Les pronoms relatifs définis

qui, que, où, dont

A relative pronoun connects two clauses relating to one noun called the antecedent:

• Je ne connais pas le monument aux morts.– I’m not familiar with the war memorial.

• Tu as vu le monument aux morts aujourd’hui.– You saw the war memorial today.

Combine above sentences to become:

• Je ne connais pas le monument aux morts que tu as vu aujourd’hui.– I’m not familiar with the war memorial (that) you saw

today.

Forms

Subject

(person or thing)Comment s’appelle le fleuve qui traverse ce pays?

Object

(person or thing)Les Québecois que nous connaissons préfèrent skier dans le Massif du Sud.

Object of de

(person or thing)Je veux voir la côte dont tout le monde parle.

A place,

a moment in timeElle n’oubliera jamais le jour où elle a vu le Mont-Blanc.

Qui is a subject pronoun that refers to a specific person, place, or thing. It means who, that, or which, and is followed either by a verb or by an object + verb:

• C’est internet qui a aidé Bruno à retrouver son ami.– It was the internet that helped Bruno to find

his friend.

• Des gens qui s’appellent Leblanc– Some people who are named Leblanc

Que is a direct object pronoun that refers to a specific person, place, or thing. It means whom, that, which, or when, and is always followed by subject + verb:• La dame que Camille interviewe

– The lady (whom) Camille is interviewing

• Je me rappelle la dernière fois que nous sommes sortis ensemble.– I remember the last time (that) we went out together.

• La voiture qu’ils ont louée– The car (that) they rented

Remember: que becomes qu’ in front of a vowel sound

Dont can mean different things, and refers to a specific person, place, or thing previously mentioned in the sentence.

• When it means whose, it indicates possession and the item possessed is preceded by a definite article.

Examples

• Voici la productrice. La mère de la productrice habite au Maroc.– Voici la productrice dont la mère habite au Maroc.– Here is the producer whose mother lives in Morocco.

• Jeanne Leblanc est la veuve. Le mari de Jeanne Leblanc est mort pendant la guerre.– Jeanne Leblanc est la veuve dont le mari est mort pendant la

guerre.– Jeanne Leblanc is the widow whose husband died during the

war.

• Paris est une ville. On admire les monuments de Paris.– Paris est une ville dont on admire les monuments.– Paris is a city whose monuments we admire.

Dont also means of / about which / about whom and is used with verbs that take de:

Avoir besoin/envie/peur de To need/want/be afraid of

Entendre parler de To hear about

Être content/ ravi/ satisfait/ fier de

To be happy with/thrilled with/satisfied with/proud of

S’occuper de To take care of

Parler de To talk about

Rêver de To dream about

Se souvenir de To remember

Dont replaces de, de la, du, de l’, or des + the noun it introduces:

• Le climat est très sec. Nous parlons du climat.– Le climat dont nous parlons est très sec.– The climate (that) we’re talking about is very dry.

• Regarde la montagne. Elle rêve de la montagne.– Regarde la montagne dont elle rêve.– Look at the mountain (that) she dreams about.

Où refers to a place or period of time mentioned earlier in the sentence and means where or when:

• La zone rurale où elle vivait était charmante.– The rural setting where she used to live was

charming.

• L’année où la récolte était très abondante a été inoubliable.– The year when the harvest was plentiful was

unforgettable.