A relative pronoun connects a noun to a clause that adds information about it. In English, words such as where, when, and whose can create this connection.
French uses où for places and times and dont when the relationship in the relative clause involves de.
Où for place
Où connects a place with information about what happens there. It corresponds to English where in this use.
The place comes before où, followed by the subject and verb of the relative clause:
place + où + subject + verb
A place can refer to a city, building, room, or other location:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| C'est la ville où j'habite. | It's the city where I live. |
| Voici le café où nous nous retrouvons. | Here's the café where we meet. |
| Je connais un endroit où on peut manger tard. | I know a place where we can eat late. |
| Voilà la maison où elle a grandi. | There's the house where she grew up. |
| C'est la salle où nous avons le cours. | It's the room where we have class. |
The noun before où identifies the place. The relative clause adds information connected to that location.
Où for time
Où can also refer to a point or period in time. English commonly uses when in the same type of sentence.
A time expression can introduce the same relative-clause pattern:
time expression + où + subject + verb
Time expressions such as a day, moment, year, or period can introduce a clause with où:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Je me souviens du jour où nous sommes arrivés. | I remember the day when we arrived. |
| C'était une époque où tout était différent. | It was a time when everything was different. |
| Le moment où il est parti était difficile. | The moment when he left was difficult. |
| L'année où nous nous sommes rencontrés, j'habitais à Paris. | The year when we met, I was living in Paris. |
| Il y a des jours où je préfère rester chez moi. | There are days when I prefer to stay home. |
French uses the same pronoun où for both place and time. The noun before it makes the relationship clear.
Dont with de
Dont replaces a relationship that would otherwise use de. The verb or expression in the relative clause determines whether de is required.
The noun comes before dont, followed by the subject and verb of the relative clause:
noun + dont + subject + verb
Verbs and expressions followed by de use dont to connect the noun to the relative clause:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Voici le livre dont je parle. | Here's the book I'm talking about. |
| C'est un sujet dont nous discutons souvent. | It's a subject we often discuss. |
| Elle a trouvé le document dont elle avait besoin. | She found the document she needed. |
| C'est une décision dont il est fier. | It's a decision he's proud of. |
| Voilà le voyage dont je me souviens le mieux. | That's the trip I remember best. |
| C'est un problème dont il faut parler. | It's a problem we need to talk about. |
French does not repeat de inside a relative clause introduced by dont.
Dont for possession
Dont can also connect two nouns when one belongs to or is associated with the other. English often expresses the same relationship with whose.
The possessed noun follows dont:
noun + dont + possessed noun + verb
This pattern expresses relationships between people or things:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Je connais la femme dont le fils travaille ici. | I know the woman whose son works here. |
| Voici une maison dont le toit est rouge. | Here's a house whose roof is red. |
| C'est un écrivain dont les romans sont célèbres. | He's a writer whose novels are famous. |
| Elle a une amie dont la sœur habite à Montréal. | She has a friend whose sister lives in Montreal. |
| Nous visitons un village dont les rues sont très étroites. | We're visiting a village whose streets are very narrow. |
The form dont does not change for gender or number.
From learning to practice
In descriptions, interviews, and stories, listen for où when speakers add information about a place or moment. Notice dont when they continue an idea connected to de or describe a relationship between two nouns.