Lequel, laquelle, lesquels, lesquelles — together with their contracted forms auquel, à laquelle, auxquels, auxquelles, duquel, de laquelle, desquels, desquelles — are the relative pronouns French reaches for when a relative clause requires a preposition. They are the heaviest, most "grammatical" of the French relatives: they agree in gender and number with their antecedent, they swallow prepositions through fusion, and they are the formal default for inanimate complements of prepositions.
The skeleton of the construction is simple: [antecedent] + [preposition] + [lequel form] + [clause]. The preposition stays put; only the relative pronoun changes shape to match the antecedent. Where French differs from English most sharply is that the preposition cannot be stranded at the end of the clause — the project I'm working on must be reformulated as the project on which I am working, with the preposition pulled forward to sit before the relative.
This page covers the forms, the contractions, the rules of when lequel is required versus when qui or dont preempts it, and the modern stylistic preferences that govern usage.
The forms — gender and number agreement
Lequel is built from le (definite article) + quel (interrogative determiner). It carries both gender and number, agreeing with its antecedent.
| Masculine | Feminine | |
|---|---|---|
| Singular | lequel | laquelle |
| Plural | lesquels | lesquelles |
The pronunciation: lequel /lə.kɛl/, laquelle /la.kɛl/, lesquels and lesquelles both /le.kɛl/ — the plural is identical in speech but distinct in writing. The plural takes the same masculine/feminine distinction as adjectives: lesquels for masculine or mixed groups, lesquelles for all-feminine groups.
Forms with à and de — the contractions
When lequel combines with the prepositions à or de, contraction occurs in three of the four forms — exactly as the article le contracts in au, aux, du, des.
| à + form | de + form | |
|---|---|---|
| m.sg. | auquel | duquel |
| f.sg. | à laquelle (no contraction) | de laquelle (no contraction) |
| m.pl. | auxquels | desquels |
| f.pl. | auxquelles | desquelles |
The orthographic detail to memorize: auquel, auxquels, auxquelles, duquel, desquels, desquelles are all written as single words. The feminine singular forms à laquelle and de laquelle keep the preposition separate (no fusion).
Use 1: After a preposition with an inanimate antecedent
This is the core function. When the relative clause attaches to an inanimate antecedent (a thing, an idea, an abstract concept) via a preposition, lequel is the standard choice.
Le projet sur lequel je travaille en ce moment me passionne.
The project I'm working on right now fascinates me.
La maison dans laquelle j'ai grandi a été vendue l'année dernière.
The house I grew up in was sold last year.
Les outils avec lesquels il travaille sont tous artisanaux.
The tools he works with are all handmade.
Voici les raisons pour lesquelles je refuse.
Here are the reasons why I'm refusing.
Le pays vers lequel ils émigrent change selon les générations.
The country they emigrate to varies by generation.
In each case the preposition is not stranded at the end of the clause as it would be in colloquial English. French requires preposition + relative as a unit, both sitting at the front of the relative clause.
High-frequency idiomatic combinations
Three combinations appear constantly in written and formal spoken French:
- les raisons pour lesquelles — the reasons why / for which
- la manière / la façon dont — the way in which (note: dont, not de laquelle)
- le moment auquel — the moment at which (often replaced by où)
Les raisons pour lesquelles cette politique a échoué sont nombreuses.
The reasons why this policy failed are numerous.
L'angle sous lequel on aborde un problème change tout.
The angle from which one approaches a problem changes everything.
Use 2: After à — the auquel / à laquelle forms
When the relative clause uses a verb that takes à (such as penser à, s'intéresser à, participer à, réagir à, renoncer à, s'attaquer à), and the complement is a thing, the relative becomes auquel, à laquelle, auxquels, or auxquelles.
Le sujet auquel je pense le plus souvent ces temps-ci, c'est l'avenir de mes enfants.
The subject I think about most often these days is the future of my children.
La question à laquelle tu n'as pas répondu est la plus importante.
The question you haven't answered is the most important one.
Les conférences auxquelles j'ai assisté étaient passionnantes.
The conferences I attended were fascinating.
Les réunions auxquelles elle participe sont confidentielles.
The meetings she attends are confidential.
Use 3: After de — duquel exists, but dont usually wins
In theory, de + lequel gives duquel, de laquelle, desquels, desquelles. In practice, French prefers dont in almost all cases where the relation is de + noun. Dont covers genitive (le livre dont l'auteur…), de-complements of verbs (le sujet dont je parle), and quantity expressions.
