Compound Relative Pronouns in French

In Brief

Use lequel and its forms after a preposition when the pronoun refers back to a stated noun: la chaise sur laquelle je suis assis. It agrees with that noun and contracts with à and de: auquel, auxquels, auxquelles; duquel, desquels, desquelles. When there is no stated noun and the meaning is “what,” choose ce qui for a subject, ce que for a direct object, and ce dont for a complement introduced by de.

Overview

A relative pronoun joins a noun or idea to a clause that describes it. In la route par laquelle nous sommes venus (“the road by which we came”), laquelle points back to la route and follows the preposition par. The noun it points back to is called the antecedent—in plain terms, the earlier word that gives the pronoun its meaning.

English often ends a relative clause with its preposition: “the colleague I work with.” French normally keeps the preposition before the relative pronoun: la collègue avec qui je travaille or la collègue avec laquelle je travaille. This difference makes compound relative pronouns especially important in careful speech and writing.

At B2, you need to coordinate three choices: the preposition required by the verb or expression, whether the antecedent is a person or thing, and the antecedent’s gender and number. This topic builds on qui, que, où, and dont, but it also includes the antecedent-free forms ce qui, ce que, and ce dont.

How It Works

The four forms of lequel

Lequel behaves like an article plus a pronoun. It agrees in gender (masculine or feminine) and number (singular or plural) with its antecedent—not with another noun elsewhere in the sentence.

Antecedent	Form	Example
masculine singular	lequel	le projet sur lequel
feminine singular	laquelle	la question à laquelle
masculine plural	lesquels	les dossiers parmi lesquels
feminine plural	lesquelles	les raisons pour lesquelles

The basic pattern is:

antecedent + preposition + form of lequel + relative clause

• la méthode avec laquelle nous travaillons — the method with which we work
• les critères selon lesquels il décide — the criteria according to which he decides
• les deux options entre lesquelles elle hésite — the two options between which she is hesitating

The preposition comes from the meaning of the sentence. Learn a verb together with its preposition: penser à (to think about), avoir besoin de (to need), travailler avec (to work with), compter sur (to rely on).

Contractions with à

French contracts à + lequel, except in the feminine singular.

Antecedent	Combination	Result
masculine singular	à + lequel	auquel
feminine singular	à + laquelle	à laquelle
masculine plural	à + lesquels	auxquels
feminine plural	à + lesquelles	auxquelles

• le sujet auquel je pense — the subject I am thinking about
• la réunion à laquelle elle participe — the meeting she is attending
• les principes auxquels nous tenons — the principles we care about

These forms are determined by French construction, not by the English translation. Participer takes à, so “the meeting she attends” becomes la réunion à laquelle elle participe, even though English has no visible “to.”

Contractions with de

French likewise contracts de + lequel, except in the feminine singular.

Antecedent	Combination	Result
masculine singular	de + lequel	duquel
feminine singular	de + laquelle	de laquelle
masculine plural	de + lesquels	desquels
feminine plural	de + lesquelles	desquelles

The contrast with dont matters. Use dont when plain de introduces the complement:

• le livre dont je parle — the book I am talking about (parler de)
• la personne dont j’ai besoin — the person I need (avoir besoin de)

Use a form of duquel after a longer prepositional expression ending in de, such as à côté de, près de, au-dessus de, or à cause de:

• la maison à côté de laquelle se trouve un café — the house next to which there is a café
• le pont près duquel nous nous sommes arrêtés — the bridge near which we stopped

Here, dont cannot replace the whole expression: à côté de and près de must stay intact.

Referring to people

After many prepositions, qui can refer to a person and does not change form:

• la collègue avec qui je travaille
• les amis chez qui nous logeons
• la personne à qui je pense

A form of lequel may also be possible, especially in formal language, when clarification or agreement is useful: la collègue avec laquelle je travaille; l’ami auquel je pense. For things, use lequel forms rather than personal qui: l’outil avec lequel je travaille.

