Français — Compound relative pronouns

After a preposition, French uses the compound relative pronouns lequel, laquelle, lesquels and lesquelles, which agree in gender and number with the noun they refer to.

How it works

✓ Rule

Choose the form that matches the antecedent: la chaise sur laquelle il est assis, les outils avec lesquels je travaille. After à and de the masculine and plural forms contract: à + lequel = auquel, de + lequel = duquel, à + lesquels = auxquels, de + lesquelles = desquelles; only the feminine singular stays apart: à laquelle, de laquelle.

Forms and contractions

Lequel and its contractions with à and de
Base form	With à	With de
lequel	auquel	duquel
laquelle	à laquelle	de laquelle
lesquels	auxquels	desquels
lesquelles	auxquelles	desquelles

Good to know

⚠ Note

For a person, a preposition is normally followed by qui (l'ami avec qui je sors), not by lequel; the compound form is used mainly for things or after complex prepositions such as à côté de or grâce à. Note too that duquel appears in phrases like au bout duquel, while a plain 'of which / whose' is expressed with dont.