How to Teach French Relative Pronouns CE QUI, CE QUE and CE DONT – A French Teacher’s Guide
When I teach ce qui, ce que, and ce dont, I first connect them to the relative pronouns students already know: qui, que, and dont.
Like qui, que, and dont, these expressions introduce a dependent clause and connect it to a main clause.
The main difference is that ce qui, ce que, and ce dont don’t refer to a specific noun that has already been mentioned. Instead, they refer to something less specific, such as an idea, a situation, or a whole statement.
I find that the easiest way to teach these three forms is to focus on what role they play in the dependent clause.
French Relative Pronouns – CE QUI – CE QUE – CE DONT – Grammar Notes Bookmark
Looking for more resources to help you teach ce qui, ce que, and ce dont? Scroll down to the section at the end of this post to see my ready-to-use resources for this topic.
Start with the Basic Sentence Structure
I first remind students that a dependent clause has a subject and a verb, but it needs to be connected to a main clause to form a complete sentence.
The relative pronoun is what connects the two parts.
For example:
Je ne sais pas ce que tu veux faire.
I don’t know what you want to do.
I have students look at the three parts:
MAIN CLAUSE
Je ne sais pas
RELATIVE PRONOUN
ce que
DEPENDENT CLAUSE
tu veux faire.
Once students understand this structure, I introduce the three forms they need to know.
CE QUI = SUBJECT
I start with ce qui.
I teach students:
CE QUI = SUBJECT
For example:
Je te dis ce qui est vrai.
I am telling you what is true.
In the dependent clause:
ce qui est vrai
ce qui is the subject.
The verb follows ce qui.
I give students another example:
Le vent, c’est ce qui me dérange le plus.
The wind is what bothers me the most.
Here again, ce qui is the subject of the dependent clause.
I want students to notice that there is no other subject between ce qui and the verb.
CE QUE = DIRECT OBJECT
Next, I introduce ce que.
I teach students:
CE QUE = DIRECT OBJECT
For example:
Je ne sais pas ce que tu veux faire.
I don’t know what you want to do.
This time, tu is the subject of the dependent clause.
ce que tu veux faire
Ce que is the direct object.
I give students another example:
Je ne comprends pas ce que tu dis.
I don’t understand what you’re saying.
Again, tu is the subject and ce que is the direct object.
This gives students a simple way to distinguish ce qui from ce que:
Ce qui is the subject.
Ce que is the direct object.
Have Students Look at What Comes After CE QUI and CE QUE
This is one of the easiest things for students to notice.
With ce qui, the verb comes next:
ce qui est vrai
With ce que, another subject comes next:
ce que tu veux faire
and:
ce que tu dis
I don’t want students to choose between ce qui and ce que based on the English word “what.” I want them to look at the French sentence and identify the role of the pronoun.
CE DONT = OBJECT OF DE
Then I introduce ce dont.
I teach students:
CE DONT = OBJECT OF THE PREPOSITION DE
This becomes much easier when students know that certain French expressions are followed by de.
For example:
Tu as besoin de quelque chose.
You have need of something.
You need something.
When we replace de quelque chose, we use ce dont:
Je sais ce dont tu as besoin.
I know what you need.
I have students look at the original expression:
avoir besoin de
Because avoir besoin is followed by de, we use ce dont.
Give Students Another CE DONT Example
I then use another familiar expression:
Tu as peur de quelque chose.
You are afraid of something.
So:
Je ne sais pas ce dont tu as peur.
I don’t know what you’re afraid of.
Again, students can see the connection to de:
avoir peur de
This is why I want students to look for de rather than trying to memorize the English translation.
Put the Three Forms Together
Once students have learned each form separately, I put them together:
CE QUI = subject
CE QUE = direct object
CE DONT = object of de
Then I give them examples side by side.
CE QUI
Je te dis ce qui est vrai.
I am telling you what is true.
Ce qui is the subject.