Ce qui, ce que, and ce dont: “what” without an antecedent

These forms do not agree because they refer to an unstated or general idea. Their role inside the relative clause determines the choice.

Form	Role in its clause	Quick test	Example
ce qui	subject (the person or thing doing the action)	followed directly by a verb	Ce qui change...
ce que / ce qu’	direct object (what receives the action, with no preposition)	followed by a subject + verb	Ce que tu proposes...
ce dont	complement introduced by de	the expression requires de	Ce dont nous parlons...

Compare:

• Ce qui m’inquiète, c’est le délai. — What worries me is the deadline. (ce qui performs inquiète)
• Ce que je crains, c’est un retard. — What I fear is a delay. (je performs crains; ce que is its object)
• Ce dont j’ai peur, c’est d’échouer. — What I am afraid of is failing. (avoir peur de)

Before another preposition, use ce + preposition + quoi: ce à quoi, ce avec quoi, ce pour quoi. For example, Je comprends ce à quoi tu fais allusion (“I understand what you are referring to”). This is the antecedent-free counterpart of la chose à laquelle tu fais allusion.

Examples in Context

French	English	Note
La table sur laquelle j’écris est trop basse.	The table on which I write is too low.	la table → feminine singular
Voilà le logiciel avec lequel nous gérons les réservations.	That is the software with which we manage bookings.	thing after avec
Les raisons pour lesquelles il a refusé restent floues.	The reasons why he refused remain unclear.	les raisons → feminine plural
Ce sont deux candidats entre lesquels il est difficile de choisir.	They are two candidates between whom it is difficult to choose.	entre + masculine plural
L’ami auquel je pense habite à Lyon.	The friend I’m thinking about lives in Lyon.	contraction of à + lequel
La conférence à laquelle nous avons assisté était passionnante.	The conference we attended was fascinating.	assister à
Les valeurs auxquelles elle est attachée guident son travail.	The values she is attached to guide her work.	être attaché à
Le parc près duquel ils vivent ferme à la tombée de la nuit.	The park near which they live closes at nightfall.	près de requires duquel
La fenêtre au-dessous de laquelle se trouve le bureau est ouverte.	The window below which the desk stands is open.	preserves au-dessous de
Ce qui m’intéresse, c’est la façon dont les gens apprennent.	What interests me is how people learn.	ce qui is the subject of intéresse
Dis-moi ce que tu cherches.	Tell me what you are looking for.	ce que is the direct object of cherches
Nous avons enfin trouvé ce dont nous avions besoin.	We finally found what we needed.	avoir besoin de
Elle sait exactement ce à quoi elle s’engage.	She knows exactly what she is committing to.	s’engager à → ce à quoi
Ce avec quoi il a réparé la porte était à peine un outil.	What he repaired the door with was barely a tool.	another preposition → ce + ... + quoi

Common Mistakes

Choosing the form by the nearest noun

• Wrong: la boîte dans lequel se trouvent les clés
• Right: la boîte dans laquelle se trouvent les clés
• Why: The antecedent is la boîte, which is feminine singular. Les clés comes later and does not control agreement.

Forgetting the contraction with à

• Wrong: le problème à lequel je pense
• Right: le problème auquel je pense
• Why: À + lequel contracts to auquel. The feminine singular remains separate: la question à laquelle je pense.

Using duquel whenever English says “of which”

• Wrong: le document duquel j’ai besoin
• Right: le document dont j’ai besoin
• Why: Plain avoir besoin de normally takes dont. Reserve duquel especially for a compound preposition that must retain de: près duquel, à côté duquel.

Confusing ce qui and ce que

• Wrong: Ce que me dérange, c’est le bruit.
• Right: Ce qui me dérange, c’est le bruit.
• Why: The missing idea itself performs the action of bothering you, so it is the subject and requires ce qui.

