Accord avec pronom relatif "que" (COD)

Think of the word que as a mirror. It reflects the noun that came right before it. In a normal sentence like J'ai mangé la pomme (I ate the apple), the apple comes after the verb. The verb mangé doesn't need to change because it hasn't "seen" the apple yet. However, if you say La pomme que j'ai mangée (The apple that I ate), the apple is now standing in front of the verb. Because pomme is feminine, the verb mangé adds an extra e to match. It is all about the order of appearance. If the noun is the star of the show and enters the stage first, the verb must dress up to match the star's gender and number. It is a simple "look back" rule. Just look at what que is replacing and adjust your ending.

1. 1Identify the noun located immediately before the word que.
2. 2Determine the gender (Masculine or Feminine) of that noun.
3. 3Determine the number (Singular or Plural) of that noun.
4. 4Apply the matching ending to the past participle of your avoir verb:
5. 5Masculine Singular: No change (e.g., vu)
6. 6Feminine Singular: Add -e (e.g., vue)
7. 7Masculine Plural: Add -s (e.g., vus)
8. 8Feminine Plural: Add -es (e.g., vues)

Use this rule whenever you are describing a specific thing you have already mentioned. It is very common when you are talking about your experiences or possessions. For example, if you are at a job interview and talking about the "skills that you have learned," you would use this. In French, les compétences que j'ai apprises requires an es because compétences is feminine plural. You will also use it when ordering food if you refer back to the dish. "The soup that I ordered" becomes La soupe que j'ai commandée. It is a way to link two ideas together while keeping the grammar perfectly in sync. It makes your sentences flow like a professional.

Do not use this rule if the object comes after the verb. This is the most important distinction. If you say J'ai acheté des fleurs, there is no agreement. The flowers are at the end of the sentence. Also, do not use this rule with the relative pronoun qui. Qui usually represents the subject, not the object. This specific agreement only cares about the Direct Object (the thing receiving the action). Finally, do not worry about this in spoken French most of the time. Since mangé and mangée sound exactly the same, this is primarily a rule for your writing. It is your secret weapon for perfect emails and essays.

One of the biggest mistakes is agreeing with the subject instead of the object. If a girl says "The book I read," she might want to add an e because she is female. But wait! The object is "the book" (le livre), which is masculine. So, it stays Le livre que j'ai lu. Don't let your own gender distract you from the noun's gender. Another mistake is forgetting the agreement in plural forms. People often remember the e for feminine but forget the s for plural. Yes, even native speakers mess this up sometimes in text messages! Think of it like a grammar traffic light; if you see que, you must slow down and check the noun.

This rule is unique because it makes avoir act like être. Usually, verbs with être (like aller or venir) always agree with the subject. Elle est allée. With avoir, we usually say Elle a mangé. The que rule is the only time avoir breaks its "no agreement" streak. It is like a crossover episode in a TV show where two different worlds collide. It also differs from the "preceding direct object pronoun" rule (like Je l'ai vue), though they follow the same logic. Both require the object to be in front of the verb. If the object is in the back, the verb stays relaxed.