Relative Pronouns Flashcards
What is a relative pronoun
A relative pronoun (in English: who, that, which, whom, whose, where) links a relative (or dependent) clause to the main clause of a sentence.
What is a dependent clause
A dependent clause has a relative pronoun, a subject, and a verb, but it usually cannot stand alone.
- The movie that “she’s watching” is a classic. (That=object of the clause)
- The man “who took the car” was not its owner. (Who=subject of the clause)
- Is this the restaurant “where you ate?” (Where=place)
- That’s the moment “when we met.” (When=time)
Notice that the sentence can stand without the “” clauses.
Qui is used as the _______ and que is used as the ______ of a relative clause. Où is a _______ used for time or place.
Qui is used as the subject and que is used as the direct object of a relative clause. Où is a relative pronoun used for time or place.
Qui in a relative clause
Qui (who, that, which) is the relative pronoun used as the subject of a relative clause. It refers to both people and things. Qui, the subject of the dependent clause, immediately precedes the conjugated verb of the clause.
1a. ) Nous avons une voiture. Elle ne marche pas (We have a car. It is not running)
1b. ) Nous avons une voiture qui ne marche pas. (We have a car that’s not running)
Que in a relative clause
Que (who, whom, that, which) is the relative pronoun used as the direct object of a relative clause. It refers to both people and things. Que/qu’, the direct object of the dependent clause, is usually followed by a subject verb construction.
1a. ) Les fraises viennent du Maroc. J’achète les fraises. (The stawberries come from Morocco. I’m buying the strawberries)
1b. ) Les fraises que j’achète viennent du Maroc. (The strawberries that I’m buying come from Morocco.
2a. ) Marc appelle une copine. Il rencontre souvent cette copine à l’université. (Marc is calling a friend. He often meets that friend at the university)
2b. ) Marc appelle une copine qu’il rencontre couvent à l’université. (Marc is calling a friend whom he often meets at the university.
Où as a relative pronoun
Où, which you already know as the question word where, is also a relative pronoun of time and place. It means in, on, when, which, or where.
- ) Voici la librairie où j’adore bouquiner. (Here’s the bookstore where I love to browse.)
- ) Voilà le gymnase où nous faisons du karaté. (There’s the gym where we do karate.)
- ) C’est le mois où les cours recommencent. (That’s the month when classes start.)
- ) Pierre décrit les moments où il est heureux. (Pierre is describing the times when he’s happy.)
Which prepositions sometimes form the relative clause
À, de avec, dans
Qui as the object of a preposition
The relative pronoun qui is frequently used in a dependent clause as the object of a preposition referring to people.
- C’est l’amie avec qui Pierre passe du temps. (This is the friend with whom Pierre spends time.)
- C’est le collègue à côté de qui je travaille. (That’s the colleague next to whom I work.)
Lequel as a relative pronoun
Lequel (which), which you learned as an interrogative (which one), can also be a relative pronoun used as the object of a preposition. It refers to speci- fied things, and at times to people. Lequel agrees in gender and number with its antecedent.
- C’est le portable avec lequel tu préfères écrire? (Is this the laptop with which you prefer to write?)
- C’est la salle dans laquelle on monte la pièce. (That’s the hall in which we’re staging the play.)
- L’auteur auquel j’écris souvent est très connu. (The author I often write to (to whom I often write) is very well known.)
When the relative pronoun refers to a person
Qui is more generally used
- L’auteur à qui j’écris souvent est très connu. (The author I often write to [to whom I often write] is very well known.)
Où is preferred when one refers to…
A place or location
- Voilà la salle où on monte la pièce. (There’s the hall where we’re staging the play)
The realtive pronoun dont is what? Replaces what?
The relative pronoun dont (of whom, of which, whose) replaces de an object. Dont is preferred (to forms with lequel) when the preposition or implied preposition is de. As a relative pronoun dont refers to both people and things.
Dont is used isntead of…?
It is used instead of de qui, when referring to people in verbal expres- sions with de (parler de to talk about; avoir peur de to be afraid of), It is used instead of de qui, when referring to people in verbal expres- sions with de (parler de to talk about; avoir peur de to be afraid of)
1a. ) C’est une bonne amie. Odette parle souvent de cette amie. (She’s a good friend. Odette often speaks about that friend.)
1b. ) C’est une bonne amie dont Odette parle souvent. (She’s a good friend about whom Odette often speaks.)
- What are ce qui, ce que, and ce dont?
* What do they replace?
The relative pronouns ce qui, ce que, and ce dont all refer to indefinite things or ideas, not to people. (Ce stands in for the indefinite antecedent.) These expressions are translated by what in English. In these clauses, ce qui is the subject, ce que the direct object, and ce dont replaces an expression with de.
*J’explique ce que je fais au travail. Nous ne savons pas ce qui
intéresse le public. (I’m explaining what I do at work. We don’t know what interests the public)
*Ce dont j’ai besoin, c’est d’un verre d’eau froide! (What I need is a glass of cold water!)
The indefinite relative pronouns ce qui, ce que, and ce dont correspond to…
The indefinite relative pronouns ce qui, ce que, and ce dont correspond to some of the interrogative pronouns
- Qu’est-ce qui est près de la porte? Je ne vois pas ce qui est près de la porte. (What is near the door? I don’t see what is near the door)
- Qu’est-ce qu’on fait ce soir? (Que fait-on ce soir?) Corinne demande ce qu’on fait ce soir. (What are we doing tonight? Corinne asks what we’re doing tonight.)
