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C. Reading / D. Writing · Reading and Writing in French: Stories, Opinions and the Francophone World

Les pronoms qui et que: Reading and Writing a Biography

C1 C2 D1About 50 minutes
Learning goals
  • I can identify the features of a biography: third person, chronological order, dates, key achievements.
  • I can build a timeline from a biography to check my understanding.
  • I can use qui (followed by a verb) and que / qu' (followed by a subject) to join two sentences.
  • I can write a short biography of a person I admire.

Words to know

une biographie
The true story of a person's life, written by someone else.
l'ordre chronologique
Time order: from the earliest event to the latest.
une ligne du temps
A timeline.
un pronom relatif
A word like qui or que that joins two sentences about the same noun.
une réalisation
An achievement.
naître → il est né, elle est née
To be born → he was born, she was born (uses être).

Whose story would you tell?

A biography tells the true story of a real person's life: where they were born, what they studied, what they did and why they matter.

Today you will read a short biography of Marc Garneau, the first Canadian to travel to space. You will also learn two small but powerful words, qui and que, that let you join short sentences into longer, smoother ones. That's a big step in Grade 7 writing!

Planet Earth, with blue oceans and swirling white clouds, seen through the round window of a spacecraft.
This is the kind of view an astronaut has from orbit. In a biography, qui and que help you join facts: C'est une vue que les astronautes adorent. AI-generated image
Worked example

Let's read a biography

Marc Garneau : le premier Canadien dans l'espace

Marc Garneau est un ingénieur et un astronaute canadien qui est né à Québec en 1949.

Il a étudié le génie au Collège militaire royal du Canada, à Kingston. Ensuite, il a travaillé comme ingénieur dans la Marine canadienne.

En 1983, le Canada a choisi ses six premiers astronautes. Marc Garneau était parmi eux. En octobre 1984, il est devenu le premier Canadien qui est allé dans l'espace, à bord de la navette spatiale américaine Challenger. Il est retourné dans l'espace en 1996 et en 2000.

Plus tard, il a dirigé l'Agence spatiale canadienne. Puis, il est devenu député et ministre au gouvernement du Canada.

Marc Garneau est une personne que beaucoup de jeunes admirent. Son histoire montre une chose que tous les élèves peuvent retenir : avec de la curiosité et du travail, on peut aller très loin !

Glossaire: un ingénieur = an engineer · est né = was born · le génie = engineering · la Marine = the Navy · parmi eux = among them · devenir = to become · à bord de = aboard · une navette spatiale = a space shuttle · retourner = to go back · diriger = to lead, run · l'Agence spatiale canadienne = the Canadian Space Agency · un député = a Member of Parliament · admirer = to admire · retenir = to remember, keep in mind

  1. Features: the title names the person and why they are known; the text is in the third person (il); events are in chronological order; there are many dates; it ends with why the person matters.
  2. Tenses: the life events are in the passé composé (il a étudié, il est devenu, il est retourné); Marc Garneau était parmi eux is a description (imparfait). The first and last paragraphs use the present (est, admirent) for what is still true.
  3. Time words: ensuite, en 1983, en octobre 1984, plus tard, puis. They help the reader follow the order.
  4. Find qui / que: un astronaute qui est né à Québec; le premier Canadien qui est allé dans l'espace; une personne que beaucoup de jeunes admirent; une chose que tous les élèves peuvent retenir.
  5. Main idea: Marc Garneau is an engineer and astronaut who became the first Canadian in space and later served his country in other ways.

Born in Québec City in 1949; studied engineering in Kingston; Navy engineer; chosen as an astronaut in 1983; first Canadian in space in October 1984; flew again in 1996 and 2000; later led the Canadian Space Agency, then became an MP and a minister.

1949naissance1983astronaute19841er vol19962e vol20003e vol
A timeline built from the biography. Dates go from left to right in chronological order. Not to scale.

Qui or que?

Both words mean who, that or which. To choose, look at what comes right after:

  • qui + verb: qui is the subject of the next verb.

C'est un astronaute. Il est né à Québec. → C'est un astronaute qui est né à Québec.

  • que + subject + verb: que is the object.

C'est une personne. Les jeunes admirent cette personne. → C'est une personne que les jeunes admirent.

Que becomes qu' before a vowel: le livre qu'il lit. Qui never changes: l'ami qui arrive.

Two sentencesJoined with qui / queWhat follows?
J'ai une amie. Elle parle trois langues.J'ai une amie qui parle trois langues.a verb (parle) → qui
C'est un film. J'adore ce film.C'est un film que j'adore.a subject + verb (j'adore) → que
Voici le roman. Il est sur ma table.Voici le roman qui est sur ma table.a verb (est) → qui
Voici le roman. Elle lit ce roman.Voici le roman qu'elle lit.a subject (elle) → qu'
Joining sentences with qui and que. The repeated noun disappears from the second sentence.

A quick test

Cover the word after the blank:

  • If the next word is a verb (est, parle, habite), use qui.
  • If the next word is a person or thing doing the action (je, tu, il, Marie, les élèves), use que (or qu').

