Qui vs Que

DavidB1Kwiziq community member

Qui vs Que

Qu'est-ce qui t'a pris autant de temps ?

What took you so long?
I don't understand why we here use the "qui". I would use "que" here as there is no verb following it. Can someone explain please?
Asked 4 years ago
CécileKwiziq team memberCorrect answer

Hi Sam, 

If you are talking about the 'rule of thumb' that 'qui' is normally followed by a verb, beware as it can be followed by an object pronoun ( here, 'te') but never by a subject pronoun (je, tu, il,...etc.)

Hope this helps!

 

ChrisC1 Kwiziq Q&A super contributor

Qui  in this example is the subject of the clause. If you used que, You would deprive the sentence of its subject.

Qui vs Que

Qu'est-ce qui t'a pris autant de temps ?

What took you so long?
I don't understand why we here use the "qui". I would use "que" here as there is no verb following it. Can someone explain please?

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