Tout ce qui/Tout ce que = All/everything that (French Relative Pronouns)

There are two ways to express "all that/everything that" in French: tout ce qui or tout ce que.

Learn how to use tout ce qui / tout ce que in French

Look at these sentences:

Elle aime tout ce qui brille.She likes everything that shines.

J'adore tout ce que cet auteur a publié.I love everything (that) this writer has published.

Both the expressions tout ce qui and tout ce que mean all/everything that.
However, they're used in different contexts.


Tout ce qui = all/everything that...

Use tout ce qui when the pronoun qui is followed by a conjugated verb, an object pronoun (me/te/le/la/l'/lui/nous/vous/les/leur) or a reflexive pronoun (me/te/se/nous/vous/se) - as opposed to a subject pronoun or a noun:

Elle aime tout ce qui brille.She likes everything that shines.

Tout ce qui me plaît te dégoûte.Everything that pleases me disgusts you.

You can never drop qui, unlike in English that.
Nor can you contract qui into qu'.

Compare this with: Qui = Who/which/that (French Relative Pronouns) and Ce qui (vs ce que) = what/which (French Relative Pronouns)

 

Tout ce que = all/everything that...

Use tout ce que when the pronoun que is followed by a subject pronoun (je/tu/il/elle/on/nous/vous/ils/elles) or a noun (as opposed to a verb or an object/reflexive pronoun):

J'adore tout ce que cet auteur a publié.I love everything (that) this writer has published.

Elle dépense tout ce qu'elle gagne en vêtements.She spends everything (that) she earns on clothes

You can never drop que, unlike in English that.
But
you will contract que into qu' in front of a vowel or mute h.

Compare this with: Que = Whom/which/that (French Relative Pronouns) and Ce que (vs ce qui) = what/which (French Relative Pronouns)

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Learn more about these related French grammar topics

Examples and resources

Tout ce qui vous fait peur est bête.Everything that scares you is silly.
Tout ce qui me plaît te dégoûte.Everything that pleases me disgusts you.

tout ce que


J'adore tout ce que cet auteur a publié.I love everything (that) this writer has published.
Elle dépense tout ce qu'elle gagne en vêtements.She spends everything (that) she earns on clothes
Juliette ne comprend pas tout ce que Paul veut dire.Juliette doesn't understand everything (that) Paul means.

tout ce qui


Je ne comprends pas tout ce qui est écrit.I don't understand everything that is written.
Ton bonheur est tout ce qui compte pour moi.Your happiness is all that matters to me.
Elle aime tout ce qui brille.She likes everything that shines.
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