How To Say Who In French

Learning how to say “who” in French can be very helpful in daily conversations. Whether you’re asking questions, talking about someone, or trying to understand a story, knowing this word is key. It’s one of the most common words in French and appears often in questions.

In this article, you’ll learn how to say “who” in French, different ways to use it, how to respond when someone asks “who,” and practice exercises to help you remember. By the end, you’ll be ready to use “who” in French like a pro!

Ways to Say “Who” in French

In French, “who” is commonly used to ask questions or refer to someone. There are different forms depending on the sentence structure. Here are the main ways to say “who” in French with examples:

Qui

Pronunciation: kee
Meaning: Who (used as a subject or object in a question)
In a Sentence:

• Qui est là? (Who is there?)
• Qui veut jouer au football? (Who wants to play football?)

Qui est-ce que

Pronunciation: kee es kuh
Meaning: Who (used for emphasis in questions)
In a Sentence:

• Qui est-ce que tu as vu au parc? (Who did you see at the park?)
• Qui est-ce que tu cherches? (Who are you looking for?)

Qui est-ce qui

Pronunciation: kee es kee
Meaning: Who (used as the subject of the verb)
In a Sentence:

• Qui est-ce qui parle à la radio? (Who is speaking on the radio?)
• Qui est-ce qui arrive ce soir? (Who is coming tonight?)

Lequel

Pronunciation: luh-kel
Meaning: Which one (used to distinguish people or things)
In a Sentence:

• Lequel de vous a gagné? (Which one of you won?)
• Lequel a parlé en premier? (Which one spoke first?)

Laquelle

Pronunciation: lah-kel
Meaning: Which one (feminine form)
In a Sentence:

• Laquelle des filles a chanté? (Which girl sang?)
• Laquelle préfères-tu? (Which one do you prefer?)

Lesquels

Pronunciation: lay-kel
Meaning: Which ones (plural, masculine)
In a Sentence:

• Lesquels de vos amis viennent à la fête? (Which of your friends are coming to the party?)
• Lesquels ont réussi l’examen? (Which ones passed the test?)

Lesquelles

Pronunciation: lay-kel
Meaning: Which ones (plural, feminine)
In a Sentence:

• Lesquelles sont tes chaussures? (Which ones are your shoes?)
• Lesquelles sont prêtes? (Which ones are ready?)

Qui donc

Pronunciation: kee donk
Meaning: Who then (adds emphasis)
In a Sentence:

• Qui donc a fait cela? (Who then did that?)
• Qui donc a pris mon sac? (Who then took my bag?)

Qui cela

Pronunciation: kee suh-lah
Meaning: Who is that (formal)
In a Sentence:

• Qui cela pourrait-il être? (Who could that be?)
• Qui cela intéresse-t-il? (Who is interested in that?)

Quiconque

Pronunciation: kee-konk
Meaning: Whoever, anyone
In a Sentence:

• Quiconque peut participer. (Anyone can participate.)
• Quiconque veut venir est le bienvenu. (Whoever wants to come is welcome.)

Qui que ce soit

Pronunciation: kee kuh suh swah
Meaning: Anyone, whoever it may be
In a Sentence:

• Donne ça à qui que ce soit qui le demande. (Give it to anyone who asks.)
• Qui que ce soit peut postuler pour le poste. (Anyone can apply for the job.)

Quelqu’un

Pronunciation: kel-kuhn
Meaning: Someone, somebody
In a Sentence:

• Quelqu’un a appelé pour toi. (Someone called for you.)
• Y a-t-il quelqu’un ici? (Is someone here?)

Une personne

Pronunciation: uhn pehr-sonn
Meaning: A person (used to refer to someone specific)
In a Sentence:

• Une personne est venue te voir. (A person came to see you.)
• Il attend une personne importante. (He is waiting for an important person.)

