Les Pronoms Relatifs

Les pronoms relatifs

The relative pronouns

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Relative pronouns (les pronoms relatifs) introduce relative clauses. They replace a noun or pronoun from the previous sentence to avoid repetition. The relative pronouns "qui, que,où and dont" can refer to people, animals,place,time,concepts or things. They are invariable, which means that we don’t have to worry about the number or gender of the noun that the pronoun is replacing in the sentence.

2- Que/qu'

1-Qui

4 types

3- Où

4- Dont

01

Qui

(who/which)

«Qui» is used to replace the subject of the sentence. It corresponds to the English "who or which"

(Fun fact: "qui" is preceded with verbs)

Examples:

Moi,Je suis une professure.Je enseigne la langue française. (I am a professor.I teach french) Moi,Je suis une professure qui enseigne la langue française. (I am a professor who teaches french) Mon enfant apprend le français.Le français est une langue importante. (My child learns french.It is a important language) Mon enfant apprend le français qui est une langue importante. (My child learns french which is a important language)

02

Que/qu'

(what/which)

«Que» is used to replace the object of the sentence.And when the word after this relative pronoun "que " is a "mute h" or a "vowel" , we use "qu’ " instead.

(Fun fact: "que" is preceded with subject pronouns)

Examples:

J'ai reçu un courriel.Ma soeur m'a envoyé ce courriel (I received an e-mail.My sister sent me that e-mail) J'ai reçu un courriel que ma soeur m'a envoyé .(I received an e-mail which my sister sent me) Paris est une belle ville.Je voudrais visiter cette ville. (Paris is a beautiful city.I would like to visit that city) Paris est une belle ville que je voudrais visiter . (Paris is a beautiful city that I would like to visit )

03

où

(when,where)

«Où» is used with reference to place or time

Examples:

J'aime ce village.Je suis né dans ce village. (I like this village.I was born in this village ) J'aime ce village où Je suis né .(I like this village where I was born ) Elle fermait la porte.À cet instant-là le téléphone a sonné. (She closed the door.At that time the telephone rang) Elle fermait la porte où le téléphone a sonné. (She closed the door when the telephone rang)

04

dont

(whose/of whom/of which)

«Dont» indicates possession or belonging and is used with words that take the preposition "de".

Examples:

Tu as un dictionnaire français unilingue.J'ai besoin de ce dictionnaire. (You have a unlingual french dictionary.I am in need of that dictionary) Tu as un dictionnaire français unilingue dont J'ai besoin.( You have a unlingual french dictionary of which I am in need of) Elle est la chanteuse.Nous avons trouvé ses lunettes. (She's the singer.We found her glasses )Elle est la chanteuse dont nous avons trouvé les lunettes. (She's the singer whose glasses we found.)

A quick recap of the relative pronouns and it's functions :

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