Relative Clauses 1: who / that / which
who for people · that/which for things · not he/she/they/it · what = the thing(s) that — Complete Guide
Propositions Relatives 1 : who / that / which
who pour les personnes · that/which pour les choses · pas he/she/they/it · what = ce qui/que — Guide Complet
Learn to use who for people, that/which for things, replace he/she/they/it with the right relative pronoun, and understand when what means the thing(s) that.
Apprenez à utiliser who pour les personnes, that/which pour les choses, à remplacer he/she/they/it par le bon pronom relatif, et à comprendre quand what signifie ce qui / ce que.
A relative clause tells us which person or thing the speaker means, or what kind of person or thing. Use who for people, that or which for things — but never use he/she/they/it inside a relative clause. Also learn when what means the thing(s) that and is different from that.
Une proposition relative précise de quelle personne ou chose on parle, ou quel type de personne ou chose. Utilisez who pour les personnes, that ou which pour les choses — mais n’utilisez jamais he/she/they/it dans une proposition relative. Apprenez aussi quand what signifie ce qui / ce que et est différent de that.
who in relative clauses — for people
who dans les propositions relatives — pour les personnes
Use who in a relative clause for people (not things). We can also use that for people, but not which. A relative clause tells us which person the speaker means, or what kind of person.
Utilisez who dans une proposition relative pour les personnes (pas les choses). On peut aussi utiliser that pour les personnes, mais pas which. Une proposition relative indique quelle personne on désigne, ou quel type de personne.
✓ who (or that) for people
✓ who (ou that) pour les personnes
✗ which / ✗ pronouns for people
✗ which / ✗ pronoms pour les personnes
that or which for things
that ou which pour les choses
When talking about things, use that or which (not who) in a relative clause. That is more common in everyday English. Both are correct, but sometimes you must use which (see Unit 95).
Pour parler des choses, utilisez that ou which (pas who) dans une proposition relative. That est plus courant en anglais de tous les jours. Les deux sont corrects, mais parfois on doit utiliser which (voir Unité 95).
| ✓ that (more common) | ✓ which (also correct) | ✗ Wrong |
|---|---|---|
| ✓ that (plus courant) | ✓ which (aussi correct) | ✗ Incorrect |
| stories that have unhappy endings | stories which have unhappy endings | |
| a company that makes furniture | a company which makes furniture | |
| the machine that broke down | the machine which broke down | |
| the only planet that supports life | the only planet which supports life |
Use who/that/which — not he/she/they/it
Utilisez who/that/which — pas he/she/they/it
In relative clauses, use who/that/which instead of he/she/they/it. When you combine two sentences, the pronoun from the second sentence is replaced by the relative pronoun.
Dans les propositions relatives, utilisez who/that/which au lieu de he/she/they/it. Quand on combine deux phrases, le pronom de la deuxième phrase est remplacé par le pronom relatif.
I met a Canadian woman at the party. She is an English teacher. (2 sentences)
→ I met a Canadian woman who is an English teacher. (1 sentence — ‘she’ → ‘who’)
I can’t find the keys. They were on the table. (2 sentences)
→ Where are the keys that were on the table? (NOT ‘the keys they were’) DEUX phrases → UNE phrase avec proposition relative :
I met a Canadian woman at the party. She is an English teacher. (2 phrases)
→ I met a Canadian woman who is an English teacher. (1 phrase — ‘she’ → ‘who’)
I can’t find the keys. They were on the table. (2 phrases)
→ Where are the keys that were on the table? (PAS ‘the keys they were’)
✓ Correct — use who/that/which
✓ Correct — utilisez who/that/which
✗ Wrong — don’t repeat the pronoun
✗ Incorrect — ne répétez pas le pronom
what = the thing(s) that
what = ce qui / ce que (la chose que)
What (= the thing(s) that) is used without a preceding noun. Compare: after everything / nothing / something / anything, use that (not what).
What (= ce qui / ce que) s’utilise sans nom qui précède. Comparez : après everything / nothing / something / anything, utilisez that (pas what).
✓ what = the thing(s) that
✓ what = ce qui / ce que
✓ that (not what) after everything / the + noun
✓ that (pas what) après everything / the + nom
Write the correct relative pronoun (who or that) to complete each definition.
Écrivez le bon pronom relatif (who ou that) pour compléter chaque définition.
Example: “An architect is someone who designs buildings.”
Exemple : “An architect is someone who designs buildings.”
Complete with who, that, or which. (People → who/that; Things → that/which)
Complétez avec who, that ou which. (Personnes → who/that ; Choses → that/which)
Make one sentence from two. Type the correct relative pronoun.
Faites une seule phrase à partir de deux. Tapez le bon pronom relatif.
Example: “A girl was injured. She is in hospital.” → “The girl who was injured is in hospital.”
Exemple : “A girl was injured. She is in hospital.” → “The girl who was injured is in hospital.”
The underlined word is wrong. Write the correct relative pronoun. Write OK if correct.
Le mot souligné est incorrect. Écrivez le bon pronom relatif. Écrivez OK si correct.
Frequently Asked Questions — Relative Clauses 1
Questions fréquentes — Propositions Relatives 1
Yes. “The woman that lives next door is a doctor” is perfectly correct. Both who and that can be used for people in defining relative clauses. However, sometimes you must use who (not that) — see Unit 95 for details.
Oui. “The woman that lives next door is a doctor” est parfaitement correct. Who et that peuvent tous les deux être utilisés pour les personnes dans les propositions relatives définissantes. Cependant, parfois on doit utiliser who (pas that) — voir l’Unité 95.
No. “Who” is only for people. A company is a thing, not a person — use that or which: ✓ “a company that makes furniture” / “a company which makes furniture”. The same applies to shops, cars, buildings, machines, etc.
Non. “Who” est uniquement pour les personnes. Une entreprise est une chose, pas une personne — utilisez that ou which : ✓ “a company that makes furniture” / “a company which makes furniture”. Idem pour les magasins, voitures, bâtiments, machines, etc.
In a relative clause, you must use a relative pronoun (who/that/which) instead of a personal pronoun (he/she/they/it). “The keys they were on the table” uses “they” where a relative pronoun is needed: ✓ “The keys that were on the table” / “The keys which were on the table”.
Dans une proposition relative, il faut utiliser un pronom relatif (who/that/which) au lieu d’un pronom personnel (he/she/they/it). “The keys they were on the table” utilise “they” là où un pronom relatif est nécessaire : ✓ “The keys that were on the table”.
What = the thing(s) that — used when there is NO noun before it: “What happened was my fault.” (= The thing that happened.) After a noun (including everything, something, nothing, anything), use that (not what): ✓ “Everything that happened was unexpected.” ✗ “Everything what happened.” Also: “The machine that broke down…” — NOT “the machine what broke down.”
What = ce qui / ce que — utilisé quand il n’y a PAS de nom devant : “What happened was my fault.” Après un nom (y compris everything, something, nothing, anything), utilisez that (pas what) : ✓ “Everything that happened was unexpected.” ✗ “Everything what happened.”
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