An interrogative pronoun replaces a noun in a question when the speaker does not know which person or thing is meant. In English, which one and which ones ask someone to choose from a set already established by context.
French uses lequel and its related forms for the same function.
Forms of lequel
Lequel means which one or which ones. It has four forms for grammatical gender and number:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| lequel | which one |
| laquelle | which one |
| lesquels | which ones |
| lesquelles | which ones |
The pronoun agrees in gender and number with the noun it replaces. When it begins the question, the form of lequel comes before the verb:
form of lequel + verb
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Lequel préfères-tu ? | Which one do you prefer? |
| Laquelle est à toi ? | Which one is yours? |
| Lesquels veux-tu acheter ? | Which ones do you want to buy? |
| Lesquelles sont disponibles ? | Which ones are available? |
The context identifies the noun that each form replaces.
Noun replacement with lequel
Lequel replaces a noun that is already clear from the context. The noun therefore does not appear after the pronoun:
form of lequel + question
The noun is omitted because the form of lequel replaces it:
| Incorrect | Correct |
|---|---|
| Lequel livre préfères-tu ? | Lequel préfères-tu ? |
| Laquelle robe veux-tu ? | Laquelle veux-tu ? |
The gender and number of the omitted noun determine the form of the pronoun.
Lequel after prepositions
A preposition can come before a form of lequel when the verb or expression requires one.
The basic pattern is:
preposition + form of lequel + question
The pronoun still agrees with the noun it replaces:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Avec lequel veux-tu travailler ? | Which one do you want to work with? |
| Sur laquelle est-ce que tu écris ? | Which one are you writing on? |
| Parmi lesquels préférez-vous choisir ? | Which ones do you prefer to choose from? |
The verb or expression in the question determines which preposition appears. That preposition remains the same when lequel replaces the noun.
Contractions with à and de
À and de contract with lequel, lesquels, and lesquelles. They remain separate before laquelle.
The contractions follow these basic patterns:
à + form of lequel de + form of lequel
The resulting forms are:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| auquel | to which one |
| à laquelle | to which one |
| auxquels | to which ones |
| auxquelles | to which ones |
| duquel | of which one, from which one |
| de laquelle | of which one, from which one |
| desquels | of which ones, from which ones |
| desquelles | of which ones, from which ones |
The verb or expression in the question determines whether à or de is required:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Auquel tu penses ? | Which one are you thinking about? |
| À laquelle faites-vous référence ? | Which one are you referring to? |
| Auxquels veux-tu parler ? | Which ones do you want to speak to? |
| Desquelles avez-vous besoin ? | Which ones do you need? |
From learning to practice
When someone presents several choices, listen for the gender and number of the nouns before the question. That context helps you recognize why the speaker chooses lequel, laquelle, lesquels, or lesquelles, including forms that follow a preposition.