What's the difference between ce qui and ce que?

Ce qui is used when the unnamed thing performs the action, so a verb follows directly: ce qui me plaît, what pleases me. Ce que is used when it receives the action, so a subject follows: ce que je veux, what I want.

Why do I need ce at all?

Because a French relative pronoun cannot start a clause with nothing in front of it. Ce is a neuter pronoun standing in for the unnamed thing, which gives qui or que something to attach to. Once a real noun appears, ce is dropped.

How do I say which referring back to a whole sentence?

Use a comma plus ce qui or ce que: il a menti, ce qui m'étonne, he lied, which surprises me. Which of the two you pick depends on the verb in the comment, so it becomes ce que je trouve bizarre when a subject follows.

Why is it ce que and not qu'est-ce que in je ne sais pas ce que tu veux?

Because qu'est-ce que is a question structure and this is no longer a question. Embedded inside a sentence the question loses its inversion and its marker, leaving the relative ce que. The same happens with dis-moi ce qui s'est passé.

When do I use ce dont or ce à quoi?

When the verb in the clause governs de or à. Avoir besoin de gives ce dont j'ai besoin, and s'attendre à gives ce à quoi je m'attendais. The pronoun absorbs the preposition, so it is never repeated later in the clause.

French grammar · Intermediate

Ce Qui and Ce Que in French: Saying What When There Is No Noun

Written by Camille Laurent, Lead French Curriculum Editor · Reviewed May 2026

Ce qui and ce que mean what, in the sense of the thing that. They are used when there is no noun for the relative pronoun to attach to, so ce supplies one. Ce qui takes over when the missing thing is the subject of the clause, and ce que when it is the object.

Je ne comprends pas ce qu'il veut dire.

I don't understand what he means.

What it is

A French relative pronoun has to hang on something. La maison qui brûle works because maison is there for qui to describe. When the thing you mean has no name, French inserts the neuter ce to fill the gap, and the relative pronoun then behaves completely normally on top of it.

Dis-moi ce qui te plaît et ce que tu détestes. — Tell me what you like and what you hate.

How to spot it

Ask whether a noun could go in front of the pronoun. If not, you need ce, and then the usual subject-or-object test decides between qui and que.

Je sais ce qui l'inquiète. — I know what's worrying him. (subject)
Je sais ce qu'il veut. — I know what he wants. (object)
Elle est partie, ce qui m'étonne. — She left, which surprises me. (a whole clause)
Ce que j'aime, c'est le silence. — What I like is the silence. (emphasis)

In a direct question the same idea is expressed with qu'est-ce que, not with ce que.

Ce Qui What Which Relative Pronouns Quick Reference

The forms and the situations that call for them

Form	Used when	Example	English
ce qui	the unnamed thing is the subject	ce qui me plaît	what I like
ce que	the unnamed thing is the object	ce que je veux	what I want
ce dont	the verb governs de	ce dont je parle	what I'm talking about
ce à quoi	the verb governs à	ce à quoi je pense	what I'm thinking about
comma + ce qui	commenting on the whole clause	Il a menti, ce qui m'étonne.	He lied, which surprises me.
ce qui …, c'est …	emphasising one element	Ce qui compte, c'est l'effort.	What matters is the effort.
qu'est-ce que	in a direct question instead	Qu'est-ce que tu veux ?	What do you want?

Common Ce Qui What Which Relative Pronouns Examples in French

Ce qui and ce que in their four main jobs:

Inside a Larger Sentence

Je ne sais pas ce qu'il veut.: I don't know what he wants.
Dis-moi ce qui s'est passé.: Tell me what happened.
Je fais ce que je peux.: I'm doing what I can.
Elle a écrit ce qu'elle pensait vraiment.: She wrote what she really thought.

This is where English speakers most often reach for qu'est-ce que by mistake, because the English word what is the same in both.

Commenting on a Whole Clause

Il est arrivé en retard, ce qui m'a énervé.: He arrived late, which annoyed me.
Le train a été annulé, ce qui explique le retard.: The train was cancelled, which explains the delay.
Elle a tout réussi, ce que je trouve remarquable.: She succeeded at everything, which I find remarkable.
Il n'a rien dit, ce qui ne lui ressemble pas.: He said nothing, which isn't like him.

Here ce refers back to the entire preceding statement, and English uses a bare which for the same job.

Emphasis With C'est

Ce qui m'énerve, c'est le bruit.: What annoys me is the noise.
Ce que je veux, c'est comprendre.: What I want is to understand.
Ce qui compte, c'est d'essayer.: What matters is trying.
Ce que j'ai retenu, c'est sa générosité.: What stayed with me was his generosity.

This construction moves the important part to the front, which is how French compensates for having less freedom of word order than English.

Ce Dont and Ce À Quoi

Ce dont tu parles est important.: What you're talking about is important.
Je sais ce dont il a envie.: I know what he'd like.
Ce à quoi je m'attendais n'est pas arrivé.: What I was expecting didn't happen.
Voilà ce à quoi il faut penser.: That's what you need to think about.

The verb inside the clause decides: parler de gives ce dont, penser à gives ce à quoi.

How Ce Qui and Ce Que Work

Two decisions are involved, and separating them makes the choice mechanical rather than intuitive.

Ce Fills the Empty Antecedent Slot

French will not start a relative clause with nothing in front of it. Ce is a neuter pronoun meaning the thing, and its only job here is to give qui or que something to attach to.

Ce qui est fait est fait.

