Plumera French
B1

Relative pronouns after prepositions

What you'll learn

  • Use qui after prepositions when the relative pronoun refers to a person.
  • Use forms of lequel after prepositions and match them to the noun they replace.
  • Recognize contractions of lequel with à and de.

A relative pronoun can connect a noun to a clause that begins with a preposition. English uses combinations such as with whom, for whom, and with which.

French commonly uses a preposition with qui for people and with a form of lequel for things.

Preposition + qui

When a relative pronoun refers to a person, a preposition can come before qui. The preposition comes from the verb or expression in the relative clause.

The person comes before the relative clause, while the preposition appears directly before qui:

person + preposition + qui + subject + verb

Common prepositions appear in this pattern:

French English
La personne avec qui je travaille est canadienne. The person I work with is Canadian.
L'ami chez qui nous restons habite à Nice. The friend we're staying with lives in Nice.
La femme pour qui il travaille est avocate. The woman he works for is a lawyer.
Voilà l'homme à qui j'ai parlé. There's the man I spoke to.
Les amis avec qui elle voyage arrivent demain. The friends she's traveling with arrive tomorrow.

The preposition remains part of the relative clause even when English does not place it before the relative pronoun.

Forms of lequel

Forms of lequel commonly refer to things after a preposition.

Forms of lequel agree in gender and number with the noun they replace:

French English
lequel which
laquelle which
lesquels which
lesquelles which

Preposition + lequel

A preposition can come before a form of lequel when the relative pronoun refers to a thing.

The basic pattern is:

noun + preposition + form of lequel + subject + verb

The form changes to match the noun it replaces:

French English
Voici le stylo avec lequel j'écris. Here's the pen I write with.
C'est la table sur laquelle j'ai posé les clés. It's the table I put the keys on.
Le bureau dans lequel je travaille est petit. The office I work in is small.
La chaise sur laquelle tu es assis est cassée. The chair you're sitting on is broken.
Voilà les documents sans lesquels nous ne pouvons pas commencer. There are the documents we can't start without.
Les raisons pour lesquelles il est parti sont claires. The reasons he left are clear.

Forms of lequel can also refer to people after some prepositions, although qui is common when the clause refers to a person.

Contractions with à and de

À and de combine with several forms of lequel. The feminine singular forms remain separate.

The contractions come from these two patterns:

à + form of lequel de + form of lequel

The contraction depends on the preposition and the gender and number of the noun:

French English
auquel to which
à laquelle to which
auxquels to which
auxquelles to which
duquel of which, from which
de laquelle of which, from which
desquels of which, from which
desquelles of which, from which

In a relative clause, the contracted form follows the noun it replaces:

noun + contracted relative pronoun + subject + verb

The verb or expression in the relative clause determines whether à or de is required:

French English
Le problème auquel je pense est compliqué. The problem I'm thinking about is complicated.
La question à laquelle elle répond est difficile. The question she's answering is difficult.
Les sujets auxquels nous nous intéressons sont variés. The subjects we're interested in are varied.
Les activités auxquelles ils participent sont gratuites. The activities they participate in are free.

Expressions that already contain de follow the same relative-clause structure:

noun + prepositional expression + form of lequel + subject + verb

Forms with de appear after expressions such as près de and à côté de:

French English
C'est la maison près de laquelle j'habite. It's the house I live near.
Voici le bâtiment à côté duquel nous attendons. Here's the building we're waiting beside.
Voilà les arbres près desquels nous nous sommes assis. There are the trees we sat near.

From learning to practice

When you hear a relative clause after a preposition, notice whether the noun refers to a person or a thing. Listen for qui with people and for forms such as lequel, auquel, and duquel when the pronoun agrees with the noun it replaces.

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