Other pronouns (Edexcel GCSE French): Revision Notes
Other pronouns
Learning to use different types of pronouns correctly will help you demonstrate a sophisticated understanding of French grammar in your speaking and writing tasks. Mastering these structures shows examiners that you can handle complex sentence patterns.
Relative pronouns qui and que
Relative pronouns are connecting words that link two parts of a sentence together whilst avoiding repetition. They refer back to someone or something you have already mentioned.
To choose between qui and que, you need to identify whether you're replacing the subject (the person/thing doing the action) or the object (the person/thing having the action done to it).
Qui (who/which)
Qui replaces the subject of a sentence. You can recognise the subject because it's the person or thing doing the action.
| French example | English translation |
|---|---|
| J'ai un frère qui s'appelle Marc | I have a brother who is called Marc |
| Ma sœur est la fille qui porte une robe rouge | My sister is the girl who is wearing a red dress |
Que (whom/which/that)
Que replaces the object of a sentence. The object is the person or thing that has the action done to it.
| French example | English translation |
|---|---|
| L'homme que j'ai vu ne portait pas de lunettes | The man (whom) I saw wasn't wearing glasses |
| C'était la personne que j'avais vue en ville | It was the person (that) I had seen in town |
Notice how que often appears before the subject of the clause, whereas qui appears before the verb. This word order pattern is crucial for correct usage.
Emphatic pronouns
Emphatic pronouns (also called disjunctive pronouns) are used to add emphasis or after certain grammatical structures. They are essential for creating more sophisticated sentences.
The emphatic pronouns
| French | English |
|---|---|
| moi | me |
| toi | you |
| lui | him/it |
| elle | her/it |
| nous | us |
| vous | you |
| eux | them (masculine) |
| elles | them (feminine) |
When to use emphatic pronouns
After prepositions:
- avec moi/toi (with me/you)
- pour lui/elle/nous/vous/eux/elles (for him/her/us/you/them)
For emphasis:
- Lui, il est travailleur (Him, he's hard-working)
To form a double subject:
- Ma sœur et moi allons en ville (My sister and I are going to town)
Exam tip: At Foundation tier, you only need to know the emphatic pronouns moi and toi.
Où and dont
These are two important relative pronouns that have specific uses in French.
Où (where)
Où refers back to a place that has been mentioned before or is already known to both speaker and listener.
| French example | English translation |
|---|---|
| La ville où j'ai passé mes vacances est très belle | The town where I spent my holidays is very beautiful |
| La maison où il habite est grande | The house where he lives is big |
Dont (whose/of which/of whom/about whom)
Dont has several meanings and is used when you want to avoid repeating information about possession or relationships.
| French example | English translation |
|---|---|
| Le monsieur dont j'ai trouvé les lunettes | The gentleman whose glasses I found |
| La fille dont on a parlé | The girl whom we talked about |
Dont is particularly useful for creating more complex sentences and showing advanced grammar skills in your exam.
Translation practice
Translation Practice Exercise
Try translating these sentences:
French to English:
- C'est le professeur qui enseigne l'anglais
- La voiture dont je rêve coûte cher
English to French:
- The book that I bought is interesting
- The restaurant where we ate was excellent
Answers:
- It's the teacher who teaches English
- The car (that) I dream of is expensive
- Le livre que j'ai acheté est intéressant
- Le restaurant où nous avons mangé était excellent
Key Points to Remember:
- Qui replaces the subject of a sentence, que replaces the object
- Emphatic pronouns are used after prepositions, for emphasis, and in double subjects
- Où refers to places previously mentioned
- Dont means whose/of which/about whom and helps create sophisticated sentences
- At Foundation tier, focus particularly on moi and toi for emphatic pronouns