Translating an English final preposition literally

• Wrong: la personne laquelle je travaille avec
• Right: la personne avec qui je travaille / la personne avec laquelle je travaille
• Why: Standard French places the preposition before the relative pronoun. It does not strand avec at the end as conversational English can.

Using ce dont with the wrong preposition

• Wrong: Ce dont je pense est difficile à expliquer.
• Right: Ce à quoi je pense est difficile à expliquer.
• Why: Penser in this meaning takes à, not de. Ce dont is only for a construction requiring de.

Usage Notes

In everyday French, a person is commonly represented by preposition + qui: avec qui, pour qui, chez qui. Forms such as avec lequel and auquel are fully correct for people but may sound more formal or may be chosen to make the antecedent unambiguous. After parmi and entre, lequel forms are especially useful because agreement can clarify the group involved.

Compound forms occur frequently in formal writing, instructions, journalism, and administrative prose. English translations often sound more natural with “that,” “who,” or no relative pronoun at all. Do not let the translation hide the French preposition: le contrat auquel il a renoncé is naturally “the contract he gave up,” but French still follows renoncer à.

Pour lequel can literally mean “for which,” but with a reason its English equivalent may be “why”: la raison pour laquelle elle est partie. In normal modern French, this is often clearer than trying to use où for every English “why.”

Beyond the Basics

Avoiding ambiguity with dont

Dont does not display gender or number, so a sentence with several possible antecedents can become unclear. A compound prepositional phrase may make the relationship more explicit, but do not replace dont with duquel merely for decoration. First identify the construction the clause actually requires.

Also distinguish a relative construction from possession with dont. In une autrice dont j’admire les romans, dont means “whose”: literally, “an author of whom I admire the novels.” The object of admire is les romans, not dont. This is different from une autrice près de laquelle je me suis assis, where the full phrase près de governs laquelle.

Ce dont versus ce de quoi

Ce dont is the standard compact relative form: Voilà ce dont nous avons parlé. Ce de quoi also occurs, particularly when de quoi is strongly tied to an expression or when the speaker wants emphasis: Il a de quoi être fier; c’est ce de quoi il est le plus fier. In most neutral relative clauses, ce dont is the safest choice.

A whole preceding statement as antecedent

Ce qui, ce que, and ce dont can also refer back to an entire statement rather than mean free-standing “what”:

• Il a annulé au dernier moment, ce qui nous a surpris. — He cancelled at the last minute, which surprised us.
• Elle a accepté sans hésiter, ce que je n’avais pas prévu. — She agreed without hesitation, which I had not expected.
• Le budget a été réduit, ce dont personne ne se réjouit. — The budget was cut, which nobody is pleased about.

The same role test still works: ce qui is subject, ce que is direct object, and ce dont belongs to a construction with de. The comma helps show that the pronoun comments on the whole preceding clause.

Embedded questions are different

Do not automatically use ce qui or ce que every time English has “what.” In a direct or embedded question, French may use ce qui, ce que, ce dont, or quoi according to question syntax: Qu’est-ce qui se passe ? Je ne sais pas ce qui se passe. The second sentence resembles a relative form, but it reports the question “what is happening?” Context and sentence structure matter.

Practice Tips

1. Work backward from the verb. For each sentence, underline the expression in the relative clause—participer à, avoir besoin de, compter sur. The required preposition usually tells you which family of pronouns to use.
2. Use a three-step check for lequel. Find the antecedent, mark its gender and number, then combine the correct form with the preposition. Say the contraction aloud: à + lesquels → auxquels; de + lesquelles → desquelles.
3. Build contrast sets. Complete the same frame three ways: Ce qui me plaît... / Ce que je préfère... / Ce dont j’ai besoin.... This trains grammatical role rather than unreliable word-for-word translation.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Relative Pronouns: où, dont — review basic relative clauses and the use of dont before contrasting it with duquel.
• Next step: Emphasis Structures — uses ce qui and ce que in patterns such as Ce qui compte, c’est....