English, but it is still replacing the subject of the dependent clause.
That’s the distinction I want students to focus on rather than simply memorizing that qui means who.
Show QUI After a Preposition
I also show students that qui can be used after a preposition when referring to a person.
For example:
J’appelle une amie.
I’m calling a friend.
J’étais au lycée avec cette amie.
I was in high school with this friend.
These can be combined as:
J’appelle une amie avec qui j’étais au lycée.
I’m calling a friend with whom I was in high school.
This construction can sound formal in English, but I point out that it is perfectly normal in French.
This is a good opportunity to show students that they shouldn’t always try to translate French relative pronouns word for word into the way they would naturally speak English.
Move on to QUE
Once students understand qui, I introduce que.
The most important distinction I give them is:
QUE replaces the direct object in the dependent clause.
A direct object answers who? or what?
I use an example such as:
Je fais rôtir le poulet.
I am roasting the chicken.
Mon mari l’a acheté.
My husband bought it.
When we combine the sentences:
Je fais rôtir le poulet que mon mari a acheté.
I am roasting the chicken that my husband bought.
Here, que replaces le poulet, which is the direct object of a acheté.
This gives students a very useful contrast:
QUI replaces the subject.
QUE replaces the direct object.
Have Students Look at What Comes After QUI and QUE
One thing I point out to students is that que is often followed by a subject or subject pronoun.
For example:
le poulet que mon mari a acheté
After que, we have:
mon mari
The subject of the dependent clause.
With qui, we can have:
le livre qui est dans mon sac
There is no separate subject after qui because qui itself is the subject of the dependent clause.
This gives students another way to recognize the difference when they’re working with complete sentences.
Point Out Past Participle Agreement with QUE
I make sure to point out one important detail when students use que with the passé composé.
Because que replaces the direct object, students need to pay attention to past participle agreement in the examples where it applies.
For example:
Je prépare les légumes.
Mon mari les a achetés.
Combine them:
Je prépare les légumes que mon mari a achetés.
The vegetables are masculine plural, so achetés agrees with les légumes.
This is a detail I don’t want students to overlook because it connects something they’re already learning about the passé composé with their new understanding of relative pronouns.
Show Students That QUE Can Look Different in a Sentence
I also give students an example in which the word order may look a little less familiar:
Les bonbons que mange mon petit frère sont trop sucrés.
The candies that my little brother is eating are too sweet.
Here, the verb mange comes before the subject mon petit frère.
I point out that this is possible in French, but it isn’t a very common construction.
The important thing for students is not to let the word order confuse them. They can still recognize que as the relative pronoun connecting the two parts of the sentence.
Introduce OÙ
Next, I introduce où.
This one can be particularly useful because students may already know où as the question word meaning where.
As a relative pronoun, où often means where when it refers to a place.
For example:
La fromagerie où j’ai acheté le camembert est en ville.
The cheese shop where I bought the camembert is in town.
Here, où refers to a place.
I tell students that the English translation makes this one fairly easy to recognize when we’re talking about location.
Explain That OÙ Can Refer to Time
This is where I slow down a little because this is a common source of confusion.
Où can also refer to a place in time.
In English, we often translate it as when.
For example:
C’est le moment où…
This is the time when…
Another example from the lesson is:
Il pleuvait le jour où nous sommes arrivés.
It was raining the day when we arrived.
I point out that students may be tempted to use quand because quand means when.
But quand is not a relative pronoun, so we don’t use it in this construction.
Instead:
le jour où…
le moment où…
This is one of those places where I want students to stop translating directly from English and recognize the French construction.
Introduce DONT
Finally, I introduce dont.
I tell students that this is often the relative pronoun they find the most difficult, so I simplify it as much as possible.
The basic rule I give them is:
DONT replaces a person or thing that comes after DE.
Instead of trying to memorize a long list of possible uses, I have students start paying attention to verbs and expressions that are followed by de.
For example:
Je parle de cette dame.
We can say:
C’est la dame dont j’ai parlé.
In English:
That’s the lady I talked to.
Or, more formally:
That’s the lady of whom I spoke.
The English version actually helps illustrate why dont can be difficult. English speakers don’t usually say of whom in everyday conversation, so the French construction can feel unfamiliar.
Use a Thing with DONT
I then show students that dont can refer to a thing as well as a person.
For example:
J’ai besoin d’un couteau.
I need a knife.
Le couteau est sur la table.
The knife is on the table.
Combine them:
Le couteau dont j’ai besoin est sur la table.
The knife that I need is on the table.
The important thing here is j’ai besoin de.
Because the original sentence contains de, we use dont when we combine the two sentences.
Emphasize That DONT Requires Knowing the Expression
I tell students that the hardest part of using dont isn’t necessarily understanding the basic rule.
It’s knowing which verbs and expressions are followed by de.
For example:
avoir besoin de
parler de
Once students recognize the de, they have a much easier time deciding that dont is needed when combining the sentences.
This is why I have students practice dont with the verbs and expressions they already know rather than trying to memorize an enormous list all at once.
Have Students Combine Two Sentences
Once I have introduced all four relative pronouns, I go back to the basic skill behind the entire lesson: combining two sentences.
I might give students:
Je téléphone à ma mère.
Elle est en Louisiane.
They combine them with qui:
Je téléphone à ma mère qui est en Louisiane.
Then:
Je fais rôtir le poulet.
Mon mari l’a acheté.
They use que:
Je fais rôtir le poulet que mon mari a acheté.
For location:
La fromagerie est en ville.
J’ai acheté le camembert à la fromagerie.
They use où:
La fromagerie où j’ai acheté le camembert est en ville.
And with de:
J’ai besoin d’un couteau.
Le couteau est sur la table.
They use dont:
Le couteau dont j’ai besoin est sur la table.
This kind of practice lets students figure out which relative pronoun they need based on the structure of the original sentences.
Have Students Focus on the Job of the Pronoun
When students are unsure which pronoun to use, I bring them back to the same questions:
Is the relative pronoun replacing the subject?
USE QUI
Is it replacing the direct object?
USE QUE
Is it referring to a place or a time?
USE OÙ
Is it replacing something or someone that comes after DE?
USE DONT
I find that this is much more useful than asking students to memorize a simple English translation for each word.
The same French relative pronoun can have different English translations depending on the sentence.
Practice with Complete Sentences
Finally, I have students work with complete sentences rather than isolated vocabulary.
They can identify the relative pronoun, determine what it replaces, and then explain why that particular pronoun is being used.
I want them to become comfortable seeing sentences such as:
La femme qui habite à côté de chez moi est française.
Le film que nous avons regardé était intéressant.
La ville où je suis né(e) est petite.
Le livre dont je parle est sur la table.
The goal isn’t simply to remember four words. It’s to recognize the relationship between the two parts of the sentence.
Ready to Practice French Relative Pronouns?
If you’re ready to give your students more practice with qui, que, où, and dont, here are my ready-to-use resources for this topic.
French Relative Pronouns QUI – QUE – OÙ – DONT Bundle
French Relative Pronouns Qui, Que, Où, Dont – Foldable Lesson Handout Book
French Relative Pronouns Qui, Que, Où, Dont – PowerPoint Jeopardy Game
French Relative Pronouns QUE – QUI – OÙ – DONT – French Grammar Activity #1
French Relative Pronouns QUE QUI OÙ DONT – French Grammar Activity #2
