Ce que / Ce qui instead of Que or Qui alone.
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KateKwiziq community member
Ce que / Ce qui instead of Que or Qui alone.
Hello. I think I understand when to use ce qui instead of ce que and vice versa, but I can't find the lesson that explains when to use ce que / ce qui instead of que or qui alone.
Thanks for any help!
This question relates to:French lesson "Ce qui (vs ce que) = what, which (relative pronouns)"
Asked 5 years ago
Bonjour Kate !
That's a very interesting question indeed!
Let's point out first that we're talking about the relative pronouns here, which are used to introduce a new information in a sentence (as opposed to question words like "what?").
Once you know this, the separation is quite simple: "qui/que" can mean "who/which/that ..." whereas "ce qui/ce que" mean "what ...".
e.g. La fille que je regarde. (The girl whom[m]/that I'm watching.)
e.g. Je fais ce que je veux. (I do what I want.)
Precision: in cases where "ce qui / ce que" would also be translated by "which" in English, you need to ask yourself: What does "que/qui/ce que/ce qui" is 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".
e.g. Les gens que je rencontre ... (The people which I meet...)
Here "que" refers to "people"
e.g. J'aime les bananes, ce que tu trouves fascinant. (I love bananas, which you find fascinating.)
Here "ce que" refers to the whole fact that I love bananas, not just to the bananas.
I hope that’s helpful!
That's a very interesting question indeed!
Let's point out first that we're talking about the relative pronouns here, which are used to introduce a new information in a sentence (as opposed to question words like "what?").
Once you know this, the separation is quite simple: "qui/que" can mean "who/which/that ..." whereas "ce qui/ce que" mean "what ...".
e.g. La fille que je regarde. (The girl whom[m]/that I'm watching.)
e.g. Je fais ce que je veux. (I do what I want.)
Precision: in cases where "ce qui / ce que" would also be translated by "which" in English, you need to ask yourself: What does "que/qui/ce que/ce qui" is 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".
e.g. Les gens que je rencontre ... (The people which I meet...)
Here "que" refers to "people"
e.g. J'aime les bananes, ce que tu trouves fascinant. (I love bananas, which you find fascinating.)
Here "ce que" refers to the whole fact that I love bananas, not just to the bananas.
I hope that’s helpful!
LauraKwiziq team member
Bonjour Kate,
We don't currently have a lesson that specifically addresses when to use French relative pronouns (que / qui) vs when to use indefinite relative pronouns (ce que / ce qui).
The difference is straightforward: you need relative pronouns when there is an antecedent - something specific that the pronoun refers back to:
J'ai mangé du pain. Le pain que j'ai mangé était bon.
You need indefinite relative pronouns when there is no antecedent, when the thing is unknown or unspecified:
Ce que j'ai mangé était bon.
I hope this helps! :-)
KateKwiziq community member
Thanks so much for the reply. Yes that seems clear. Will now try to apply it!
NicKwiziq community member
I have been hunting high and low and this is the first decent answer I have found to this question. Thank you Kate for asking the question and Laura & Aurélie for giving this very helpful answer. Bravo!
Kate asked:View original
Ce que / Ce qui instead of Que or Qui alone.
Hello. I think I understand when to use ce qui instead of ce que and vice versa, but I can't find the lesson that explains when to use ce que / ce qui instead of que or qui alone.
Thanks for any help!
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