Compare these two ways of saying the same thing: J'ai une amie. Elle habite à Moncton. Elle joue du violon. and J'ai une amie qui habite à Moncton et qui joue du violon. The second sounds like a fluent speaker; the first sounds like a list. Two kinds of words make the difference. Relative pronouns (qui, que) let you attach extra information to a noun, the way English uses who, which and that. Connectors (mais, donc, parce que, cependant...) show the logic between ideas: contrast, cause, result, addition. You need both to write a paragraph, explain an opinion or tell a story, so this lesson gives you the core toolkit.
Qui or que?
Both qui and que can mean who, which or that, and both can refer to people or things — so the English word does not help you choose. What matters is the job the pronoun does in the second part of the sentence. Qui is the subject of the next verb: it is followed by that verb (at most a ne or an object pronoun can come between, as in l'amie qui me parle). Que is the object: it is followed by its own subject (a noun or pronoun) and then the verb.
| Two sentences | Joined | Why |
|---|---|---|
| J'ai une amie. Elle habite à Moncton. | J'ai une amie qui habite à Moncton. | qui replaces the subject elle; next word is the verb habite |
| Le bus va au centre-ville. Il passe à huit heures. | Le bus qui va au centre-ville passe à huit heures. | qui is the subject of va; it can mean which, for a thing |
| C'est un livre. J'adore ce livre. | C'est un livre que j'adore. | que replaces the object; next comes the subject j' |
| La chanson est géniale. Tu écoutes la chanson. | La chanson que tu écoutes est géniale. | que is the object of écoutes; tu is the subject |
| Le sport ? Il préfère ce sport. | Le sport qu'il préfère, c'est le soccer. | que elides to qu' before a vowel |
Connectors: showing the logic
| Connector | Meaning | Job | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| et | and | adds | Je chante et je danse. |
| ou | or | gives a choice | Tu viens à pied ou en bus ? |
| mais | but | contrasts | J'aime le soccer, mais je préfère le hockey. |
| donc | so, therefore | gives a result | Il pleut, donc je prends un parapluie. |
| parce que (parce qu') | because | gives a cause | Je reste ici parce que je suis malade. |
| car | because, for | gives a cause (more formal, written) | Je reste ici, car je suis malade. |
| cependant | however | contrasts (formal) | Le film est long ; cependant, il est passionnant. |
| pourtant | yet, even so | contrasts with surprise | Il fait froid ; pourtant, Léo porte un t-shirt. |
| en effet | indeed, in fact | confirms or explains the last idea | Le vélo est populaire ici. En effet, il y a des pistes cyclables partout. |
| d'ailleurs | besides, moreover | adds a supporting point | Ce café est bon. D'ailleurs, il n'est pas cher. |
| ainsi que | as well as | adds (formal) | J'apporte des sandwichs ainsi que des fruits. |
In context: a student blog post
Translation: Wednesday is Car-Free Day at our school, which is near the Rideau Canal. It's a project that we have been preparing since September. The idea is simple: come on foot, by bike or by bus, but don't come by car! Indeed, cars produce a lot of greenhouse gases. The bus, as well as the bike, pollutes much less. Some students live far away; however, there are buses that go past the school every ten minutes. As for me, I'm going to come by bike, because I live two kilometres away. Besides, it's good exercise! It might rain; even so, I'm sure the day is going to be a success. The small actions that we take every day count, so come in large numbers! Look at the four relative pronouns: qui se trouve and qui passent are followed by verbs, while que nous préparons and que nous faisons are followed by the subject nous.