Les pronoms relatifs composés
Lesson 25 covered the simple relative pronouns (qui, que, dont, où). They handle most cases — but as soon as a preposition other than de enters the picture (avec, sur, dans, pour, à, par, chez…), and the antecedent is a thing, you reach for the compound relative: lequel, laquelle, lesquels, lesquelles. They agree in gender and number with the noun they refer back to. Two of them contract with à and de the same way articles do: à + lequel = auquel, de + lesquels = desquels.
The four forms of lequel
lequel behaves like le + quel, and like any adjective with quel, it has four forms that match the noun's gender and number. Masculine singular: lequel. Feminine singular: laquelle. Masculine plural: lesquels. Feminine plural: lesquelles. Pick the form that agrees with the antecedent (the noun being pointed back to), not with anything inside the relative clause. Le stylo avec lequel j'écris — lequel is masculine singular because stylo is. La table sur laquelle je travaille — laquelle because la table is feminine singular.
When you actually need it — preposition + thing
The trigger is simple: a preposition other than de governs the relative, AND the antecedent is a thing (or sometimes an animal). For people, French strongly prefers préposition + qui: L'ami avec qui je voyage = the friend I'm traveling with. (You CAN say avec lequel for a person, but it sounds bookish.) For things, you must use lequel and friends: La voiture dans laquelle je suis monté = the car I got into. Les raisons pour lesquelles je pars = the reasons I'm leaving. Le pays vers lequel ils se dirigent = the country they're heading toward.
Contractions with à — auquel, à laquelle, auxquels, auxquelles
When the preposition is à, the same contraction rules as à + le kick in. à + lequel → auquel. à + laquelle → à laquelle (no contraction, like à la). à + lesquels → auxquels. à + lesquelles → auxquelles. Use them whenever a verb takes à + thing: penser à, s'intéresser à, répondre à, assister à. Le projet auquel je pense = the project I'm thinking about. L'idée à laquelle je tiens = the idea I'm attached to. Les questions auxquelles il a répondu = the questions he answered.
Contractions with de — duquel, de laquelle, desquels, desquelles
dont is still the default when a verb just takes de. Reach for duquel and friends only when de is buried inside a longer prepositional phrase: à côté de, près de, au milieu de, au cours de, à propos de, en face de, au-dessus de, loin de, lors de. Le jardin au milieu duquel se trouve une fontaine = the garden in the middle of which there's a fountain. La maison près de laquelle nous habitons = the house we live near. dont can't reach inside au milieu de to grab the de — that's why French invented duquel. Forms: duquel, de laquelle, desquels, desquelles.
Choosing among qui, que, où, dont, lequel — a decision tree
1. Is the gap a place or a time? → où. La ville où je vis. 2. Is the missing piece a subject? → qui. L'homme qui parle. 3. A direct object? → que. Le livre que je lis. 4. Just de + the antecedent (verb takes de, or possession)? → dont. Le film dont je parle. L'ami dont la sœur habite ici. 5. Another preposition (avec, sur, dans, pour, à, chez, etc.) + a person? → préposition + qui. L'ami avec qui je travaille. 6. Another preposition + a thing? → préposition + lequel/laquelle/lesquels/lesquelles, contracting with à and inside-de phrases. La table sur laquelle je travaille. Le sujet auquel je m'intéresse. La rivière au bord de laquelle nous campons.
lequel as a question word — same forms
Outside of relative clauses, lequel also exists as an interrogative — 'which one(s)?'. Same four forms, same contractions. Tu prends quelle voiture? — Laquelle? = Which one? Auquel des deux as-tu parlé? = Which of the two did you talk to? Desquels parlez-vous? = Which (ones) of them are you talking about? Don't confuse with the adjective quel/quelle/quels/quelles, which goes BEFORE a noun: Quelle voiture? (which car?) vs Laquelle? (which one?).
