Ce que (vs ce qui) = what/which (French Relative Pronouns) Flashcards
When do you use ce qui instead of ce que?
When to use ce qui instead of ce que
Relative pronouns refer to something previously mentioned. In French, the equivalent of what/which can be ce qui.
The pattern to spot is that we use ce qui when the next word is a verb or an object or reflexive pronoun (for example: me, te, se, lui, le, la, nous, vous, leur, les).
Note; that ce qui never becomes ce qu’ in front of a vowel or a mute h.
Il a gagné la course, ce qui est impressionnant.
He won the race, which is amazing.
Ce qui fait peur ici, ce sont les médias.
What is really scary here, is the media.
Je ne sais pas ce qui m’arrive.
I don’t know what is happening to me.
When do you use ce que instead of ce qui?
When to use ce que instead of ce qui
Relative pronouns refer to something previously mentioned. In French, the equivalent of what/which can be ce que.
Learn about the French relative pronoun ce que
These examples show how ce que is used:
Je fais ce que je veux.
I do what I want.
Lise pense à ce qu’il lui a dit.
Lise thinks about what he told her.
Tu ne devineras jamais ce que Paul a fait!
You will never guess what Paul did!
Il croit ce que la télé lui raconte.
He believes what the TV tells him.
When to use ce que instead of ce qui
The pattern to spot is that we use ce que when the next word is a subject pronoun (je/tu/il etc.) or a noun.
Note; that ce que becomes ce qu’ in front of a vowel or a mute h.
Contrast this with ce qui - notice the words immediately following:
Il a gagné la course, ce qui est impressionnant.
He won the race, which is amazing.
Je ne sais pas ce qui m’arrive.
I don’t know what is happening to me.
Note; that ce qui never becomes ce qu’ in front of a vowel or a mute h.
When do you use ce qui/ce que versus qui/que?
When to use ce qui or ce que versus qui or que ?
In cases where ce qui / ce que would also be translated by which in English, you need to ask yourself: What is que/qui/ce que/ce qui referring to?
If it refers to a noun (expressed before), then you will use que/qui.
If it refers to the whole part of the sentence, the whole idea, then it will be ce que/ce qui.
Ces fleurs, qui sont des tournesols, poussent bien ici.
These flowers, which are sunflowers, grow well here.
Here qui refers to flowers.
J’utilise de l’aloe vera tous les jours, ce qui est très bon pour ma peau.
I use aloe vera every day, which is very good for my skin.
Here ce qui refers to the whole fact that I use aloe vera every day, not just to aloe vera.
ATTENTION: Case of quoi
Quoi will be used when what is followed by an infinitive = what to do, what to think:
Je ne sais pas quoi faire.
I don’t know what to do.
Il se demande quoi choisir.
He’s wondering what to choose.
In summary: If it refers to a noun (expressed before), then you will use “que/qui”. If it refers to the whole part of the sentence, the whole idea, then it will be “ce que/ce qui”.
J’offre ma robe que j’adore. I’m giving away my dress that I love.
When do you use Ce/cet/cette and ces = this/that and these/those (French Demonstrative Adjectives)
Demonstrative adjectives specify a particular noun or group of nouns among a larger group.
Learn how to say this/these and that/those in French
In English, this and that (and these and those) have an associated proximity: this/these tend to be things nearer than that/those.
However, in French, on their own, ce/cet/cette can mean either this or that, and ces can mean either these or those - it just depends on context.
Look at these examples:
Cette fille est belle.
That girl is beautiful.
Ces hommes sont méchants.
These men are mean.
Ces femmes sont méchantes.
These women are mean.
Cette is used with feminine singular nouns
Ces is used for all plural nouns (masculine and feminine)
Cases with masculine singular nouns
Ce garçon est intelligent.
That boy is smart.
Cet homme est beau.
This man is handsome.
Cet arbre est très sinistre.
That tree is very sinister.
Ce is used with masculine singular nouns starting with a consonant; whereas cet is used with masculine singular nouns starting with a vowel or mute h
-> This is to make pronunciation easier!
Note: that it doesn’t apply to feminine nouns starting with a vowel or mute h, as cette doesn’t pose any pronunciation issue!
