Choose qui/que/dont/où by function
A relative pronoun's choice depends on the JOB the repeated noun did. qui = subject of the next verb (une amie qui parle); que (qu') = direct object (le livre que je lis); dont = de + noun, e.g. parler de (le film dont je parle); où = a place or time (la ville où j'habite). Test qui/que: a verb straight after the gap → qui; a subject+verb already there → que. que elides to qu', qui never.
Demonstrative & possessive agreement
Demonstrative adjectives agree with the following noun: ce (m sg, consonant), cet (m sg before a vowel/mute h: cet homme), cette (f sg), ces (plural). Possessive adjectives agree with the noun POSSESSED, not the owner (mon/ma/mes … leur/leurs). So son père = his OR her father; French never marks the owner's gender. Before a feminine noun starting with a vowel, ma/ta/sa → mon/ton/son: mon amie, not ma amie.
Drawn from real examiner reports.
Possessive left in the wrong person
Cambridge Reading Q4/Q6 give a first-person text but need third-person answers, so every person-marker must change together: verb, object pronoun AND possessive. Source J'ai vu ma mère → correct Il/Elle a vu sa mère, yet candidates leave ma. The fix: make the possessive track the NEW owner (il/elle), not just agree with the noun.
(s22 21 Q4(h); w22 21 Q4)
Misreading an interrogative word
Interrogative-word recognition is a recurring Speaking weak point: candidates mishear où, quand, combien, comment, quel and answer the wrong category — saying WHAT they eat instead of WHERE, or a nationality instead of a country. Drill each question word by its ANSWER TYPE (place/time/number/manner/named noun), not its English gloss.
(s22 Cards 3, 5, 6; w22 Card 4; s23 Card 4; w23)
qui vs que: subject or object?
English "who/that/which" covers both roles, so candidates pick by instinct. qui is the SUBJECT of the next verb (une amie qui parle — a verb follows directly); que is the OBJECT (une amie que j'ai vue — subject j' already there). Self-check: a verb immediately after the gap → qui; a subject + verb already there → que.
ma amie is always wrong
Before a feminine noun beginning with a vowel or mute h, ma/ta/sa switch to mon/ton/son purely for sound — the noun stays feminine. So mon amie, ton école, son adresse — never ma amie. This is a pronunciation rule, not a gender change: mon amie is still feminine, so an adjective agrees feminine (mon amie est gentille).
(general FL trap)
où (where) vs ou (or)
A single grave accent separates two everyday words: où = where/when, ou = or. Dropping the accent turns a place/time relative into "or" and breaks the sentence: la rue où j'habite (the street where I live) vs thé ou café (tea or coffee). Always keep the accent on où; the missing accent is a real meaning change, not a typo examiners overlook.
(general FL trap)
Using qui instead of dont for whose
"Whose" and de-based verbs need dont, not qui. dont replaces de + noun: le film dont je parle, l'ami dont la voiture est rouge (whose car). Candidates pick qui because English "whose/who" feels like it, but qui only replaces a SUBJECT. If the underlying idea uses de (possession, or parler de, avoir besoin de), use dont.
(general FL trap)
son/sa/ses shows noun gender, not owner
Learners often assume French possessives mark the owner's gender, like his vs her. They don't: son/sa/ses agree with the NOUN POSSESSED, never the owner. Paul aime sa voiture / Marie aime sa voiture both use sa (voiture feminine); both would use son vélo (vélo masculine). son père = his OR her father — only context (or le père de Paul) tells you the owner.
Test qui vs que by what follows
For qui/que/dont/où, ask what job the gap does: a verb straight after, no subject → qui; a subject+verb already there → que; an underlying de (parler de, possession) → dont; a place or time → où.
Re-check possessives after a person change
Whenever you change je → il/elle/ils, at once re-scan every possessive and update it: ma/mon/mes → sa/son/ses (or leur/leurs for plural owners). It's the most repeated Reading-transformation slip: the verb changes but the possessive is left behind.
ce/cet/cette/ces and quel vs lequel
Demonstratives: match the next noun's first sound — consonant+m → ce; vowel/mute h+m → cet; feminine → cette; plural → ces. Interrogatives: quel(le)(s) precedes a noun (quel jour?); lequel... stands alone (Lequel préfères-tu?), both agreeing in gender/number.
Match the question word to its answer type
Before answering in Speaking or Listening, silently name the CATEGORY the question word demands — place (où), time (quand), quantity (combien), manner (comment) or a named noun (quel) — so you don't answer the wrong kind under pressure.
This topic covers four small but high-value word families that examiner reports repeatedly flag: relative pronouns (a named Range-booster for Writing), possessive adjectives (a named Reading-transformation trap), and interrogatives (a named Speaking weak point).
Relative pronouns:
| Pronoun | Replaces | Example |
|---|---|---|
| qui | subject of the next verb | le garçon qui chante (the boy who sings) |
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