N’importe qui

Pronunciation: nam-por-tuh kee
Meaning: Anyone, whoever
In a Sentence:

• N’importe qui peut répondre. (Anyone can answer.)
• Tu fais confiance à n’importe qui! (You trust anyone!)

C’est qui

Pronunciation: say kee
Meaning: Who is it (informal)
In a Sentence:

• C’est qui au téléphone? (Who is it on the phone?)
• C’est qui à la porte? (Who is it at the door?)

Qui suis-je

Pronunciation: kee swee-zhuh
Meaning: Who am I
In a Sentence:

• Qui suis-je pour juger? (Who am I to judge?)
• Qui suis-je dans cette histoire? (Who am I in this story?)

Qui es-tu

Pronunciation: kee ay tew
Meaning: Who are you (informal)
In a Sentence:

• Qui es-tu pour me dire ça? (Who are you to tell me that?)
• Qui es-tu vraiment? (Who are you really?)

Qui êtes-vous

Pronunciation: kee et voo
Meaning: Who are you (formal)
In a Sentence:

• Qui êtes-vous, monsieur? (Who are you, sir?)
• Qui êtes-vous pour décider? (Who are you to decide?)

Qui veux-tu

Pronunciation: kee vuh tew
Meaning: Who do you want
In a Sentence:

• Qui veux-tu voir ce soir? (Who do you want to see tonight?)
• Qui veux-tu inviter à la fête? (Who do you want to invite to the party?)

À qui

Pronunciation: ah kee
Meaning: To whom
In a Sentence:

• À qui parles-tu? (To whom are you speaking?)
• À qui appartient ce livre? (To whom does this book belong?)

Qui d’autre

Pronunciation: kee doh-truh
Meaning: Who else
In a Sentence:

• Qui d’autre vient à la fête? (Who else is coming to the party?)
• Qui d’autre a besoin d’aide? (Who else needs help?)

De qui

Pronunciation: duh kee
Meaning: About whom / From whom
In a Sentence:

• De qui parles-tu? (About whom are you talking?)
• De qui as-tu reçu ce cadeau? (From whom did you receive this gift?)

Qui cela peut-il être

Pronunciation: kee suh-lah puh-teel eh-truh
Meaning: Who could it be
In a Sentence:

• Qui cela peut-il être à la porte? (Who could it be at the door?)
• Qui cela peut-il appeler à cette heure? (Who could be calling at this hour?)

Avec qui

Pronunciation: ah-vek kee
Meaning: With whom
In a Sentence:

• Avec qui vas-tu au cinéma? (With whom are you going to the movies?)
• Avec qui as-tu voyagé? (With whom did you travel?)

Par qui

Pronunciation: par kee
Meaning: By whom
In a Sentence:

• Par qui ce livre a-t-il été écrit? (By whom was this book written?)
• Par qui as-tu été invité? (By whom were you invited?)

Qui est-ce là

Pronunciation: kee es lah
Meaning: Who is that over there
In a Sentence:

• Qui est-ce là-bas près de l’arbre? (Who is that over there by the tree?)
• Qui est-ce là dans la voiture rouge? (Who is that in the red car?)

Pour qui

Pronunciation: poor kee
Meaning: For whom
In a Sentence:

• Pour qui est ce cadeau? (For whom is this gift?)
• Pour qui travailles-tu? (For whom do you work?)

Other Ways to Say “Who” in French

Here is a table of additional ways to say “who” in French, with their pronunciations, meanings, and example sentences:

Other Ways to Say	Pronunciation	Meaning	Example Sentences
Qui est là	kee eh lah	Who is there	Qui est là à la porte? (Who is at the door?)
Quelqu’un	kel-kuhn	Someone / Somebody	Quelqu’un frappe à la porte. (Someone is knocking at the door.)
Une personne	uhn pehr-sonn	A person	Une personne attend dehors. (A person is waiting outside.)
N’importe qui	nam-por-tuh kee	Anyone / Whoever	N’importe qui peut participer. (Anyone can participate.)
C’est qui	say kee	Who is it (informal)	C’est qui au téléphone? (Who is it on the phone?)
Qui d’autre	kee doh-truh	Who else	Qui d’autre vient au pique-nique? (Who else is coming to the picnic?)
De qui	duh kee	About whom / From whom	De qui parles-tu? (About whom are you talking?)

