The Subordinating Conjunction "Que"
When sharing news or spreading workplace gossip, you often need to connect a main thought ("He says," "Everyone knows") to a dependent clause containing the revelation ("the rumor is false," "it's a scandal").
In French, you link these two clauses using the subordinating conjunction que (that). Unlike in English, where you can often drop the word "that" (e.g., "He says the rumor is false"), in French, you must always include que.
| He says that the rumor is false. | Il dit que la rumeur est fausse. |
| Everyone knows that it is a scandal. | Tout le monde sait que c'est un scandale. |
Elision with "Qu'"
If the word immediately following que begins with a vowel or a silent h, que drops its e and becomes qu'. This happens frequently with subject pronouns like il, elle, ils, and elles, as well as in expressions of certainty or doubt.
| I know that he is going to resign. | Je sais qu'il va démissionner. |
| The rumor says that she resigned. | La rumeur dit qu'elle a démissionné. |
| Are you sure that she had a promotion? | Tu es sûr qu'elle a eu une promotion ? |
Expressions for Spreading Rumors
You can pair que or qu' with many verbs and expressions to report what you've heard around the office. Common verbs include penser (to think), croire (to believe), and annoncer (to announce).
| I believe that he fired his colleague. | Je crois qu'il a licencié son collègue. |
| He announced that the client canceled the contract. | Il a annoncé que le client a annulé le contrat. |
You will also hear impersonal expressions like il paraît (it seems) to share unconfirmed news.
| It seems that the boss is late. | Il paraît que le chef est en retard. |
| It seems that they had a problem. | Il paraît qu'ils ont eu un problème. |
