Kilo Lingo

Ch 24 · Lesson 16

Dont: de plus a noun

for + a noun: ( ), ( ). No , no ; and never follows a preposition ( duquel).

The short version

Find the and you have found

.

It's the book I need.
Why?

for plus whatever follows it, so the test is to rebuild the clause: on , so on . , , , : every verb that takes is a verb. If there is no in the rebuilt sentence, is the wrong word.

never comes after a preposition

duquel

the village we live near
Why?

has to start its clause. When the is the end of a longer preposition such as , or , use duquel, , desquels or desquelles instead: duquel , never .

stands for plus a noun, moved to the front of the clause. becomes , the book I am talking about. If the plain sentence has a , the relative is .

dont on one screen

dontthe de it stands forWhat do the colours mean?

The can come from three places. Unfold the sentence and find it.

The de is inPlain sentenceWith dont
a verb .
an adjective .
a noun
  • - the book I am talking about
  • - the son he is proud of
  • - the man whose daughter is a doctor

So comes out in English as whose, of which, about which or of whom. Do not learn one English word for it; learn the . The basic set, , , and , is on the relative pronouns page.

Finding the de

dontthe de it stands forWhat do the colours mean?
avoir besoin de: the tool I need

Many verbs take before their object, and every one of them can give a :

VerbWith dontEnglish
the film I am talking about
the tool I need
the dog I am afraid of
the trip I remember
the file she is handling
the illness he suffers from

Adjectives that take work the same way:

AdjectiveWith dontEnglish
the result he is proud of
the work I am pleased with
the project she runs

dont never follows a preposition

dontduquel, after a prepositionWhat do the colours mean?

must start its clause. When the is the end of a longer preposition, is blocked and duquel ( , desquels, desquelles) takes over.

PrepositionExampleEnglish
duquel the bridge with the church at its end
duquel the village we live near
the house I live opposite
duquel the problem I am late because of

The same block applies when the hangs off a noun that is itself after a preposition:

  • - the house with a nest on its roof
  • - the house whose roof is red (no preposition, so is fine)

Going further: Whose: dont, then plain word order and the rest of the guide, when you want them. This lesson does not need them.

Read the full guide (optional) · 5 min read

Practice

Practise this lesson

10-question session

One question at a time, mixed across the exercises in this lesson. Miss one and it comes back round before the end.

New words in this lesson

French · Free printables

Worksheets for this lesson

Worksheets with answer keys built in. Open any one to view, print or save.

Free for members

The printable worksheets, infographics and PDFs are free with an account. Start a free week and download as many as you like.

Start your free week

Lesson 16 of 27 in this chapter

Back to the curriculum

What do the colours mean?