Responses to “Who” in French

When someone asks “who” in French, your response will depend on the context. Here are common responses with examples to help you sound more natural in conversations:

Moi

Pronunciation: mwah
Meaning: Me
In a Sentence:

• Qui veut du gâteau? (Who wants cake?) Moi! (Me!)

Lui

Pronunciation: lwee
Meaning: Him
In a Sentence:

• Qui a cassé la fenêtre? (Who broke the window?) Lui. (Him.)

Elle

Pronunciation: el
Meaning: Her
In a Sentence:

• Qui chante cette chanson? (Who is singing this song?) Elle. (Her.)

Nous

Pronunciation: noo
Meaning: Us / We
In a Sentence:

• Qui va au parc? (Who is going to the park?) Nous! (We!)

Eux

Pronunciation: uh
Meaning: Them (masculine/mixed group)
In a Sentence:

• Qui joue au football? (Who is playing soccer?) Eux. (Them.)

Elles

Pronunciation: el
Meaning: Them (feminine)
In a Sentence:

• Qui a préparé le dîner? (Who made dinner?) Elles. (Them.)

Je ne sais pas

Pronunciation: juh nuh say pah
Meaning: I don’t know
In a Sentence:

• Qui a appelé? (Who called?) Je ne sais pas. (I don’t know.)

Personne

Pronunciation: pehr-sonn
Meaning: Nobody
In a Sentence:

• Qui est venu hier? (Who came yesterday?) Personne. (Nobody.)

Tout le monde

Pronunciation: too luh mohnd
Meaning: Everyone
In a Sentence:

• Qui veut aller à la plage? (Who wants to go to the beach?) Tout le monde! (Everyone!)

Quelqu’un

Pronunciation: kel-kuhn
Meaning: Someone
In a Sentence:

• Qui a laissé cette note? (Who left this note?) Quelqu’un. (Someone.)

Exercise to Practice “Who” in French

Fill in the blanks using the correct form of “who” in French from the previous sections. Each sentence is written in French, followed by its meaning in English.

Fill-in-the-Blank Sentences

1. ______ est à la porte? (Who is at the door?)
2. Avec ______ vas-tu au cinéma ce soir? (With whom are you going to the movies tonight?)
3. ______ a gagné le match hier? (Who won the game yesterday?)
4. ______ de vous deux a vu ce film? (Which one of you saw this movie?)
5. ______ a pris mon cahier? (Who took my notebook?)
6. Pour ______ est cette lettre? (For whom is this letter?)
7. ______ a appelé pendant mon absence? (Who called during my absence?)
8. ______ est cette personne là-bas? (Who is that person over there?)
9. ______ a fait ce gâteau délicieux? (Who made this delicious cake?)
10. ______ est venu à la réunion hier? (Who came to the meeting yesterday?)
11. ______ de ces chaises est la tienne? (Which of these chairs is yours?)
12. ______ a laissé cette note sur la table? (Who left this note on the table?)

Answers

1. Qui
2. Avec qui
3. Qui
4. Lequel
5. Qui
6. Pour qui
7. Qui
8. Qui est
9. Qui
10. Qui
11. Laquelle
12. Qui

Conclusion

Learning how to say “who” in French is essential for asking questions and understanding conversations. Whether you are curious about a person, asking about ownership, or seeking details, knowing different forms of “who” helps you sound more natural in French.

Keep practicing with the examples, responses, and exercises provided. The more you use these phrases, the more confident you’ll become in speaking French. Remember, even small steps in learning a new language make a big difference over time!