In this French grammar lesson you will learn about ce que vs ce qui.
In this lesson you will learn about:
- how to use ce que
- how to use ce qui
- ce que vs ce qui
- how the relative pronouns are used in sentences
- how you can quiz yourself on ce que vs ce qui
- how to practice with flashcards on ce que vs ce qui
- how and why you should use the courses of Language Atlas to learn French
Please refer to the French B1 Curriculum to get a better overview of French grammar, if you are curious about how this fits in the overall structure of French B1.
By the end of the lesson you will know all about ce que vs ce qui!
Table of Contents
How to use Ce que
“Ce que” means the following in French:
- ce que = what
Je sais ce que je fais.
I know what I’m doing.
Je dis ce que je pense.
I say what I think.
Ce que tu fais est illégal.
What you’re doing is illegal.
Nous savons ce que Marc cherche.
We know what Marc is looking for.
Nous devenons ce que nous pensons.
We become what we think.
Vous savez ce que je veux.
You know what I want.
You will use ce que when the word that follows is/represents a person (je, tu, Marc…) or a thing (voiture, pommes, magazines).
How to use Ce qui
“Ce qui” means the following in French:
- ce qui = what
Je sais ce qui s’est passé.
I know what happened.
J’ai fait ce qui était nécessaire.
I did what was necessary.
Fais ce qui est juste.
Do what is right
Do the right thing.
C’est ce qui me rend nerveux.
That’s what makes me nervous.
Comprenez-vous ce qui se passe ?
Do you understand what is going on
You will use ce qui when the following word is a verb (est, a, fait…) or a reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, lui, le, la, nous, vous, leur, les).
Ce que vs Ce qui: The Rule of Thumb
The easiest way to know, if you have to use ce que or ce qui is to look at the word that follows.
If the word that follows IS a verb or a reflexive pronoun, then you will use ce qui.
If the word that follows IS NOT a verb or a reflexive pronoun, then you will use ce que.
Example Sentences for Ce que vs Ce qui
The final section of this lesson on ce que vs ce qui is about seeing the relative pronouns in action.
This is valuable because you can improve your understanding on ce que vs ce qui through examples.
Here you can find the sentences of the previous chapters on ce que vs ce qui, neatly stored in one place.
Je sais ce que je fais.
I know what I’m doing.
Je dis ce que je pense.
I say what I think.
Ce que tu fais est illégal.
What you’re doing is illegal.
Nous savons ce que Marc cherche.
We know what Marc is looking for.
Nous devenons ce que nous pensons.
We become what we think.
Vous savez ce que je veux.
You know what I want.
Je sais ce qui s’est passé.
I know what happened.
J’ai fait ce qui était nécessaire.
I did what was necessary.
Fais ce qui est juste.
Do what is right
Do the right thing.
C’est ce qui me rend nerveux.
That’s what makes me nervous.
Comprenez-vous ce qui se passe ?
Do you understand what is going on
Quiz Yourself on Ce que vs Ce qui
At the end of every lesson you can do a small quiz.
You will see the sentences of the previous chapter.
You will either need to fill in the blanks, choose the correct multiple choice option, or both.
Once you are done the correct answer will be shown.
You can redo the quiz as many times as you want!
How to Practice With Flashcards for This Lesson
Using flashcards is an absolute necessity when it comes to learning a language!
It is the best way to memorize what you learn, you can personalize your progression because it adapts to your actions, and all flashcards have audio to improve your hearing and pronunciation.
Please read our article on how to learn a new language for more information.
There are two ways to practice with Flashcards for this lesson.
- Anki
- The Flashcards in our Courses
Anki is a free software with which you can create and practice flashcards.
After you have downloaded Anki, you can get our French B1 Anki Deck.
This Anki Deck contains 2,028 flashcards with which you can practice absolutely everything for French B1.
All the flashcards have text, images, explanations, and audio.
You can also use our courses that have flashcards integrated alongside lessons with audio, quizzes and much more!
However, I am sure you are wondering, what are your courses, and why should I take them?
The Courses of Language Atlas
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So I thought, “why not make something myself?“.
Using my experience and by doing research I created Language Atlas, a platform where people can learn French and Spanish in the most effective and efficient way.
I created free lessons and quizzes so that there would always be a easy and accessible way for people to learn or brush up on their language skills.
However, I also created courses that are much more comprehensive and in-depth.
The courses of Language Atlas have:
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