Ch 24 · Lesson 17French · Chapter 24 · Lesson 17 · Grammar primer
Whose: l'homme dont la fille est médecin
gives whose: after it the clause keeps its plain order ( ), and the possessed noun takes , , , never son or .
The short version
Whose:
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English says the man whose son I know; French says . Two things to notice. After the word order is normally the plain subject, verb, object one, not inverted. And the possessed noun takes , or , never son or , because has already said whose it is.
Whose: dont, then plain word order
When the two nouns, gives English whose. After , the clause keeps its plain order: subject, verb, the rest.
In the first and third, is the subject, so it comes straight after . In the second, is the subject, so waits until after the verb.
The possessed noun keeps le, la, les
already says whose it is, so the noun after it takes the plain article. Son, or on top is an error, not emphasis.
| Wrong | Right | English |
|---|---|---|
| | the man whose car is red |
| | the film whose title I forgot |
| | the neighbours whose house is for sale |
If you find son, or after a , swap it for , or .
Going further: dont on one screen and the rest of the guide, when you want them. This lesson does not need them.
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