Qui vs. Que

Both Qui and Que are relative pronouns. Their function grammatically is to reduce redundancy.

Que = Relative pronoun + subject + verb

Que is the direct object.

Quick refresher:

A direct object is a person or thing that receives the action of a verb. An indirect object is a person or thing in a sentence.

• Le train que j’ai prend = The train that I took
• Le livre que j’ai lu beaucoup fois = The book that I read many times

Qui = Relative pronoun + verb

The function of qui is to be the subject for the subordinating clause

• L’homme qui etait le plus grand = The man who was the tallest
• Le chat qui habite dans la cave = The chat that lives in the basement

Another function of qui is to replace indirect objects.

• La fille à qui j’ai parle est…
• L’homme à qui j’ai vu est…