Le livre dont je parle est introuvable.
The book I'm talking about is impossible to find.
Le livre duquel je parle est introuvable.
The book of which I'm speaking is impossible to find.
In modern French, dont is the default. Duquel and its kin survive in two specific contexts.
Context 1: Compound prepositions ending in de
When the preposition ending the antecedent's relation is a compound expression like au-dessus de, à côté de, à cause de, près de, au cours de, au milieu de, en face de, the relative cannot be dont. Dont replaces a simple de; it cannot reach inside a compound preposition. In these cases, duquel and its forms are required.
La rivière au bord de laquelle nous avons pique-niqué était glacée.
The river beside which we picnicked was freezing.
L'arbre au pied duquel il s'est endormi est un chêne centenaire.
The tree at the foot of which he fell asleep is a hundred-year-old oak.
Les murs au-dessus desquels passent les fils électriques sont anciens.
The walls above which the electric wires run are old.
Le restaurant en face duquel j'habite est ouvert tard.
The restaurant I live across from is open late.
The pattern: [antecedent] + [compound preposition with de] + duquel/de laquelle/desquels/desquelles + [clause]. Dont simply cannot do this work — its single morpheme can substitute de + thing but cannot infiltrate a compound expression.
Context 2: Distance from antecedent
A more subtle case: when the relative is far from its antecedent, or when dont would create ambiguity, duquel is sometimes preferred for clarity.
Le frère de mon ami, duquel je te parlais hier, est avocat.
My friend's brother, the one I was telling you about yesterday, is a lawyer.
Here dont would be ambiguous (dont could attach to frère or ami). Duquel unambiguously refers to frère. This refinement is felt in careful writing rather than everyday speech.
Use 4: With people — qui preferred in modern French
When the antecedent is a person, modern French overwhelmingly prefers preposition + qui over preposition + lequel. The lequel version is grammatical but feels formal, even stiff.
L'homme avec qui je travaille est très compétent.
The man I work with is very competent.
L'homme avec lequel je travaille est très compétent.
The man with whom I work is very competent.
La femme à qui j'ai parlé hier soir m'a donné un bon conseil.
The woman I spoke to last night gave me good advice.
Les amis chez qui nous allons ce week-end nous attendent.
The friends we're going to stay with this weekend are expecting us.
The exception is parmi (among) and entre (between), where preposition + lequel is preferred even for people, because parmi qui and entre qui sound awkward.
Les collègues parmi lesquels je travaille me soutiennent toujours.
The colleagues among whom I work always support me.
Les deux candidats entre lesquels nous devons choisir sont qualifiés.
The two candidates we have to choose between are qualified.
For parmi and entre, qui is rarely used; lequel is the standard.
When où preempts lequel
For purely locative or temporal relations, où is preferred over dans lequel, sur lequel, à laquelle (time), etc. The lequel version is grammatically correct but stylistically marked.
La ville où j'habite est ancienne.
The city where I live is old.
La ville dans laquelle j'habite est ancienne.
The city in which I live is old.
Le jour où je suis arrivé, il pleuvait.
The day I arrived, it was raining.
Le jour auquel je suis arrivé…
The day on which I arrived…
For physical or temporal "where," default to où. Reserve lequel with locative prepositions (dans lequel, sur lequel, à côté duquel) for cases where the relation is more specific or technical, or where the antecedent is not strictly a place.
The full system summarized
A practical decision tree for choosing the right relative pronoun when a preposition is involved:
- Is the antecedent a place or time, with no specialized preposition needed? → où.
- Is the relation de + simple noun, with the antecedent a person or thing? → dont.
- Is the relation de + compound preposition (e.g., à côté de, au-dessus de)? → duquel/de laquelle/desquels/desquelles.
- Is the antecedent a person, and the preposition simple (avec, à, pour, chez…)? → preposition + qui (preferred) or preposition + lequel (formal).
- Is the antecedent a person, with parmi or entre? → parmi/entre + lequel.
- Is the antecedent a thing, with any preposition other than de alone? → preposition + lequel.
