What is the difference between ce qui and ce que?

Grammatical role only. Ce qui is the subject of the following verb, so a verb comes next: ce qui me plaît. Ce que is its object, so a subject comes next: ce que je préfère. Both translate as what.

How do I remember which one to use?

Count the subjects in the clause. If the verb already has one, the missing piece is the object and you need ce que. If the verb is stranded with nobody to perform it, you need ce qui. The elision helps too: ce qu' is always the object form.

Why do French speakers say ce qui after a comma?

To comment on the whole sentence that came before, where English uses which: il a refusé, ce qui m'a surpris. Plain qui and que cannot do this because they need a noun to attach to, so the placeholder ce is added.

When do I need ce dont instead of ce que?

Whenever the verb inside the clause takes de. Avoir besoin de gives ce dont j'ai besoin, parler de gives ce dont on parle, se souvenir de gives ce dont je me souviens. The de cannot simply disappear.

Is ce que the same as qu'est-ce que?

No. Qu'est-ce que asks a direct question: qu'est-ce que tu veux ? Ce que introduces a clause inside a sentence: dis-moi ce que tu veux. Mixing them produces je me demande qu'est-ce que tu veux, which is a very common error.

French grammar · Intermediate

Ce Qui vs. Ce Que: Choosing the Right Form of What in French

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

Ce qui and ce que both mean what, and the choice between them has nothing to do with meaning. Ce qui is the subject of the clause that follows, so a verb comes next; ce que is its object, so a subject comes next. Everything else about the two is identical.

Ce qui me plaît, c'est ce que tu as écrit à la fin.

What I like is what you wrote at the end.

What it is

An ordinary relative pronoun attaches to a noun. These two attach to nothing: the ce is an empty placeholder that lets a whole clause behave like a noun. Because the clause still needs a subject and an object, the same question decides the form as with plain qui and que — which of the two slots is empty.

Je ne sais pas ce qui s'est passé ni ce que tu as vu. — I don't know what happened or what you saw.

How to spot it

Read what comes immediately after. A conjugated verb with nobody to perform it means ce qui. A subject — je, tu, il, a noun — means ce que.

ce qui arrive — what's happening (nothing performs arrive)
ce que je veux — what I want (je performs veux)
ce qui est écrit — what's written
ce qu'elle a dit — what she said

Ce que elides to ce qu' before a vowel; ce qui never does. Seeing ce qu' therefore guarantees you are looking at the object form.

Ce Que and Ce Qui Quick Reference

The subject and object forms side by side

Form	Next word	Example
ce qui	a verb	ce qui compte — what matters
ce que	a subject	ce que tu penses — what you think
ce qu'	a subject starting with a vowel	ce qu'il fait — what he's doing
ce dont	a verb built with de	ce dont j'ai envie — what I feel like
ce à quoi	a verb built with à	ce à quoi je pense — what I'm thinking about
tout ce qui / que	the same, with all	tout ce que je sais — everything I know

Common Ce Que and Ce Qui Examples in French

The two forms in the positions where they turn up:

Ce Qui as Subject

Ce qui m'inquiète, c'est le silence.: What worries me is the silence.
Raconte-moi ce qui est arrivé.: Tell me what happened.
Ce qui reste à faire est simple.: What's left to do is simple.
Personne ne sait ce qui va se passer.: Nobody knows what's going to happen.

In every one of these, the verb after ce qui has no other subject: ce qui is doing the work itself.

Ce Que as Object

Fais ce que tu veux.: Do what you want.
Ce que j'aime, c'est marcher le soir.: What I like is walking in the evening.
Je n'ai pas compris ce qu'il a expliqué.: I didn't understand what he explained.
Choisis ce que tu préfères.: Choose whichever you prefer.

The clause already has its subject — tu, je, il — so the empty slot is the object and the form is ce que.

In Cleft Sentences

Ce qui m'étonne, c'est son calme.: What surprises me is how calm he is.
Ce que je regrette, c'est de ne pas avoir insisté.: What I regret is not having insisted.
Ce qui compte, ce sont les résultats.: What counts is the results.
Ce que nous voulons, c'est plus de temps.: What we want is more time.

This ce qui … c'est structure is how French puts an idea in the spotlight, in the same role as English what … is.

In Indirect Questions

Je me demande ce qui l'a décidé.: I wonder what made up his mind.
Dis-moi ce que tu en penses.: Tell me what you think of it.
Elle ne comprend pas ce qui se passe.: She doesn't understand what's going on.
Explique-moi ce qu'il faut faire.: Explain to me what needs doing.

A question inside another sentence loses est-ce que: qu'est-ce qui becomes ce qui, and qu'est-ce que becomes ce que.

How Ce Qui and Ce Que Are Built

One placeholder, two relative pronouns, and a couple of consequences that catch people out.

Ce Is an Empty Antecedent

Relative pronouns need something to attach to. When there is no noun available, French supplies ce, which means roughly the thing. Ce que tu dis is literally the thing that you say, and the whole phrase then behaves as a single noun.

Ce que tu dis m'intéresse beaucoup.

What you're saying interests me a lot.

ce = the thing, qui / que = the relative pronoun.

