Learn French: C'est ce dont je me méfie. - That is what I am wary of.

C'est ce dont je me méfie.

That is what I am wary of.

Breakdown of C'est ce dont je me méfie.

c'est

it is, that is

ce dont

what / that which (of which)

se méfier de

to beware of / to be suspicious of

Questions & Answers about C'est ce dont je me méfie.

Why do we use ce dont here instead of ce que?

We use ce dont because the verb in this sentence is se méfier de (to be wary of). The relative pronoun dont always replaces de and its object. If the verb didn't require de, you would use ce que or ce qui instead.

Why do we need the word ce? Can't I just say "C'est dont je me méfie"?

You need ce because dont must always refer back to something. Since there is no specific noun in the sentence to refer back to, we use the indefinite pronoun ce (meaning "the thing" or "that"). Together, ce dont means "the thing of which" or simply "what".

Where is the word for "of" in the French sentence?

It is built directly into the word dont! Because dont replaces de (which means of, from, or about) plus a noun, you never leave a dangling preposition at the end of a French sentence like we do in English.

Why is there a me in je me méfie?

The verb is se méfier (to be wary / to distrust), which is a pronominal verb. This means it requires a reflexive pronoun that matches the subject. For je, the pronoun becomes me.