Skip to content
VirtusAcademy

Relative Pronouns: que, où, quand

HigherHigher tier onlyAQA

Revise Relative Pronouns: que, où, quand for GCSE French with this free worksheet and full mark scheme — Higher tier exam-style practice with worked answers for AQA GCSE French (8652). At Higher tier, que, où and quand are also used to join clauses.

Free downloads

These worksheets and mark schemes are original, written for Virtus Academy and checked against the current AQA specification. Every worksheet comes with a full mark scheme.

This is a Higher tier only topic, so there's no Foundation paper — only the Higher worksheet and mark scheme below.

Higher

WorksheetHigher · PDFMark SchemeHigher · PDF

Topic overview

Que, où and quand are relative pronouns that join sentences by replacing something other than the subject. This is a Higher-only topic.

Que replaces the object. Voici le livre. J'ai acheté le livre. These become voici le livre que j'ai acheté — here is the book that I bought. Unlike qui, que is followed by a subject and then a verb, and que does elide before a vowel: le livre qu'il a acheté.

Où replaces a place or a time. La ville où j'habite — the town where I live. Le jour où je suis arrivé — the day when I arrived. Note that où covers when as well as where in this structure, which surprises students. Quand is used for time in questions and clauses.

Revision notes

Que replaces the object

Voici le livre. J'ai acheté le livre. These become voici le livre que j'ai acheté.

Que replaced the object of the second sentence. It is followed by a subject and then a verb, unlike qui which is followed directly by a verb.

Qui versus que

Qui is followed directly by a verb: l'ami qui habite ici.

Que is followed by a subject then a verb: le livre que j'ai acheté. This is the reliable test, and it is quicker than working out whether the word replaced was subject or object.

Où for place and time

La ville où j'habite — the town where I live.

Le jour où je suis arrivé — the day when I arrived. Où covers when as well as where in this structure, which is not obvious from its usual meaning of where.

Key points

  • Que replaces the object of a sentence.
  • Que is followed by a subject then a verb.
  • Qui is followed directly by a verb.
  • Que elides to qu' before a vowel.
  • Où replaces a place or a time.
  • Où can mean when as well as where.

Worked examples

Example 1

Join these sentences: Voici le livre. J'ai acheté le livre. [2 marks]

Working

Voici le livre que j'ai achetéreplace the object with que
Que is used because le livre was the object of the second sentenceexplain the choice

Example 2

Explain how to tell whether qui or que is needed. [2 marks]

Working

If a verb follows directly, use quistate the test for qui
If a subject follows before the verb, use questate the test for que

Example 3

Translate: the day when I arrived. [2 marks]

Working

le jour où je suis arrivéuse où for the time expression
Où is used for when as well as where in this structureexplain the use

Common mistakes

  • Using qui where que is needed.

    Check whether a subject follows before the verb.

  • Failing to elide que.

    It becomes qu' before a vowel: qu'il, not que il.

  • Using quand instead of où in a relative clause.

    Le jour où, not le jour quand.

  • Forgetting the past participle may agree after que.

    With a preceding direct object, agreement applies.

Exam tips

  • Use the following-word test to choose qui or que.
  • Elide que before a vowel.
  • Use où for both place and time in relative clauses.
  • Remember this is a Higher-only topic.

Key terms

Que
A relative pronoun replacing the object.
Où
A relative pronoun for place or time.
Object
The person or thing receiving the action.
Relative clause
The part of the sentence introduced by qui, que or où.

Related topics

Written and reviewed against the current AQA specification. Spotted an error? Let us know.