qui

Qui is a pronoun used in several languages to introduce relative clauses or to ask questions about the subject. In Latin and French, it plays a central role in forming clauses that refer back to a noun in the main clause.

In Latin, qui is the masculine nominative singular form of the relative pronoun that, along with quae and quod, inflects for gender and case. It is used to introduce a relative clause and to refer back to an antecedent in the main clause. The form varies across cases and numbers, covering masculine, feminine, and neuter genders. For example, Vir qui venit means “the man who comes.”

In French, qui is a versatile relative and interrogative pronoun meaning “who” or “which.” As a relative pronoun, it acts as the subject of the relative clause, as in La femme qui parle (“the woman who speaks”). It can also appear in questions such as Qui est là? (“Who is there?”). When the pronoun functions as an object within a relative clause, que is typically used instead of qui.

In other languages, different words serve a similar function. Italian uses chi for “who,” while Spanish uses quien or que depending on the role within the clause. The use of qui in Latin and French reflects a common linguistic need to link a dependent clause to its antecedent by a pronoun that denotes identity or essence.

Overall, qui embodies the relative pronoun category in Romance and classical languages, functioning to connect clauses and specify references with varying forms across languages and contexts.