Breakdown of Le tiroir dans lequel je ne mets pas de vêtements est vide.
je
I
être
to be
dans
in, inside
ne
not (used before the verb)
pas
not (used after the verb)
de
of / from / any (in negative sentences) / about (concerning)
mettre
to put / to put on
le vêtement
the piece of clothing
le tiroir
the drawer
vide
empty
lequel
which (masculine singular, feminine laquelle, plural lesquels, lesquelles)
Questions & Answers about Le tiroir dans lequel je ne mets pas de vêtements est vide.
Why is it dans lequel and not just que or qui?
Lequel is a relative pronoun used after a preposition (like dans, sur, or avec) to refer to things. Because it follows the preposition dans ('in'), we use dans lequel to mean 'in which'. We cannot use qui here because qui after a preposition is only used for people ('whom').
Why do we use the form lequel here instead of laquelle or lesquels?
Why does the sentence say pas de vêtements instead of pas des vêtements?
Why is est vide pushed all the way to the very end of the sentence?
The core of the main sentence is simply Le tiroir est vide (The drawer is empty). The descriptive relative clause dans lequel je ne mets pas de vêtements (in which I put no clothes) is inserted directly after the noun it describes (Le tiroir), which temporarily interrupts the main idea and pushes the verb and adjective to the end.
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