Ch 17 · Lesson 9French · Chapter 17 · Lesson 9 · Grammar primer
Celui de, celui qui: the one belonging to, the one who
French has no 's: , my brother's. And a relative clause finishes the pronoun: , , .
The short version
, .
Why?Hide
, , and celles are grammatically unfinished. Each has to be completed by -ci or -là, by plus a noun, or by a relative clause. is broken; , Marc and are all fine. French has no possessive apostrophe, so does the job of English 's.
celui de: the one belonging to
French has no possessive 's. + a noun does that job: the one of, the one belonging to.
Claire Pierre- Claire's desk and Pierre's.- My case is heavier than my mother's.celles- my shoes and my sister's, .- It's not my problem, it's my brother's.
also gives a place or a side: - the one on the left.
celui qui, celui que, celui dont
A relative clause can finish the pronoun: the one who, the one that, the one which. The relative pronoun follows its usual rules from French relative pronouns.
| Relative | Job in its clause | Example |
|---|---|---|
| the subject | - the one who is speaking | |
| the object | - the one I want | |
| replaces + noun | - the one I'm talking about |
.- Those who arrive late will wait outside., , .- Of all these films, the one I prefer is the last., ?- The photo you're talking about, is it the one on the wall?
(those who) is worth learning as a block; it opens sentences constantly in writing.
Going further: The four forms and the rest of the guide, when you want them. This lesson does not need them.
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