Pronoms relatifs indéfinis
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The indefinite relative pronouns ce dont and quoi are used when replacing the object of a preposition.
Ce dont
Ce dont stands in for the indefinite object of the preposition de.
Par exemple…
| Ce dont elles parlent est inconnu. | What they’re talking about is unknown. | |
| Je sais ce dont il est capable. | I know what he’s capable of. | |
| C’est ce dont j’ai peur. | That’s what I’m afraid of. |
Ce dont vs Dont
Ce dont is indefinite: there is no antecedent. Compare the above with these examples using the relative pronoun dont:
| Le sujet dont elles parlent est inconnu. | The topic they’re talking about is unknown. | |
| Je sais le potentiel dont il est capable. | I know his potential (literally, the potential he’s capable of). | |
| C’est du dentiste dont j’ai peur. | It’s the dentist that I’m afraid of. |
Quoi
Quoi is the indefinite object of any other preposition.
Par exemple…
| Je ne sais pas à quoi elles pensent. | I don’t know what they’re thinking about. | |
| Il a vu dans quoi je vivais. | He saw what I was living in. | |
| J’ai trouvé avec quoi écrire. | I found something to write with. |
Quoi vs Lequel
Quoi is indefinite: there is no antecedent. Compare the above with these examples using the relative pronoun lequel:
| Il y a plusieurs problèmes – je ne sais pas auquel elles pensent. | There are several problems – I don’t know which one they’re thinking about. | |
| Il a vu l’appartement dans lequel je vivais. | He saw the apartment I was living in. | |
| J’ai trouvé un stylo avec lequel écrire. | I found a pen to write with. |
The indefinite demonstrative pronoun ce is required when a preposition + quoi begins a clause or follows c’est.
Par exemple…
| Ce à quoi elles pensent est inconnu. | What they’re thinking about is unknown. | |
| C’est ce dans quoi je vivais. | That’s what I was living in. |
Ce ___ quoi vs ___ lequel
Compare the above with these examples using some form of lequel:
| Le sujet auquel elles pensent est inconnu. | The subject they’re thinking about is unknown. | |
| C’est la maison dans laquelle je vivais. | That’s the house I was living in. |
There are two issues that make French indefinite relative pronouns particularly tricky:
- French verbs and English verbs don’t always use the same prepositions.
- Many verbs require a preposition in one language but not the other.
The important thing to remember is that it’s always the preposition used in French – if any – that determines which indefinite relative pronoun you need when replacing an object:
| de |  | ce dont | |
| any other preposition | | quoi | |
| no preposition | | ce que |
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