Use of qui
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Use of qui
You are correct in that "qui" is never shortened to "qu' " before a vowel.
In the sentence you quote, it is actually "que" that got shortened. It can't be "qui" because "qui" is used only for the subject of the subordinate clause.
In the case at hand, the subject is "il" and "ce que" is the direct object.
Here is an example:
Everything that he does annoys me.
Ils me demandent ce qui m'intéresse.
They ask me what interests me.
There are some dedicated exercises right here: https://www.einfranzose.de/grammatik-%C3%BCbungen/pronomen/ce-que-oder-ce-qui.html?sp=de&katid=199
Hope that helps,
-- Chris (not a native speaker).
Bonjour Jilly !
To complete Chris's great answer, here are the links to our dedicated lessons on ce qui versus ce que:
https://kwiziq.learnfrenchwithalexa.com/revision/grammar/ce-que-what-which-relative-pronouns
https://kwiziq.learnfrenchwithalexa.com/revision/grammar/ce-qui-what-which-relative-pronouns
Bonne journée !
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