In French, the words que and ce que both translate to “that” or “what” in English, but they function differently in sentences.

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1. “Que” as a Relative Pronoun

Que is a relative pronoun that refers to a previously mentioned noun (the antecedent) and acts as the direct object of the relative clause. It can refer to people or things.

Examples:

• Le livre que je lis est passionnant. (The book that I’m reading is fascinating.)
• La femme que tu vois est ma professeure. (The woman whom you see is my teacher.)
• Les films que nous regardons sont comiques. (The movies that we watch are funny.)

Here, que connects to a noun (le livre, la femme, les films) and introduces a clause where it serves as the object.

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2. “Ce Que” as an Indefinite Relative Pronoun

Ce que does not refer to a specific noun but instead introduces a general idea or an entire clause. It means “what” or “that which” and functions as the object of the relative clause.

Examples:

• Je ne sais pas ce que tu veux. (I don’t know what you want.)
• Ce que tu dis est important. (What you say is important.)
• Dis-moi ce que tu penses. (Tell me what you think.)

In these cases, ce que does not replace a particular noun but refers to an undefined concept or statement.

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Key Differences

Feature	Que	Ce Que
Reference	Refers to a specific noun	Refers to a general idea
Function	Direct object in the clause	Object of an indefinite clause
Example	Le repas que j’ai mangé (The meal that I ate)	Je comprends ce que tu veux dire (I understand what you mean)