Simple Relative Pronouns, Les pronoms relatifs simples
Relative pronouns connect two clauses and refer back to a noun mentioned earlier (the antecedent). French has four simple relative pronouns: qui, que, dont, and où.
Rules
Qui — replaces the subject of the relative clause (the person/thing doing the action)
Que (Qu') — replaces the direct object of the relative clause
Dont — replaces a noun introduced by 'de' (of which, whose, about which)
Où — replaces a place or time expression (where, when)
Qui is never shortened before a vowel; que becomes qu'
Examples
L'homme qui parle est mon père. (The man who is speaking is my father.)
Le livre que je lis est intéressant. (The book that I am reading is interesting.)
La fille dont je parle est ma voisine. (The girl I am talking about is my neighbour.)
La ville où j'habite est belle. (The city where I live is beautiful.)
C'est le film qu'elle préfère. (It's the film that she prefers.)
Le jour où je suis né, il neigeait. (The day when I was born, it was snowing.)
Le professeur dont les cours sont intéressants. (The teacher whose classes are interesting.)