Relative Pronouns Flashcards
who, which (subject)
who/m, which (object)
qui
que, qu’
My brother, who is twenty, is at university.
Mon frère, qui a vingt ans, est à l’université.
The friends (that) I see most are…
Les amis que je vois le plus sont…
Lucienne, whom he has known for a long time, is…
Lucienne, qu’il connaît depuis longtemps, est…
There’s a staircase which leads to the roof.
Il y a un escalier qui mène au toit.
The house (which) we’ve bought has…
La maison que nous avons achetée a…
This is the present (that) she sent me.
Voici le cadeau qu’elle m’a envoyé.
the person he’s talking to
la personne à qui il parle
the person with whom I travel
la personne avec qui je voyage
the children for whom I bought it
les enfants pour qui je l’ai acheté
After a preposition when referring to people use ‘qui’.
Exceptions: after ‘parmi’ (among) and ‘enter’ (between) use ‘lesquels’/’lesquelles’
After a preposition when referring to things use ‘lequel’/’laquelle’/’lesquels’/’lesquelles’
After a preposition when referring to people use ‘qui’.
Exceptions: after ‘parmi’ (among) and ‘entre’ (between) use ‘lesquels’/’lesquelles’
After a preposition when referring to things use ‘lequel’/’laquelle’/’lesquels’/’lesquelles’
There were some young people, Robert among them
Il y avait des jeunes, parmi lesquels Robert
the girls between whom I was sitting
les filles entre lesquelles j’étais assis
the cloth he’s wiping it with
le torchon avec lequel il l’essuie
the table on which I put it
la table sur laquelle je l’ai mis
the means by which he achieves it
les moyens par lesquels il l’accomplit
the plays for which she is famous
les pièces pour lesquelles elle est connue
the shop to which he delivers these goods
le magasin auquel il livre ces marchandises
After the prepositions 'à' and 'de', 'lequel' and 'lesquel(le)s' contract as follows: à + lequel = auquel à + lesquels = auxquels à + lesquelles = auxquelles (but: à laquelle)
de + lequel = duquel
de + lesquels = desquels
de + lesquelles = desquelles
(but: de laquelle)
After the prepositions 'à' and 'de', 'lequel' and 'lesquel(le)s' contract as follows: à + lequel = auquel à + lesquels = auxquels à + lesquelles = auxquelles (but: à laquelle)
de + lequel = duquel
de + lesquels = desquels
de + lesquelles = desquelles
(but: de laquelle)
the injustices he’s complaining about
les injustices desquelles il se plaint
quoi - which, what
When the relative pronoun does not refer to a specific noun, ‘quoi’ is used after a preposition.
quoi - which, what
When the relative pronoun does not refer to a specific noun, ‘quoi’ is used after a preposition.
That’s where you’re wrong.
To which I replied…
When the relative pronoun does not refer to a specific noun, ‘quoi’ is used after a preposition.
C’est en quoi vous vous trompez.
À quoi, j’ai répondu…
When the relative pronoun does not refer to a specific noun, ‘quoi’ is used after a preposition.
dont - whose, of whom, of which
‘dont’ often (not always) replaces ‘de qui’, ‘duquel’, ‘de laquelle’ and ‘desquel(le)s’
dont - whose, of whom, of which
‘dont’ often (not always) replaces ‘de qui’, ‘duquel’, ‘de laquelle’ and ‘desquel(le)s’
the woman whose car is parked opposite
la femme dont voiture est garée en face
an award I am proud of
un prix dont je suis fier
a friend whose brother I know
un ami dont je connais le frère
the children you look after
les enfants dont vous vous occupez
the film of which he spoke
le film dont il a parlé
the window whose curtains are drawn
la fenêtre dont les rideaux sont tirés
books whose titles I’ve forgotten
des livres dont j’ai oublié les titres
the illnesses he suffers from
les maladies dont il souffre
a person whose help one can rely on
une personne sur l’aide de qui on peut compter
the children to whose parents I’m writing
les enfants aux parents de qui j’écris
the house in whose garden there is…
la maison dans le jardin de laquelle il y a
When used as an object of a preposition, lequel, laquelle, lesquels, and lesquelles refer to an antecedent that is not a person. These relative pronouns agree in gender and in number with the antecedent. They are generally preceded by prepositions such as: sur, parmi, sans, sous, avec, selon, pour, par etc…
When used as an object of a preposition, lequel, laquelle, lesquels, and lesquelles refer to an antecedent that is not a person. These relative pronouns agree in gender and in number with the antecedent. They are generally preceded by prepositions such as: sur, parmi, sans, sous, avec, selon, pour, par etc…
Here is the door through which the thief escaped.
