Relative pronouns connect clauses and add information about things, people, or places. They help sentences flow and keep meaning clear.
who / which / that
Use qui for the subject of the relative clause and que for the direct object. They can refer to people or things.
Examples
French Sentences
| French Sentences | |
|---|---|
| 🌿 La femme qui arrose les plantes est ma voisine. | |
| 🌸 Le jardinier que j’ai vu ce matin a de belles fleurs. | |
| 🌼 L’arbre qui porte ces fruits est très ancien. |
English Translations
| English Translations | |
|---|---|
| The woman who is watering the plants is my neighbor. | |
| The gardener that I saw this morning has beautiful flowers. | |
| The tree which bears these fruits is very old. |
where / when / why
Use où for places or times when, and pourquoi for reasons. These relative pronouns link more specific kinds of information.
Examples
French Sentences
| French Sentences | |
|---|---|
| 🌳 Le parc où nous nous sommes rencontrés est magnifique. | |
| 🌞 Le jour quand les tulipes ont fleuri était très ensoleillé. | |
| 💧 La cause pour laquelle l’arrosage a été retardé est une panne d’eau. |
English Translations
| English Translations | |
|---|---|
| The park where we met is beautiful. | |
| The day when the tulips bloomed was very sunny. | |
| The reason why the watering was delayed is a water outage. |
whose
Use dont to show possession or to replace de + noun. It works for people, things, and abstract ideas.
Examples
French Sentences
| French Sentences | |
|---|---|
| 🌱 L’homme dont les mains sont couvertes de terre sourit. | |
| 🌷 La femme dont le panier est plein de fleurs passe devant moi. | |
| 🍂 L’arbre dont les feuilles tombent colore le chemin. |
English Translations
| English Translations | |
|---|---|
| The man whose hands are covered in soil is smiling. | |
| The woman whose basket is full of flowers walks past me. | |
| The tree whose leaves are falling colors the path. |
more uses of dont
Dont can also replace expressions with de like avoir besoin de, parler de, and se souvenir de. This makes relative clauses shorter and smoother.
Examples
French Sentences
| French Sentences | |
|---|---|
| 🧴 La plante dont je t’ai parlé a besoin d’eau tous les jours. | |
| 🥣 Voici le récipient dont je me sers pour arroser les fleurs. | |
| 📖 C’est le livre dont la page montre un plan de jardin. |
English Translations
| English Translations | |
|---|---|
| The plant I told you about needs water every day. | |
| Here is the container that I use to water the flowers. | |
| This is the book whose page shows a garden plan. |
which / sentence relative
Use lequel, laquelle, lesquels, and lesquelles for more precise references, especially after prepositions. They agree in gender and number.
Examples
French Sentences
| French Sentences | |
|---|---|
| 🌦️ Il a couvert les plantes, ce qui les a protégées de la pluie. | |
| 🔦 Elle a allumé la lampe du jardin, ce qui a éclairé les allées. | |
| 🧺 Ils ont préparé un panier de graines, ce qui a facilité le partage. |
English Translations
| English Translations | |
|---|---|
| He covered the plants, which protected them from the rain. | |
| She turned on the garden lamp, which lit the paths. | |
| They prepared a basket of seeds, which made sharing easier. |
Summary
Relative pronouns like qui, que, où, dont, and lequel link clauses and add details about people, things, places, times, and reasons. Choosing the right one keeps meaning clear and sentences fluent.
Last updated: Fri Oct 24, 2025