Qui est-ce qui can be a bit “heavy,” so you might prefer to stick with qui on its own.
French Articles
How to use the interrogative pronouns ‘qui,’ ‘que,’ ‘quoi,’ and ‘lequel’ in French?
By: Agnés Finot Fri Aug 30 2024
Use the French interrogative pronouns qui, que, quoi, and lequel to ask questions:
Use qui(who) to ask about people.
Use que(what) to ask about things.
Use quoi(what) as another form of que in certain settings.
Use lequel(which one) to refer to people or things that have been mentioned already.
But have you ever heard someone use the phrase “c’est qui qui…”(Who is it who...)? Or have you ever seen the pronounsNo definition set for pronounsLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. auxquelles or duquel? If you’re curious, you’ve come to the right place! In this post, we’ll review how to use the interrogative pronoun qui as the subjectNo definition set for subjectLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. and objectNo definition set for objectLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. of a sentence, how to use que as the subject and object of a sentence, when que becomes quoi, and how to use lequel, along with its contractionsNo definition set for contractionsLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. with the prepositionsNo definition set for prepositionsLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. à(to) and de(of).
Are you ready? Allons-y ! (Let's go!)
Table of Contents
How to use the interrogative pronoun ‘qui’ in French?
Use the French interrogative pronoun qui(who / whom) to ask questions about people. You can use qui as the subject or the object.
How to use ‘qui’ as the subject of a question in French?
Use qui as the subjectNo definition set for subjectLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. of a question to express “who.” You can either use qui on its own or with the phrase qui est-ce qui.
Qui est-là ?
Who is here?
Qui est-ce qui fait ce bruit ?
Who is making this noise?
Just like in English, when you ask a question with “who,” the verb (fait / est) is always conjugatedNo definition set for conjugatedLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. in the third personNo definition set for third personLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. singularNo definition set for singularLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. (il / elle / on) form.
Tip
Important
To create a question in French using qui, follow one of these two word orders:
Qui
verb
(in the 3rd person singular)object
Qui prend la photo ?
Who is taking the photo?
Qui est-ce qui
verb
(in the 3rd person singular)object
Qui est-ce qui arrosera les plantes ?
Who will water the plants?
No other word order is possible when qui is the subject.
How to use ‘qui’ as the subject in informal speech in French?
In informal speech, you use qui to ask about a subject using one of these strange phrases:
Qui c’est qui …?
C’est qui qui …?
Both of these phrases mean “who is it who?” Although they are not very elegant, they are used a lot. I can even tell you that I heard a certain French president use them quite a few times!
interrogative pronounrelative pronoun
C'est qui qui a mis les verres dans le lave-vaisselle ?
Who put the glasses in the dishwasher?
The following diagram shows different ways to use qui in the question "who called?" depending on formality:
Tip
Curious about the difference between formal and informal questions? Check out our article on the three types of French questions!
When to use ‘qui’ as the object of a question in French?
We use the interrogative pronoun qui as an objectNo definition set for objectLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. in order to say “whom,” and it is only used when referencing people.
subject
verb
qui
Tu préfères qui ?
Whom do you prefer?
There are several word order combinations possible, depending on the formality of the question. The graphic below illustrates various ways to ask, “Who are you looking for?”:
How to use the interrogative pronoun ‘que’ in French?
Use the interrogative pronoun que as the subject or object of a sentence in French. We use que to ask questions about things or ideas, like you would use the word “what,” in English.
Tip
Note that que becomes qu' in front of a vowel, unlike qui.
How to use ‘que’ for subjects in French?
Use que to ask about a “what thing” or “what idea” is the subject in some situation. When you use que for the subject in French, you must use it in combination with est-ce qui, like this: qu’est-ce qui. This phrase literally means “what is it that...”
qu’est-ce qui
verb in the 3rd person singular
object
Qu’est-ce qui s’est passé à l’aéroport ?
What has happened at the airport?
Qu’est-ce qui arrivera à Anthony ?
What will happen to Anthony?
Notice that the answer to both of these questions will be the subject of a sentence.
Now, let’s see what to do when que is the object of a sentence.
How to use ‘que’ for objects in French?
Use que as the object of a sentence when you want to ask “what thing” or “what idea” someone is acting upon or if you want to ask what something is. You can use que as an object in a few different ways:
Use Qu’est-ce + que + subject + verb to make it clear that you are asking a question!
Qu’est-ce que tu regardes ?
What are you watching?
Qu’est-ce que c’est ?
What is it?
Qu’est-ce qu’il y a ?
What’s the matter?
Que on its own is less common and much more formal.
Que s’est-il passé à l’aéroport ?
What happened at the airport?
Que mangez-vous ?
What are you eating?
Que portent-ils ?
What are they wearing?
In an informal question, que becomes quoi. (See the next section!)
The chart below will show you the difference in formality between the three ways to ask “What are you doing?”
Tip
My students often get confused with the several ways of asking questions in French. My advice is to stick with (Qu’)est-ce que, as it is perfect for all situations.
Now that you know the rule, try this exercise and see if you can choose between qui or que.
When does ‘que’ become ‘quoi’ in French?
The interrogative pronoun que will become quoi in informal French sentences when it is placed after the verb. Look at the two sentences below. What do you notice?
Que veux-tu ?
What do you want?
Tu veux quoi ?
What do you want?
que becomes quoi after a verb.
Keep this rule in mind when forming your questions.
