Lequel - French Relative Pronoun - Lawless French Grammar


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Pronom relatif

As a relative pronoun, lequel replaces an indirect object when that object is preceded by

A prepositional phrase
Any preposition other than a simple de*

Note that lequel has different forms depending on the gender and number of what it replaces, plus some of those have special contracted forms. For the full list, see the end of the lesson on lequel.

Par exemple…

Je mange à table.		I eat at a table.
Voici la table à laquelle* je mange.*		Here’s the table I eat at. (The table at which I eat.)
J’écris un article pour* un journal.*		I’m writing an article for a newspaper.
Le journal pour lequel* j’écris un article est russe.*		The newspaper for which I’m writing an article is Russian.

In the above examples, the indirect object is a thing. When the object is a person, the relative pronoun is usually qui, but can also be lequel.

Par exemple…

J’ai parlé à une dame hier.		I talked to a woman yesterday.
C’est la dame à laquelle / à qui* j’ai parlé hier.*		That’s the woman I talked to yesterday.
J’écris un article sur* un journaliste.*		I’m writing an article about a journalist.
Tu connais le journaliste sur lequel / sur qui* j’écris un article.*		You know the journalist I’m writing an article about.

Other prepositions

* When the preposition is simply de (as opposed to a prepositional phrase like près de or à côté de) the relative pronoun is dont.

Par exemple…

J’habite près d’une maison.		I live near a house.
La maison près de laquelle* j’habite…*		The house I live near…
Je parle d’une maison.		I’m talking about a house.
La maison dont* je parle…*		The house I’m talking about…

When the preposition is dans and refers to a physical location, the relative pronoun may be lequel or où.

Par exemple…

Je travaille dans un bâtiment.		I work in a building.
Le bâtiment dans lequel je travaille est très vieux. Le bâtiment où je travaille est très vieux.		The building I work in is very old. The building where I work is very old.