Is it Monday already? That means it’s time for another French Word of the Week. This week, it’s qui.
Take a listen to the audio clip to hear how to pronounce it correctly:
Please be wary of trying to translate qui by the sound of the word in English. After hearing the audio clip, you might think it sounds like a French speaker saying the English word key! However, its correct translation is far from something that opens locks. The French word qui means who, whom or which in English.
Qui is a relative pronoun which replaces the subject of a clause – the subject might be a person or a thing. For more information, check out our Easy Learning French Grammar section on pronouns.
You might also know ‘who’ in English as one of the ‘question words’; qui is part of the same group in French (interrogative pronouns). For some extra insight on forming and using questions, see our French conversation blog on questions.
Let’s have a look at some examples of qui in different situations:
C’est nous qui l’a vu. It was us who saw him.
Mon grand-père a remplacé la bague qui était cassée. My grandfather replaced the ring which was broken.
Les professeurs avec qui nous étions amicales. The teachers who we were friendly with. / The teachers with whom we were friendly.
Mon amie, qui habite à Lille, vient nous rendre visite demain. My friend, who lives in Lille, is coming to visit us tomorrow.
Ce n’est pas grave, ce sont des choses qui arrivent. It’s OK, these things happen.
en ce qui concerne (quelque chose) concerning (something)
En ce qui concerne la guerre, je n’en pense plus. As far as the war is concerned, I just don’t think about it anymore.
Invitez qui vous voudrez. Invite whoever you want.
n’importe qui anybody ; anyone ; whoever
à qui whose
À qui le tour ? Whose turn is it?
Qu’est-ce qui te prend ? What’s up with you ? What’s the matter with you?
Qui sait ? Who knows?
Qui est parti sans fermer la porte ? Who left without closing the door?
« Qui ? » « L’homme qui porte le manteau rouge. » “Who?” “The man who’s wearing the red coat.”
Qui est-ce que vous avez rencontré hier soir ? Who did you meet last night?
« Je sors. » « Avec qui ? » “I’m going out.” “With who/whom?”
Who now feels more confident with this new word in their French vocabulary? We hope you’re raising your hand in agreement! See you here again for another word next week.
Written by Holly Tarbet, freelance copywriter and editor.
All opinions expressed on this blog are those of the individual writers, and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or policies of Collins, or its parent company, HarperCollins.