The Subject and Object Test Is the Whole Rule

There is no meaning difference to weigh up. Look inside the clause: if the verb has no subject, use ce qui; if it has one but is missing what it acts on, use ce que. This is the same test as for plain qui and que.

Ce qui me manque, c'est ce que j'avais avant.

What I miss is what I used to have.

verb next → ce qui, subject next → ce que.

The Whole Phrase Counts as Masculine Singular

Since ce has no gender, anything agreeing with the phrase stays masculine singular. Ce qui est important is important, not importante, and a participle after it takes no ending.

Ce que j'ai vu était surprenant.

What I saw was surprising.

Always masculine singular agreement.

Ce Que Elides, Ce Qui Does Not

Before il, elle, on and any vowel, que becomes qu'. Qui keeps its i in every position. That gives you a reliable way of reading unfamiliar French: ce qu' can only be the object form.

Je ne sais pas ce qu'ils veulent ni ce qui les motive.

I don't know what they want or what motivates them.

ce qu'il, but ce qui est.

The Preposition Belongs to the Verb, Not to Ce

If the verb inside the clause needs de or à, the form changes: ce dont j'ai besoin, ce à quoi je pense. Using ce que with a verb that takes a preposition is the commonest error in this whole area.

Voilà ce dont je voulais te parler.

That's what I wanted to talk to you about.

parler de → ce dont, penser à → ce à quoi.

Common Mistakes with Ce Que and Ce Qui

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

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

Se passe has no subject of its own, so the empty slot is the subject and the form must be ce qui. The reflexive pronoun se is not a subject.

Incorrect: Ce qui tu dis est faux. — What you're saying is wrong.

Correct: Ce que tu dis est faux. — What you're saying is wrong.

Tu is already the subject of dis, so what is missing is the object, and the object form is ce que.

Incorrect: Je me demande qu'est-ce qu'il veut. — I wonder what he wants.

Correct: Je me demande ce qu'il veut. — I wonder what he wants.

Est-ce que only belongs to direct questions. Inside another clause the question word becomes ce qui or ce que, with normal word order after it.

Incorrect: Ce que j'ai besoin, c'est du repos. — What I need is some rest.

Correct: Ce dont j'ai besoin, c'est du repos. — What I need is some rest.

Avoir besoin is built with de, so the relative pronoun has to carry that de: ce dont. The same applies to parler de, se souvenir de and avoir envie de.

Two Jobs Beyond Meaning What

Ce qui and ce que also comment on whole sentences, and they have relatives for verbs with prepositions.

Summarising the clause before

Placed after a comma, ce qui and ce que refer back to the entire preceding statement. English does this with which, and French cannot use plain qui or que here.

Il est arrivé en retard, ce qui a agacé tout le monde.: He arrived late, which annoyed everyone.
Elle n'a rien dit, ce que je trouve étrange.: She said nothing, which I find odd.
Le train a été annulé, ce qui nous a obligés à louer une voiture.: The train was cancelled, which forced us to hire a car.

The choice still depends on the following clause: ce qui a agacé has no other subject, ce que je trouve does.

Ce dont and ce à quoi

When the verb inside the clause governs a preposition, the preposition has to appear. De gives ce dont; à and the other prepositions give ce plus the preposition plus quoi.

Ce dont il rêve, c'est un voyage en Asie.: What he dreams of is a trip to Asia.
Ce à quoi tu penses n'est pas réaliste.: What you're thinking of isn't realistic.
Ce sur quoi nous sommes d'accord est limité.: What we agree on is limited.

Ce à quoi is often avoided in speech by rephrasing, but in writing it is the correct form.

Tout ce qui and tout ce que

Adding tout in front gives everything that. The rest of the grammar is unchanged, so the subject and object test still decides the form.

Tout ce qui brille n'est pas or.: All that glitters is not gold.
Il a mangé tout ce que j'avais préparé.: He ate everything I'd made.
C'est tout ce dont j'ai besoin.: That's all I need.

Tout ce que is the standard translation of all that and everything that; tout que is not possible.

Ce Que and Ce Qui FAQs

What is the difference between ce qui and ce que?: Grammatical role only. Ce qui is the subject of the following verb, so a verb comes next: ce qui me plaît. Ce que is its object, so a subject comes next: ce que je préfère. Both translate as what.
How do I remember which one to use?: Count the subjects in the clause. If the verb already has one, the missing piece is the object and you need ce que. If the verb is stranded with nobody to perform it, you need ce qui. The elision helps too: ce qu' is always the object form.
Why do French speakers say ce qui after a comma?: To comment on the whole sentence that came before, where English uses which: il a refusé, ce qui m'a surpris. Plain qui and que cannot do this because they need a noun to attach to, so the placeholder ce is added.
When do I need ce dont instead of ce que?: Whenever the verb inside the clause takes de. Avoir besoin de gives ce dont j'ai besoin, parler de gives ce dont on parle, se souvenir de gives ce dont je me souviens. The de cannot simply disappear.
Is ce que the same as qu'est-ce que?: No. Qu'est-ce que asks a direct question: qu'est-ce que tu veux ? Ce que introduces a clause inside a sentence: dis-moi ce que tu veux. Mixing them produces je me demande qu'est-ce que tu veux, which is a very common error.