Kilo Lingo
French grammar Part of Chapter 24

CEFR B2

5 min read

Test yourself (30 questions)

dont in French: How to Use the Relative Pronoun

By Michael McGettrickUpdated 12 October 2026

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 .

Quick check

Three quick questions on what you have just read. The full practice is further down.

Fill in the blank

0/3

Complete each sentence with dont, ce dont, duquel or de laquelle. Ask where the de comes from and whether anything sits in front of it.

  1. C'est le livre je t'ai parlé. (parler de)

  2. L'homme la fille est médecin habite ici. (la fille de l'homme)

  3. Voici l'outil j'ai besoin. (avoir besoin de)

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)

Whose: dont, then plain word order

dontWhat do the colours mean?

When the two nouns, gives English whose. After , the clause keeps its plain order: subject, verb, the rest.

Noun
dont
Subject
Verb
Rest
empty
  • - the man whose daughter is a doctor
  • - the man whose daughter I know
  • - the man whose daughter knows me

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

dontWhat do the colours mean?

already says whose it is, so the noun after it takes the plain article. Son, or on top is an error, not emphasis.

WrongRightEnglish
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 .

ce dont: what

dontWhat do the colours mean?

With no noun in front, becomes , the way becomes . English says what. The verb in the clause decides which one:

The verb takesFormExample
a subject , .
a direct object .
.
  • . - I know what you are talking about.
  • , . - All I remember is the noise.
  • , . - What I need is a bit of peace.

In the last one, the of comes back after : . Careful writing keeps it; everyday French often drops it, as in the second example ( ).

la façon dont: the way

dontWhat do the colours mean?

has a in it, so the way someone does something is . The same goes for .

  • . - The way he talks makes me laugh.
  • . - I like the way she works.

English speakers reach for or here. Neither works: it is .

dont with numbers: dont deux filles

dontWhat do the colours mean?

After a total, introduces part of it: of whom, of which, including. The part often has no verb.

  • , . - He has three children, two of them girls.
  • , . - I read ten books, three of them in French.
  • , , . - Twenty people, including the director, were there.
  • , Canada. - She has two brothers, one of whom lives in Canada.

Add a verb and the plain order returns: , . - I have three sisters, two of whom live in . Newspapers use this constantly.

Mistakes English speakers make

WrongRightWhy
already is the
already says whose
plain order after
:
duquelno after a preposition
coming from a place:

The last row is about a real place: , the town he comes from. for a place survives only in older literary French; modern French uses . For family origins, is still normal: issu, the family he comes from.

What to do next

  1. List five verbs you use with and make a clause with each.
  2. Describe three people with whose: ....
  3. Read a French news story and find a after a number.

Practise: test yourself

Sort into groups

0/7

Which relative does each verb take? Le livre ___ je ...

Tap a word, then the group it belongs in.

Fill in the blank

0/9

Complete each sentence with dont, ce dont, duquel or de laquelle. Ask where the de comes from and whether anything sits in front of it.

  1. C'est le livre je t'ai parlé. (parler de)

  2. L'homme la fille est médecin habite ici. (la fille de l'homme)

  3. Voici l'outil j'ai besoin. (avoir besoin de)

  4. Tout je me souviens, c'est le bruit. (no noun in front: what)

  5. Le pont au bout se trouve l'église est très vieux. (au bout de, a longer preposition)

  6. La maison en face j'habite est à vendre. (en face de, feminine singular)

  7. J'ai trois sœurs, deux vivent à Paris. (of whom)

  8. La façon il parle me fait rire. (the way)

  9. C'est un résultat nous sommes très fiers. (être fier de)

Spot the mistake

0/4

Tap the mistake.

Pick the right one

0/4

Choose the correct French.

  1. The man whose daughter I know.

  2. I know what you need.

  3. He has three children, two of them girls.

  4. The house on whose roof there is a nest.

Translation drill

0/6

Translate into French with dont or ce dont. Keep the order dont, subject, verb, and never repeat the de.

  1. This is the film I was talking about.

  2. The man whose daughter is a doctor.

  3. The illness he suffers from.

  4. That is exactly what I need.

  5. She has two brothers, one of whom lives in Canada.

  6. It is a result we are proud of.

Chapters 1 and 2 free

This article is one lesson in a whole course

Every grammar point has its own article and drill, and the course wraps them in graded stories, games and printable worksheets, in the order you need them.

Chapters 1 and 2 free, forever. Plus: 7 days free, then $5 a month for all eleven languages.

Start learning free

French · Free printables

Practice worksheets and infographics

Practice worksheets with answer keys built in, plus infographic and listicle formats. 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

More grammar on this course

Frequently asked questions

What does replace in French?
plus a noun, wherever that comes from. A verb that takes : gives . An adjective that takes : gives . Or a between two nouns: gives . The test is to rebuild the plain sentence: if it would contain , the relative is .
How do you say 'whose' in French?
With , followed by the clause in plain order: subject, verb, the rest. is the man whose daughter is a doctor ( is the subject). is the man whose daughter I know ( is the subject, and comes after the verb). The possessed noun keeps , or : , never .
What does mean after a number, as in ' , '?
It means 'of whom', 'of which' or 'including', and it is the normal way to break a total into its parts. a , : he has three children, two of them girls. , , : twenty people were there, including the director. The part after often has no verb at all.
When do you have to use duquel instead of ?
When the is the end of a longer preposition, because can never follow another preposition. , , à , and all trigger it: duquel , never . The same block applies when the hangs off a noun that is itself after a preposition: y a .
What is the difference between and ?
Both mean 'what' when no noun comes before them, and the verb decides. for a verb that takes a direct object: ( ). for a verb that takes : as ( ). is the third member, for the subject: me .