13. Relative Pronouns

Transcription

1 13. Relative Pronouns

2 13.1 Relative Pronouns: Categories and Uses 13.2 The Pronoun Lequel and its Variations 13.3 The pronoun que used with the passé composé

3 13.1 Relative Pronouns: Categories and Uses

4 Mme Legendre and her daughter Anna are shopping for clothes. Here is their conversation: A: Maman, cette robe est vraiment belle! Mme: Oui, c est vrai! Tu devrais l essayer. A: Oui, c est la robe que je veux pour cet été! Mme: Très bien, je te l achète. Regarde, ce sont les chaussures dont je te parlais avant! Est-ce que tu les aimes?

5 (1) French relative pronouns link a main clause to a dependent, or relative clause: C est la robe que je veux pour cet été Main clause Dependent clause (2) Relatives pronouns may replace a subject, an object (direct or indirect) or a preposition.

6 (3) Relative pronouns can never be omitted in French. (4) The following table summaries the function of each relative pronoun:

7 Pronoun Function(s) Pronoun Function(s) QUI QUE DONT Subject Indirect object (person) Direct object -Object of de -Indicate possession OÙ LEQUEL (and its variations) Indicate place or time Indirect object

8 Since pronouns are used to replace a noun and improve the overall style of a sentence, let s look more closely at the way they operate:

9 Je veux ce livre. Mon ami a écrit ce livre. We want to avoid the repetition Livre is an object, and its function in the second sentence is that of direct object (you can ask the question What did my friend write? )

10 You will need to use the pronoun que to combine these two sentences into one: Je veux ce livre que mon ami a écrit.

11 Here s another example: Je parle à Marie. Marie est Australienne. Marie is a person, and the function of the word in the second sentence is that of subject (you can ask the question Who is Australian? )

12 You will need to use the pronoun qui to combine these two sentences into one: Je parle à Marie, qui est Australienne. As these two examples showed, qui does not always mean who and que does not only mean what.

13 (1) Que replaces the direct object (person or thing) in the dependent clause.

14 (2) Qui replaces the subject (person or thing) in the dependent clause. Qui also replaces an indirect object referring to a person after a preposition: Je connais cette dame. Tu parles à cette dame. Je connais cette dame à qui tu parles.

15 (3) Dont replaces any person or thing after de: Je cherche mes clés. J ai besoin de mes clés. Je cherche mes clés dont j ai besoin.

16 Dont is also used as the translation of whose : C est la personne dont la voiture est garée devant notre maison ( It s the person whose car is parled in front of the house ).

17 (4) Où is relatively easy to use, as it is the translation of where or when and indicates time or location: C est la ville où j ai grandi ( This is the city where I grew up ) est l année où je suis allé en Chine ( 1980 is when I went to China ).

18 (5) Lequel and its variations replace an indirect object referring to a thing after a preposition (except the preposition de see pronoun dont): J habite dans une maison. La maison est grande. La maison dans laquelle j habite est grande.

19 13.2 The Pronoun Lequel and Its Variations

20 Variations of lequel: À + LEQUEL DE* + LEQUEL Masculine singular AUQUEL DUQUEL Feminine singular À LAQUELLE DE LAQUELLE Masculine plural AUXQUELS DESQUELS Feminine plural AUXQUELLES DESQUELLES

21 * In this case, de does not correspond to the preposition found after some verbs, but the word found as part of prepositions of places (see Module 4): J habite à côté du cinéma. Le cinéma passe de bons films. Le cinéma à côté duquel j habite passe de bons films.

22 Je vais à la fête. La fête est pour l anniversaire de mon ami Ben. La fête à laquelle je vais est pour l anniversaire de mon ami Ben.

23 13.3 The Pronoun Que Used with the Passé Composé

24 When studying passé composé, we saw that verbs that take auxiliary avoir don t agree with the noun. When you have a sentence that uses the pronoun que, you will have to make the agreement, because the past participle has to reflect the gender and number of a preceding direct object.

25 J ai acheté des cadeaux pour l anniversaire de Ben. The direct object des cadeaux is located after the verb no agreement.

26 Les cadeaux que j ai achetés pour l anniversaire de Ben vont lui plaire. The direct object les cadeaux is located before the verb agreement.

27 Be careful, this rule does not apply to any if the other relative pronouns. Les amis que j ai rencontrés pendant mes études aux États-Unis comptent beaucoup pour moi. Les amis à qui j ai parlé vont faire leurs études aux États-Unis. Indirect object no agreement.