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That, what, which (one)
The French word lequel has several different functions and forms.
Interrogative pronoun
As an interrogative pronoun, lequel asks "which one?"
Par exemple…
| J’ai besoin d’un mobile, lequel est le moins cher ? | I need a phone, which one is the least expensive? | |
| Il étudie les insectes, mais lesquels ? | He studies insects, but which ones? |
Relative pronoun
Lequel is the relative pronoun required after most prepositions.
Par exemple…
| Voici le mobile pour lequel j’ai trop payé. | Here’s the phone I paid too much for. | |
| Il étudie les insectes sur lesquels Jean-Henri Fabre a écrit. | He studies the insects that Jean-Henri Fabre wrote about. |
Relative adjective
Lequel is also a relative adjective, which creates a link between a preceding antecedent and a following noun.
Par exemple…
| Il y a 100 mobiles, lesquels mobiles sont placés sous séquestre. | There are 100 phones, which phones have been sequestered. | |
| Il possède un fusil, lequel fusil il a obtenu illégalement. | He owns a rifle, which rifle he obtained illegally. |
Forms of lequel
There are four forms of lequel based on gender and number, plus additional contracted forms created with the prepositions à and de.
| Singular | Plural | |||||||
| Masculine | Feminine | Masculine | Feminine | |||||
| lequel | lequel | laquelle | lesquels | lesquelles | ||||
| à + lequel | auquel | à laquelle | auxquels | auxquelles | ||||
| de + lequel | duquel | de laquelle | desquels | desquelles | ||||
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