French Grammar in Context

66 French Grammar in Context

Relative pronouns in the text

a Relative pronouns are used to relate a noun or pronoun to a descriptive relative clause which

follows. For example, in lines 27–8, the relative pronoun quilinks the noun eau de Cologne

(called the antecedent) to the relative clause, sentait bon.

b The relative pronoun is usually repeated before each verb, e.g. un homme... qui possédait une

paire de ciseaux... et qui... remplissait l’office de coiffeur(lines 17–20).

c The relative pronoun quiis used when the noun or pronoun is the subject of the verb that

follows in the relative clause, as in the example above. The pronoun queis used when the noun

or pronoun is the direct object or complement of the verb in the relative clause, e.g. quatre ou

cinq autres que Madame Achi... louait(lines 4–5). Both quiand quemay refer to people

(animates), e.g. Siméon qui... titubait et culbutait(lines 8–9) or things (inanimates).

d The relative pronoun dontis used when the preposition deis involved, e.g. la poussière dont

elles étaient imprégnées(lines 12–13). Here the past participle, imprégné, is constructed with de,

i.e. in an independent clause, one would say: Les craquelures de la peinture étaient imprégnées

de poussière.

e When prepositions other than deare involved, the relative pronoun lequelis used to refer to

things (inanimates), e.g. un panneau encadré sur lequel on avait peint des lettres(lines 11–12).

Note that in informal English, particularly in speech, the relative pronoun is frequently

omitted and the preposition is put at the end of the sentence, e.g. ‘a board they had painted

letters on’. Such a construction is impossible in French. Note also that particular care must be

taken to ensure that lequelagrees in number and gender with the noun to which it refers, e.g.

des glaces... dans lesquelles(lines 24–5).

f Sometimes it is necessary to use the form duquel(or de laquelle/desquels/desquelles) instead of

dont, e.g. cet appareil prestigieux au moyen duquel(lines 28–9). This is because the noun

appareilis governed by another prepositional phrase, au moyen, as well as de. See also Discover

more about relative pronouns, f,below.

g The relative pronouns qui, queand dontmust be preceded by cewhen they have no other

noun or pronoun to act as an antecedent. This occurs when the relative has the meaning of

‘the thing which’ or ‘what’, e.g. Ce qui la distinguait des autres baraques(line 6). This

construction ce qui(or ce queor ce dont)... c’estis used very frequently for the purpose of

highlighting or emphasizing a particular element (see Chapter 31).

J. Zobel, Le Retour de Mamzelle Annette

Il me semble que c’était pendant cette période où il restait tous les après-midi

assis sur une chaise devant sa porte, un bras enveloppé et suspendu à son cou par

35 un madras. Il avait fait une chute de cheval, alors qu’il se rendait à Desmarinières,

voir son vieux père.