qui
/ki/
The English word "who" is translated into French as qui.
qui is used as an interrogative pronoun.
Meaning: who? (interrogative pronoun) (pron)
Related words
How do you pronounce it?
/ki/
Did you know?
- Some linguists suggest that the sound of qui might be onomatopoeic, mimicking the sharp, questioning sound of a quick breath or a sudden vocalization.
- In French, qui can function as both a subject and an object, unlike in English where 'who' and 'whom' are technically distinct.
- The word qui is used in the common idiom qui sait, meaning 'who knows', which is often used as a rhetorical way to say 'maybe'.
Examples in context
- Qui va là ?Who goes there?Tatoeba #2269523 by MartinShadock, translation #2254723 by CK
- Qui va où ?Who goes where?Tatoeba #3774677 by GB3, translation #3766209 by Wuzzy
- Qui ? Moi ?Who? Me?Tatoeba #4477727 by mouche, translation #4477708 by maaster
- Qui a réservé une table pour ce soir ?Who made a reservation for tonight?
- Je me demande qui va venir à la fête.I wonder who is going to come to the party.
- Qui est-ce qui a appelé ce matin ?Who called this morning?
- C'est qui ton prof de français ?Who is your French teacher?
- Qui est-ce qui parle là-bas ?Who is talking over there?
- Tu attends qui ?Who are you waiting for?
- C'est qui, là ?Who's that?
- 4933 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Manon and Hugo are at a party.
- ManonQui est ton ami ?Who is your friend?
- HugoC'est un nouveau collègue.It is a new colleague.
- ManonQui est-ce qu'il cherche ?Who is he looking for?
- HugoIl cherche sa femme.He is looking for his wife.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “who” translations and entries qui, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries qui, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
