French Grammar in Context

Relative pronouns 67

h The forms ce qui, ce queand ce dontmust always be used after the pronoun, tout, e.g. tout ce
qui est abandonné(line 2).

i Oùoften functions as a relative pronoun, e.g cette période où il restait(line 33), and it may
refer, as in this case, to time (‘when’), rather than to place (‘where’). It should be noted that it
is not possible to use quandas a relative pronoun in French to translate ‘when’. Instead,
translate ‘the day/moment when’ as le jour/moment où, and the indefinite ‘a day/moment
when’ as un jour/moment que.

Other points to note in the text

• Imperfect tense: in descriptions, e.g. était(line 1); indicating habitual/repeated actions, e.g.
  barbouillait(line 26); frictionnait(line 27); enveloppait(line 30)


• Pluperfect tense: n’avait jamais été peinte(lines 1–2); avait pris(line 2); avait peint(line 11);
  avaient effritées(line 13); avait fait(line 35) (see Chapter 3)


• Passive: n’avait jamais été peinte(lines 1–2); est abandonné(line 2); étaient imprégnées(lines
  12–13) (see Chapter 21)


• Pronominal verbs: se devinaient aisément(lines 13–14); se composant(line 21); pouvaient se
  voir(line 25); je me rappelle(line 31) (see Chapter 20)


• Imperfect subjunctive: sans que son vieux képi crasseux décollât de sa nuque(lines 9–10) (see
  Chapter 27)


• Conjunctions: sans que(line 9); alors que(line 35) (see Chapter 29)

Discover more about relative pronouns

a The relative pronoun quineverelides before a vowel or mute ‘h’, e.g. l’homme qui est arrivé
hier; les gens qui habitent ici; but quedoes elide to qu’, e.g. le livre qu’elle a écrit.

b The direct object relative pronoun, which is frequently omitted in English, must never be
omitted in French, e.g. les erreurs qu’ils ont faites–‘the mistakes they made’.

c Like quiand que, the relative pronoun dontmay refer to animates (people) as well as to
inanimates (things), e.g. la femme dont je connais le fils.

d Remember to use dontwhenever the construction in French involves de, and watch out in
particular for verbs whose equivalent in English takes a direct object or a different preposition,
e.g. le livre dont il a besoin/envie; les noms dont je me souviens; son époux dont elle dépend. Also
watch out for prepositional phrases involving de, e.g. elle parle d’une façon particulière, hence
la façon dont elle parle. One particular usage of dontshould be noted. It can translate the
English ‘of which’, ‘including’, e.g. il y avait 200 nouveaux députés, dont 65 femmes.

e In English we say ‘the woman whose son I know’, but in French it is essential to use the word
order ‘subject, verb, object’ after dont, thus la femme dont je connais le fils.

f It is not possible to use dontif another prepositional phrase in addition to deis involved. In
such cases, use de qui(to refer to people) or duquel/de laquelle/desquels/desquelles(to refer to