French Relative Pronouns: A Comprehensive Guide

Introduction

Welcome to the lesson on relative pronouns! Relative pronouns are used to connect clauses or sentences by referring to a noun mentioned earlier, adding information without starting a new sentence. They are essential for creating more complex and informative sentences in both English and French. This lesson will cover the main relative pronouns in English and their equivalents in French.

English Relative Pronouns:

In English, the main relative pronouns are who, whom, whose, which, and that. They serve different purposes:

• Who: refers to people.
• Whom: formal, also refers to people (object case).
• Whose: indicates possession.
• Which: refers to animals or things.
• That: can refer to people, animals, or things.

French Relative Pronouns:

French has its own set of relative pronouns: qui, que, dont, lequel, auquel, duquel, and their variations. Let’s break them down:

Qui: refers to subjects (people or things). It can mean “who,” “which,” or “that.”

Examples :

• L’homme qui parle est mon oncle. The man who is speaking is my uncle.
• Le professeur qui enseigne le français est très sympathique. The teacher who teaches French is very friendly.
• L’oiseau qui chante est sur l’arbre. The bird that is singing is in the tree.
• La personne qui m’a appelé hier est mon cousin. The person who called me yesterday is my cousin.

Que: refers to direct objects (people or things). It can mean “whom,” “which,” or “that.”

Examples:

• • Le livre que je lis est intéressant.  The book that I am reading is interesting.
  • La chanson que tu aimes vient de sortir. The song that you like has just been released.
  • Les gâteaux que nous avons faits sont délicieux. The cakes that we made are delicious.

French relative pronoun “Dont”: indicates possession and can be translated as “whose,” “of which,” or “of whom.”

Examples:

• La maison dont tu parles est à vendre. The house of which you are speaking is for sale.
• C’est le chien dont j’ai trouvé le collier. That’s the dog whose collar I found.

Lequel (and variations: laquelle, lesquels, lesquelles): used for more complex relationships and usually follows prepositions.

Examples:

• • La chaise sur laquelle le chat dort est ancienne.  The chair on which the cat is sleeping is old.
  • Voici le livre dans lequel j’ai trouvé la recette. Here is the book in which I found the recipe.
  • La chaise sur laquelle il est assis est cassée. The chair on which he is sitting is broken.
  • Les maisons parmi lesquelles nous avons choisi notre future résidence sont belles. The houses among which we chose our future residence are beautiful.

🍀 EXERCICES 🍀

🔷 Exercise 1: Choose the Correct Relative Pronoun

Select the appropriate English relative pronoun for each sentence:

1. The woman ___ called yesterday is my aunt.
2. The car ___ I bought last year is already broken.
3. The students ___ passed the test are very happy.
4. The dog ___ tail is wagging is friendly.

🔷 Exercise 2: Translate to French

Translate the following sentences into French using the correct relative pronoun:

1. The man who is singing is a professional.
2. The book that you want is out of stock.
3. The artist whose work is being exhibited is famous.
4. The park in which we played is being renovated.

🔷 Exercise 3: Fill in the Blanks

Fill in the blanks with the correct French relative pronoun:

1. La personne ___ parle est mon professeur.
2. Le gâteau ___ tu as mangé était délicieux.
3. L’homme ___ manteau est rouge est mon voisin.
4. Les fleurs ___ nous avons reçues sont magnifiques.

Conclusion

Relative pronouns are a key component of both English and French grammar, allowing for more fluid and detailed sentences. Understanding how to use them properly will significantly enhance your writing and speaking in both languages. Practice using these pronouns in different contexts to become more comfortable with their application.

Keywords : French relative pronouns