Plumera French
B1

Relative pronouns without a noun

What you'll learn

  • Use ce qui when the relative pronoun acts as the subject of a clause.
  • Use ce que and ce dont according to the relationship inside the relative clause.
  • Use ce with a preposition and quoi when another preposition is required.

A relative pronoun usually connects a noun to a clause that adds information about it. Some relative clauses have no noun before the pronoun and refer instead to an unspecified thing or an entire idea.

English often uses what in these clauses, while French uses forms such as ce qui, ce que, and ce dont.

Ce qui

Use ce qui when the unspecified thing or idea acts as the subject of the relative clause.

When the verb follows directly, the pattern is:

ce qui + verb

An object pronoun can also appear before the verb:

ce qui + object pronoun + verb

These patterns appear in sentences such as:

French English
Ce qui m'intéresse, c'est l'histoire. What interests me is history.
Je ne comprends pas ce qui se passe. I don't understand what's happening.
Ce qui compte, c'est le résultat. What matters is the result.
Dis-moi ce qui manque. Tell me what's missing.

Ce que

Use ce que when the unspecified thing or idea acts as the direct object of the relative clause.

A subject comes after ce que:

ce que + subject + verb

This pattern appears in sentences such as:

French English
Je comprends ce que tu veux dire. I understand what you mean.
Dis-moi ce que tu cherches. Tell me what you're looking for.
Elle sait ce que nous voulons. She knows what we want.
Je vois ce que tu fais. I see what you're doing.

Ce que becomes ce qu' before a vowel sound or silent h.

Ce dont

Use ce dont when the relationship inside the relative clause requires de.

The subject and verb follow ce dont:

ce dont + subject + verb

Verbs and expressions followed by de use this pattern when no noun comes before the relative pronoun:

French English
Voilà ce dont j'ai besoin. That's what I need.
Je comprends ce dont tu parles. I understand what you're talking about.
Ce dont elle est fière, c'est son travail. What she's proud of is her work.
Il explique ce dont il se souvient. He explains what he remembers.

French does not repeat de inside a clause introduced by ce dont.

Ce with other prepositions

When another preposition is required, French uses ce followed by the preposition and quoi.

The basic pattern is:

ce + preposition + quoi + subject + verb

The preposition comes from the verb or expression in the relative clause:

French English
Voilà ce à quoi je pense. That's what I'm thinking about.
C'est ce avec quoi il travaille. That's what he works with.
Elle explique ce pour quoi elle est venue. She explains what she came for.
Voilà ce sur quoi nous devons nous concentrer. That's what we need to focus on.

From learning to practice

In explanations and conversations, listen for ce qui, ce que, and ce dont when the speaker refers to an idea without stating a noun first. The verb or preposition that follows can help you recognize which form the clause requires.

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