Ce que vs Ce qui: French Relative Pronoun Rule
Once you’re comfortable asking direct questions with “what” in French, a new problem shows up: reporting or referring to “what” inside a sentence, as in “I don’t know what he wants.” That’s where ce que and ce qui come in, and the choice between them comes down to one grammatical test.
The short version
- Ce qui = what, when it’s the SUBJECT of the clause that follows.
- Ce que = what, when it’s the OBJECT of the clause that follows.
The test: after “what,” does the following clause already have its own subject? If yes, “what” must be the object, so use ce que. If the clause has no separate subject because “what” itself is doing the action, use ce qui.
When to use ce qui (subject)
- What is happening: Je ne sais pas ce qui se passe. (I don’t know what’s happening.)
- What is bothering someone: Dis-moi ce qui te dérange. (Tell me what’s bothering you.)
- What matters: Ce qui compte, c’est ta santé. (What matters is your health.)
- No separate subject follows — “what” itself performs the verb’s action.
- What surprises you: Ce qui m’étonne, c’est sa rapidité. (What surprises me is his speed.)
When to use ce que (object)
- What you want: Dis-moi ce que tu veux. (Tell me what you want.)
- What she said: Je n’ai pas entendu ce qu’elle a dit. (I didn’t hear what she said.)
- What we’re doing: Voilà ce que nous faisons. (Here’s what we’re doing.)
- A separate subject (tu, elle, nous) follows — “what” is receiving the action, not performing it.
- What he thinks: Je me demande ce qu’il pense. (I wonder what he thinks.)
Quick chart
| Ce qui (subject) | Ce que (object) |
|---|---|
| Ce qui m’intéresse… (what interests me) | Ce que je veux… (what I want) |
| No subject follows the verb | A subject (je, tu, il…) follows |
| “What” does the action | “What” receives the action |
| ce qui + verb directly | ce que + subject + verb |
| Never elides (ce qui est) | Elides before a vowel (ce qu’il) |
The elision trap: ce qu’il vs ce qui
One detail causes constant confusion in writing: ce qui never contracts, no matter what follows it, but ce que always elides to ce qu’ before a vowel sound. So you’ll write ce qui est important (what is important) with qui staying fully intact even though “est” starts with a vowel, but you’ll write ce qu’il veut (what he wants) with que shortened to qu’ before the vowel in “il.” Learners sometimes overcorrect and write ce qu’est important, mistakenly eliding qui because it “looks like” it should follow the same contraction pattern as que — but qui is grammatically a different pronoun with different elision behavior, and it stays whole in every case. If you remember only one rule from this section, remember that elision (the apostrophe-shortening) is a que-specific behavior, never a qui behavior, and that alone will fix most of the spelling mistakes people make with this pair. The same subject/object logic also extends to tout ce qui and tout ce que (“everything that”), which follow exactly the same split — tout ce qui te plaît (everything that pleases you, subject) versus tout ce que tu veux (everything that you want, object).
Mistakes learners make
- Using ce que when “what” is actually the subject: writing ce que se passe instead of ce qui se passe.
- Eliding ce qui before a vowel by mistake, producing the incorrect ce qu’est instead of the correct ce qui est.
- Forgetting to elide ce que before a vowel when it should contract: writing ce que il veut instead of ce qu’il veut.
- Translating English “what” word-for-word without checking whether a subject follows in the French clause.
- Misapplying the same subject/object confusion to tout ce qui / tout ce que, the extended “everything that” versions of this pair.
Frequently asked questions
What’s the difference between ce que and ce qui?
Ce qui is used when “what” is the subject of the following clause. Ce que is used when “what” is the object, and a separate subject (je, tu, il, elle…) follows it.
How do you know whether to use ce que or ce qui?
Check whether the clause after “what” already has its own subject. If it does, use ce que. If “what” itself is performing the action with no separate subject, use ce qui.
Does ce qui ever contract to ce qu’?
No. Ce qui never elides, even before a vowel sound — you always write ce qui est, never ce qu’est. Only ce que contracts, becoming ce qu’ before a vowel.
How do you say “I don’t know what he wants” in French?
Je ne sais pas ce qu’il veut, using ce que (elided to ce qu’) because “what” is the object of veut, and il is the separate subject.
How do you say “tell me what’s happening” in French?
Dis-moi ce qui se passe, using ce qui because “what” is the subject performing the action of happening — no separate subject follows.
Is ce que or ce qui used more often in conversation?
Both are extremely common; the choice is purely grammatical (subject vs. object), not a matter of formality or frequency preference.
Does the same subject/object rule apply to tout ce qui and tout ce que?
Yes. Tout ce qui te plaît (everything that pleases you) uses the subject form; tout ce que tu veux (everything that you want) uses the object form, following the identical logic.
Can ce qui or ce que start a sentence on their own?
Yes — both frequently open a sentence as a way of emphasizing a point: Ce qui compte, c’est ta santé (what matters is your health) puts the subject-form clause first for emphasis.
The subject/object test behind ce que and ce qui shows up constantly in natural French. corrector.co’s free French checker flags the elision mistakes and the subject/object mix-ups.
Next: Quel vs Que vs Qu’est-ce que · Y vs En