Tu fais quoi ce weekend ?
What are you doing on the weekend?
Tip
Using this word order in spoken French is the most common and also the least formal.
You can also use quoi as an interjectionNo definition set for interjectionLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.. To practice sounding like a native speaker and to learn more about using quoi as a French interjection, check out our activity sheet! Or, study this list of common French expressions using quoi.
When to use ‘que’ and ‘qui’ with prepositions in French?
Use que and qui with prepositionsNo definition set for prepositionsLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. when the verbNo definition set for verbLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. of your question takes a preposition, usually à or de. When you use verbs that take a preposition, you will use this preposition in combination with que and qui.
When you use a preposition with que, something magical happens...
✨ It becomes quoi! ✨
que becomes quoi after a preposition.
Verb + preposition | Question with quoi |
|---|---|
penser à to think about | À quoi penses-tu ? What are you thinking about? |
avoir peur de to be scared of | De quoi tu as peur ? What are you scared of? |
appuyer sur to press | J’appuie sur quoi ? What am I pressing on? |
Qui with the prepositions à and de means "whom," but it does not change form like que:
Verb + preposition | Question with qui |
|---|---|
parler à to talk to | À qui tu parles ? To whom are you talking? |
parler de to talk about | De qui tu parles ? About whom are you talking? |
Tip
Keep in mind that the order of the words is flexible. For example, above, you could also say, “Tu penses à quoi ?” or “Sur quoi j’appuie ?” or “À qui parles-tu ?”
Here is a list of French verbs with their prepositions that you might find useful.
Important
Always make sure the preposition is placed just before the interrogative pronoun qui or quoi, regardless of the word order you choose to use.
Qui est-ce que tu habites avec ?
→ Avec qui est-ce que tu habites ?
Whom do you live with?
So now you can ask “who,” “whom,” or “what” in French. But do you know how to say “which one”? Let’s learn about lequel!
How do you use the interrogative pronoun ‘lequel’ in French?
Use the interrogative pronoun lequel(which one) to refer to people or things that have been previously mentioned.
- Je vais acheter une casquette.
I’m going to buy a cap.
- Laquelle tu vas choisir ?
Which one are you going to choose?
Why am I using laquelle in this example? Because this interrogative pronoun must agreeNo definition set for agreeLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. with the numberNo definition set for numberLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. and genderNo definition set for genderLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. of the noun it replaces. In other words, check if your noun is singular or plural, and masculine or feminine, and follow this table to choose the right form of lequel:
Gender | Number | Form of lequel |
|---|---|---|
masculine | singular | lequel |
plural | lesquels | |
feminine | singular | laquelle |
plural | lesquelles |
Tip
Sometimes, you will hear the interrogative word quel and its variants. This interrogative typically modifies another noun in the sentence, and it is different from lequel . Read our article on forming questions to learn more about using quel in French questions!
In my previous example, I was replacing une casquette (feminine and singular), so I used the interrogative pronoun laquelle.
Let’s try another example together:
- J’ai perdu mes clés.
I lost my keys.
- ____________?
Which ones?
- Les clés de la maison !
The house keys!
Have you worked out which form to use here? Well done! Les clés is a feminine plural noun, therefore we replace it with lesquelles.
Before we wrap up, let’s review one last tricky part of using lequel. Sometimes, lequel will form a contraction with the prepositions that precede it. Let’s take a look.
How do prepositions change the form of ‘lequel’ in French?
Prepositions change the form of lequel in French by forming contractionsNo definition set for contractionsLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. with the interrogative pronoun. If you use lequel with the prepositions à or de, it contracts with these prepositions.
Example:
de
lequel
=
duquel
Pay attention to the sentence below in which the noun is mentioned, and check if the verb uses a preposition.
- Je vais parler à mon ami.
I’m going to speak to my friend.
- Auquel ? Maxence ou Gaspard ?
Which one? Maxence or Gaspard?
The verb is parler à, so lequel is combined with à to become auquel. Here are some more example sentences.
The following table shows how to use lequel in combination with the two most frequent prepositions: à and de.
preposition + lequel | singular | plural | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
masculine | feminine | masculine | feminine | |
without a preposition | lequel | laquelle | lesquels | lesquelles |
à + lequel | aquel | à laquelle | auxquels | auxquelles |
de + lequel | duquel | de laquelle | desquels | desquelles |
For other prepositions like contre(against), pour(for), etc., simply place the preposition in front of the form of lequel you need to use. For example:
Pour lesquelles ?
For which ones?
Contre laquelle ?
Against which one?
Now, let’s review the main points that we have covered in this post.
Let’s recap
In this post, we’ve covered how to use the interrogative pronouns qui, que, quoi, and lequel.
Recall the following:
Here is how to use qui / que / quoi:
EnglishFrenchwho
qui
qui est-ce qui
whom
qui
qui est-ce que
what
que
qu’est-ce que
qu’est-ce qui
quoi*
When using a verb that takes a preposition, always keep the preposition before the interrogative pronoun (à qui, de quoi….
Here is how to use lequel:
Lequel refers to people and things that have been previously mentioned.
Lequel has to agreeNo definition set for agreeLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. with the noun it represents.
Lequel takes different forms when used with the preposition à and de (auxquelles, duquel, etc.).
Ready to test your knowledge? Here’s an activity for you to practice French interrogative pronouns!
Downloadable Resources
Elevate your language-learning journey to new heights with the following downloadable resources.