What's done is done.

No noun → add ce.

Then Apply the Ordinary Qui and Que Test

If a verb comes immediately after, the missing thing is the subject and you need qui. If a subject comes after, the missing thing is the object and you need que. Nothing about ce changes this.

Je ne sais pas ce qui l'a convaincu.

I don't know what convinced him.

verb → qui, subject → que.

A Comma Plus Ce Qui Comments on Everything Before It

English can attach which to a whole clause: he lied, which surprised me. French cannot use a bare qui that way, so it adds ce to give the pronoun an antecedent, producing ce qui or ce que depending on the following verb.

Elle a refusé, ce que je peux comprendre.

She refused, which I can understand.

…, ce qui / ce que.

The Verb's Preposition Chooses Dont or À Quoi

When the verb inside the clause needs de or à, the pronoun absorbs it. Avoir besoin de gives ce dont, s'attendre à gives ce à quoi. Getting this wrong is the commonest error in the whole family.

Ce dont j'ai besoin, c'est de silence.

What I need is silence.

de → ce dont, à → ce à quoi.

A Direct Question Uses Qu'est-ce Que Instead

Ce que belongs inside a sentence. On its own at the front of a question you need qu'est-ce que or que with inversion. The pair je ne sais pas ce que tu veux and qu'est-ce que tu veux shows the same idea in both registers.

Je me demande ce qu'elle en pense.

I wonder what she thinks about it.

Embedded → ce que, direct → qu'est-ce que.

Common Mistakes with Ce Qui What Which Relative Pronouns

Incorrect: Je ne sais pas qu'est-ce qu'il veut. — I don't know what he wants.

Correct: Je ne sais pas ce qu'il veut. — I don't know what he wants.

Qu'est-ce que only works in a direct question. Once the question is embedded in a sentence, it becomes ce que and the question structure disappears.

Incorrect: Je ne comprends pas ce que se passe. — I don't understand what's happening.

Correct: Je ne comprends pas ce qui se passe. — I don't understand what's happening.

Se passe follows immediately with no subject in between, so the unnamed thing is doing the happening and the pronoun must be qui.

Incorrect: Elle a réussi, ce qui je trouve remarquable. — She succeeded, which I find remarkable.

Correct: Elle a réussi, ce que je trouve remarquable. — She succeeded, which I find remarkable.

Je is the subject of trouve, so the unnamed thing is the object of the verb and the pronoun has to be que. The comment construction follows the same test as any other clause.

Incorrect: Il est arrivé en retard, qui m'a énervé. — He arrived late, which annoyed me.

Correct: Il est arrivé en retard, ce qui m'a énervé. — He arrived late, which annoyed me.

A bare qui needs a noun in front of it, and there is none: the thing that annoyed you is the whole preceding clause. Ce supplies the antecedent that qui requires.

Commenting on a Clause, and Exclaiming

Two constructions reuse ce que and ce qui in ways that are not obviously relative clauses at all.

Commenting on what was just said

A comma followed by ce qui or ce que attaches a remark to the whole preceding sentence, matching the English which.

Il a refusé, ce qui m'étonne.: He refused, which surprises me.
Elle est partie tôt, ce que personne n'a remarqué.: She left early, which nobody noticed.
Tout s'est bien passé, ce dont je suis ravi.: Everything went well, which I'm delighted about.

Choose between qui, que, and dont by looking at the verb in the comment, not at the sentence being commented on.

Emphatic clefts

Opening with ce qui or ce que and closing with c'est shifts the emphasis onto whatever follows c'est.

Ce qui me fait rire, c'est son accent.: What makes me laugh is his accent.
Ce que j'aime le plus, c'est le calme du matin.: What I like most is the quiet of the morning.
Ce qui manque, c'est du temps.: What's missing is time.

French uses this far more than English does, because it cannot simply move a word to the front for emphasis.

Ce que in exclamations

Ce que followed by a clause means how or so, and is a conversational alternative to comme.

Ce que tu es drôle !: You're so funny!
Ce qu'il fait chaud !: It's so hot!
Ce que c'est beau !: How beautiful it is!

This use is familiar in register, sitting between the neutral comme and the very colloquial qu'est-ce que.

Ce Qui What Which Relative Pronouns FAQs

What's the difference between ce qui and ce que?: Ce qui is used when the unnamed thing performs the action, so a verb follows directly: ce qui me plaît, what pleases me. Ce que is used when it receives the action, so a subject follows: ce que je veux, what I want.
Why do I need ce at all?: Because a French relative pronoun cannot start a clause with nothing in front of it. Ce is a neuter pronoun standing in for the unnamed thing, which gives qui or que something to attach to. Once a real noun appears, ce is dropped.
How do I say which referring back to a whole sentence?: Use a comma plus ce qui or ce que: il a menti, ce qui m'étonne, he lied, which surprises me. Which of the two you pick depends on the verb in the comment, so it becomes ce que je trouve bizarre when a subject follows.
Why is it ce que and not qu'est-ce que in je ne sais pas ce que tu veux?: Because qu'est-ce que is a question structure and this is no longer a question. Embedded inside a sentence the question loses its inversion and its marker, leaving the relative ce que. The same happens with dis-moi ce qui s'est passé.
When do I use ce dont or ce à quoi?: When the verb in the clause governs de or à. Avoir besoin de gives ce dont j'ai besoin, and s'attendre à gives ce à quoi je m'attendais. The pronoun absorbs the preposition, so it is never repeated later in the clause.