Le sport ___ je préfère → next word je → que. Le sport ___ est le plus populaire → next word est → qui.

What comes right after the blank?a VERB→ quia SUBJECT + verb→ que (qu')un astronaute qui est néà Québecune personne que lesjeunes admirentLe sport ___ je préfère → je → que
The qui / que test: look at the word right after the blank. A verb means qui; a subject (like je or les jeunes) means que.
Worked example

Let's write a short biography together

Write a 5-sentence biography of an imaginary person from these notes: Amélie Roy — née à Timmins en 1990 — a étudié la biologie — travaille dans un parc provincial — protège les tortues — a écrit un livre pour enfants.

  1. Introduction with qui: Amélie Roy est une biologiste qui est née à Timmins en 1990.
  2. Studies (passé composé, time word): Elle a étudié la biologie à l'université.
  3. Job today (present) with qui: Maintenant, elle travaille dans un parc provincial qui protège les tortues.
  4. Achievement with que: Elle a écrit un livre pour enfants que beaucoup d'écoles utilisent.
  5. Why she matters: Grâce à elle, les jeunes apprennent à protéger la nature.
  6. Check: third person, chronological order, est née agrees (feminine), qui + verb, que + subject.

Amélie Roy est une biologiste qui est née à Timmins en 1990. Elle a étudié la biologie à l'université. Maintenant, elle travaille dans un parc provincial qui protège les tortues. Elle a écrit un livre pour enfants que beaucoup d'écoles utilisent. Grâce à elle, les jeunes apprennent à protéger la nature. (Amélie Roy is an invented person for practice.)

Just for fun

Q: What did qui say to que?

A: "You always need a subject to do the work for you. I am the subject!"

Hands-on activity

Biography of someone in my family or community

You need: a family member or community member who agrees to be interviewed, paper and a pencil.

  1. Ask them for 5 or 6 key dates or events in their life (where they were born, school, jobs, moves, an achievement they are proud of). Respect anything they prefer not to share.
  2. Draw a ligne du temps with the dates in chronological order.
  3. Write a French biography of 6 to 8 sentences in the third person. Use time words (d'abord, ensuite, en 2005, plus tard).
  4. Use qui at least twice and que at least once.
  5. Give it a title with the person's name and what makes them special.
  6. Read it to them. Did you get the facts right?

Your turn

1

Where and when was Marc Garneau born?

2

Where did he study engineering?

3

What happened in October 1984?

4

How many times did he go to space? Give the years.

5

Complete with qui or que: C'est un astronaute ___ est allé dans l'espace.

6

Complete with qui or que: C'est une histoire ___ j'aime.

7

Why is a biography written in the third person?

More practice: warm-up

1

Qui or que? Le chien ___ aboie.

2

Qui or que? Le chien ___ tu promènes.

3

What does ordre chronologique mean?

4

Translate: Elle est née en 2014.

5

What does que become before a vowel?

More practice: on your own

1

Join with qui: J'ai un cousin. Il habite à Moncton.

2

Join with que: Voici la chanson. Je chante cette chanson.

3

Join: C'est un livre. Il a écrit ce livre.

4

Put in chronological order: (a) Il a dirigé l'Agence spatiale canadienne. (b) Il a étudié à Kingston. (c) Il est allé dans l'espace pour la première fois.

5

Fix the mistake: C'est la fille que joue du violon.

Challenge

1

Write 2 sentences about Marc Garneau: one with qui and one with que, in your own words.

2

Why does the author end with Son histoire montre une chose que tous les élèves peuvent retenir? What is the purpose of this last sentence?

3

Turn these notes into 3 connected sentences using qui and que: Isabelle — une cheffe — habite à Sudbury — prépare des plats — tout le monde adore ces plats.

Check your understanding

Quiz

1.

A biography is...

2.

C'est une amie ___ habite à Toronto.

3.

C'est un jeu ___ nous adorons.

4.

Voici le gâteau ___ elle a fait.

5.

When did Marc Garneau first go to space?

6.

Biographies are usually organized in...

7.

Elle ___ née à Kingston.

For parents and teachers

Big idea: Your child reads a biography, recognizes its features (C2), checks understanding with a timeline (C1), and writes a biography with longer, linked sentences (D1). Qui and que are new in Grade 7 and make writing much more fluent.

How to help:

  • Play Je pense à quelqu'un qui...: one person describes someone (qui joue au hockey, que tout le monde connaît) and the other guesses.
  • Look at a short biography (a hockey card back, a museum sign) and make a timeline together.

Common difficulties:

  • Choosing qui/que by meaning (people vs things), as some do in English. In French, the choice depends on what follows: a verb (qui) or a subject (que).
  • Forgetting qu' before a vowel. Qui never drops its i.

Facts used: Marc Garneau was born in Québec City in 1949, studied at the Royal Military College of Canada in Kingston, served in the Navy, was one of Canada's first six astronauts (1983), became the first Canadian in space in October 1984 aboard Challenger, flew again in 1996 and 2000, later led the Canadian Space Agency and served as an MP and federal minister.