Voici la porte par laquelle le voleur s’est enfui.
The newspaper article which claimed that the President resigned is false.
L’article de journal selon lequel le Président aurait démissioné est faux.
The tools with which he fixed his car don’t belong to him.
Les outils avec lesquels il a réparé sa voiture ne lui appartiennent pas.
The land on which he built his empire was very fertile.
Les terres sur lesquelles il a bâti son empire étaient très fertiles.
Lequel, laquelle, lesquels, and lesquelles as a subject
When the antecedent is a person, it is preferable to use “qui”. e.g.:
La femme avec qui j’ai vécu une vingtaine d’année m’a quitté sans explication.
The woman whom I lived with for twenty years left me without an explanation.
Lequel, laquelle, lesquels, and lesquelles as a subject
When the antecedent is a person, it is preferable to use “qui”. e.g.:
La femme avec qui j’ai vécu une vingtaine d’année m’a quitté sans explication.
The woman whom I lived with for twenty years left me without an explanation.
He talked with the new manager who was working with the rival company.
Il a discuté avec la nouvelle directrice, laquelle travaillait pour la compagnie rivale.
The police chief interrogated two suspects who denied having any relationship with the criminal.
Le commissaire a interrogé deux suspects, lesquels ont nié avoir une quelconque relation avec le criminel.
The hotel next to the U.S embassy has been demolished.
L’hôtel près duquel se trouve l’ambassade des États Unis a été démoli.
We visited a gorgeous villa that has twenty rooms and in the middle of which there is a botanical garden and a big pond.
Nous avons visité une villa magnifique qui comprend vingt pièces et au milieu de laquelle se trouve un jardin botanique avec un grand bassin.
Here are the graves in the bottom of which we found ten thousand year old urns.
Voici les fosses funèbres au fond desquelles on a retrouvé des urnes vieilles de dix mille ans.
The gardens along which we often used to walk no longer exist.
Les jardins le long desquels nous nous promenions souvent n’existent plus.
The questions he didn’t answer were not part of the curriculum.
Les questions auxquelles il n’a pas répondu ne faisaient pas partie du programme.
The incident you are referring to is no longer on the agenda.
L’incident auquel vous faites allusion n’est plus à l’ordre du jour.
The situation I faced was not easy.
La situation à laquelle j’ai fait face n’était pas facile.
Here are the projects in which you should be interested.
Voici les projets auxquels vous devriez vous intéresser.
ce qui, ce que: that, which
These are used when the relative pronoun does not refer to a specific noun, and they are often translated as ‘what’ (literally ‘that which’)
ce qui, ce que: that, which
These are used when the relative pronoun does not refer to a specific noun, and they are often translated as ‘what’ (literally ‘that which’)
What interests me doesn’t necessarily interest him.
Ce qui m’intéresse ne l’intéresse pas forcément.
I didn’t see what happened.
Je n’ai pas vu ce qui s’est passé.
What I like is classical music.
Ce que j’aime c’est la musique classique.
tout ce qui (sub)
tout ce que (obj)
Everything, all that
Show me what he gave you.
Montrez-moi ce qu’il vous a donné.
de + ce que = ce dont
He risks losing what he’s so proud of.
de + ce que = ce dont
Il risque de perdre ce dont il est si fier.
de + ce que = ce dont
That’s what it’s about.
de + ce que = ce dont
Voilà ce dont il s’agit.
preposition + ce que = ce + preposition + quoi
It’s not what I was expecting.
preposition + ce que = ce + preposition + quoi
Ce n’est pas ce à quoi je m’attendais.
preposition + ce que = ce + preposition + quoi
What I’m particularly interested in is…
preposition + ce que = ce + preposition + quoi
Ce à quoi je m’intéresse particulièrement c’est…
When ‘ce qui’ and ‘ce que’ refer to a previous clause, the translation is ‘which’.
He agrees, which surprises me.
When ‘ce qui’ and ‘ce que’ refer to a previous clause, the translation is ‘which’.
Il est d’accord, ce qui m’étonne.
When ‘ce qui’ and ‘ce que’ refer to a previous clause, the translation is ‘which’.
He said she wasn’t coming, which we already knew.
When ‘ce qui’ and ‘ce que’ refer to a previous clause, the translation is ‘which’.
Il a dit qu’elle ne venait pas, ce que nous savions déjà.