CE QUE
Je ne sais pas ce que tu veux faire.
I don’t know what you want to do.
Ce que is the direct object.
CE DONT
Je sais ce dont tu as besoin.
I know what you need.
Ce dont is connected to de.
This comparison is important because all three can often be translated as “what” in English.
The French structure tells us which one to use.
French Relative Pronouns CE QUE – CE QUI – CE DONT Practice Cards Activity
Explain the Difference Between CE QUI, CE QUE, CE DONT and QUI, QUE, DONT
I then explain the difference between these forms and the relative pronouns students may already know.
Qui, que, and dont refer to a specific noun.
For example, if we’re talking about a specific person, place, or thing that has already been mentioned, we can use one of these relative pronouns.
Ce qui, ce que, and ce dont are different because they don’t refer to a specific noun.
They refer to something less specific, such as an idea or a whole statement.
For example:
Je ne sais pas ce que tu veux faire.
I don’t know what you want to do.
We’re not referring to a specific noun. We’re talking about the idea of what tu veux faire.
That’s the reason for ce que rather than simply que. I like to tell my students to think of “ce” as a place holder for that which has not been previously mentioned.
CE QUI Can Begin a Sentence
I then show students that ce qui can also come at the beginning of a sentence.
For example:
Ce qui me dérange, c’est quand il y a beaucoup de bruit.
What bothers me is when there is a lot of noise.
Here, ce qui is the subject of the dependent clause:
ce qui me dérange
This is another useful structure for students to recognize.
CE QUE Can Begin a Sentence
We can do the same thing with ce que:
Ce que nous devons faire, c’est prendre le train demain.
What we must do is take the train tomorrow.
Here, nous is the subject of the dependent clause:
ce que nous devons faire
So ce que is the direct object.
This gives students another clear example of the difference between ce qui and ce que.
CE DONT Can Begin a Sentence
Finally, I show students the same structure with ce dont:
Ce dont tu as peur, c’est le noir.
What you’re afraid of is the dark.
Again, I have students look at the expression:
avoir peur de
Since avoir peur is followed by de, we use ce dont.
Have Students Practice the Three Questions
When students practice ce qui, ce que, and ce dont, I have them ask themselves three simple questions.
Is it the subject?
→ ce qui
Is it the direct object?
→ ce que
Does the expression use de?
→ ce dont
This gives students a way to work out the answer instead of simply guessing.
For example:
Je te dis ___ est vrai.
Ce qui is the subject:
Je te dis ce qui est vrai.
Then:
Je ne comprends pas ___ tu dis.
Tu is the subject, so ce que is the direct object:
Je ne comprends pas ce que tu dis.
And:
Je sais ___ tu as besoin.
Tu as besoin de quelque chose, so we need ce dont:
Je sais ce dont tu as besoin.
Remind Students That the English Translation Can Be the Same
One of the reasons this lesson can be difficult is that all three forms can translate as “what.”
For example:
ce qui = what
ce que = what
ce dont = what
But I don’t want students to choose the French form based on the English translation.
Instead, they need to look at the French structure:
ce qui → subject
ce que → direct object
ce dont → de
Once students understand that distinction, these three relative pronouns become much easier to use.
Practice French CE QUI, CE QUE and CE DONT
If you’re teaching French ce qui, ce que, and ce dont, I have some ready-to-use resources that give students lots of practice using the three forms with clear explanations and examples.
French Relative Pronouns – CE QUI – CE QUE – CE DONT – Grammar Bookmark
French Relative Pronouns CE QUE – CE QUI – CE DONT Practice Cards Activity
Relative Pronouns Quiz #1 – QUI – QUE – OÙ – DONT – CE QUI – CE QUE – CE DONT
French Relative Pronouns – CE QUI – CE QUE – CE DONT – Quiz #2
French Reading Comprehension Quiz Relative Pronouns CE QUI – CE QUE – CE DONT