Comparison with English
English allows preposition stranding: the project I'm working on, the house I grew up in, the people I work with. The preposition floats to the end of the clause, and the relative pronoun (that, which, who) is often dropped entirely. Standard French does neither: the preposition must come before the relative, and the relative pronoun is mandatory.
| English (colloquial) | English (formal) | French |
|---|---|---|
| the project I'm working on | the project on which I am working | le projet sur lequel je travaille |
| the house I grew up in | the house in which I grew up | la maison dans laquelle j'ai grandi |
| the people he works with | the people with whom he works | les gens avec qui / avec lesquels il travaille |
| the reasons I refused | the reasons for which I refused | les raisons pour lesquelles j'ai refusé |
French maps onto formal English (preposition + which/whom). Once that mapping is internalized, the lequel construction becomes mechanical.
Comparison with other Romance languages
Spanish has el cual / la cual / los cuales / las cuales, with contractions al cual (no spelling fusion: still two words), del cual — formally parallel to French lequel. Spanish, however, allows que after some prepositions (el libro de que hablo, alongside del que and del cual), which French does not permit (le livre de que je parle is ungrammatical).
Italian uses il quale / la quale / i quali / le quali, with prepositions: al quale, del quale, nel quale. The Italian cui (invariable) is also an option after prepositions: il libro di cui parlo, l'amico con cui lavoro. French has no equivalent of invariable cui.
Portuguese has o qual / a qual / os quais / as quais, used very similarly to lequel.
The French system is the most rigid of the four — French categorically forbids preposition stranding and requires either qui (for animate) or lequel (for the rest) after a preposition.
Common Mistakes
Mistake 1: Stranding the preposition (English transfer).
❌ Le projet je travaille sur.
Incorrect — the preposition cannot be stranded at the end.
✅ Le projet sur lequel je travaille.
The project I'm working on.
The preposition must move to the front, before the relative.
Mistake 2: Using que after a preposition.
❌ Le sujet à que je pense.
Incorrect — que cannot follow a preposition (with rare exceptions).
✅ Le sujet auquel je pense.
The subject I'm thinking about.
After a preposition, the relative form is qui (people), lequel (things or people, formal), or — for à and de — the contracted forms.
Mistake 3: Forgetting agreement with the antecedent.
❌ La table sur lequel j'écris.
Incorrect — table is feminine, so laquelle is required.
✅ La table sur laquelle j'écris.
The table I'm writing on.
Lequel agrees in gender and number. Cross-check the antecedent's gender before writing.
Mistake 4: Using duquel where dont would do.
❌ Le livre duquel je parle est intéressant.
Heavy and unidiomatic — dont is the natural choice.
✅ Le livre dont je parle est intéressant.
The book I'm talking about is interesting.
Duquel is reserved for compound prepositions ending in de (à côté de, au-dessus de, au pied de) or for disambiguation. For simple de, dont is the default.
Mistake 5: Using lequel where où is natural.
❌ La ville dans laquelle j'habite est belle.
Grammatical but heavy — où is natural.
✅ La ville où j'habite est belle.
The city where I live is beautiful.
For locative or temporal relations, où is the unmarked choice. Save dans lequel, sur lequel, etc., for cases where où would not work.
Mistake 6: Failing to contract à le / à les into au / aux.
❌ Le sujet à lequel je pense.
Incorrect — à + lequel must contract to auquel.
✅ Le sujet auquel je pense.
The subject I'm thinking about.
The contractions auquel, auxquels, auxquelles, duquel, desquels, desquelles are mandatory, never optional. Only the feminine singular forms (à laquelle, de laquelle) keep the preposition separate.
Key Takeaways
- Lequel/laquelle/lesquels/lesquelles is the relative pronoun for preposition + thing, and for formal preposition + person. It agrees in gender and number with the antecedent.
- The preposition must stand before lequel, never stranded at the end of the clause as in colloquial English.
- À + lequel/lesquels/lesquelles contract to auquel, auxquels, auxquelles. De + lequel/lesquels/lesquelles contract to duquel, desquels, desquelles. The feminine singular forms (à laquelle, de laquelle) do not contract.
- For people, modern French prefers preposition + qui (l'homme avec qui je parle) over preposition + lequel (l'homme avec lequel je parle), except after parmi and entre.
- For de
- thing/person, prefer dont — except after compound prepositions ending in de (au pied de, à côté de, au-dessus de), where duquel and its forms are required.
- For purely locative or temporal antecedents, où preempts lequel: la ville où, le jour où.
- The relative pronoun is never optional in French. The whole construction (preposition + relative) is mandatory.
Lequel is the heaviest tool in the French relative kit, and learners reach for it last. Once you master the contractions and the boundaries with qui, dont, and où, you have the full relative system at your disposal.
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