qui
Qui est là ?
Who is there?
Used to ask for information specifying a person or people.
Qui a appelé ?
Who called?
C'est toi qui as gagné.
It's you who won.
Used as an interrogative pronoun to ask about a person's identity. In relative clauses, it introduces a subordinate clause referring to a person.
The person or people that; used to introduce a clause giving further information about someone already mentioned.
L'homme qui parle est mon frère.
The man who is speaking is my brother.
La femme qui est là-bas est ma voisine.
The woman who is over there is my neighbor.
Used as a relative pronoun to introduce a defining or non-defining relative clause about a person.
Collocations
Synonyms
Related Phrases
Pro Tip
Pronoun vs. Relative Clause
Remember that 'qui' is used for people only. For things or animals, use 'que' or 'lequel' (which changes form based on gender and number).
Gold Rule
Subject vs. Object
'Qui' is always the subject of the verb in the clause it introduces. If it's the object, French uses 'qui' as well but the context clarifies the role.
Word Origin
From Old French 'qui', from Latin 'quis' (who), from Proto-Italic '*kʷis', from Proto-Indo-European '*kʷo-' (interrogative pronoun). Cognates include Spanish 'quién', Italian 'chi', and English 'who'.
Usage Notes
In French, 'qui' is used for both interrogative and relative pronouns referring to people. It does not change form based on gender or number. The verb following 'qui' is always in the third person singular when used as a relative pronoun.