Question 1

Why do we use chez qui here instead of dont to say 'whose'?

Accepted Answer

In French, dont means 'whose' when showing possession, like 'the boy whose dog is cute'. However, 'at whose house' is really just the preposition chez (at the home of) plus a person. For a preposition followed by a person, French uses the preposition + qui. So, 'at whose house' becomes chez qui (literally: at the home of whom).

Question 2

Does qui always mean 'who' or 'that'?

Accepted Answer

Usually yes, but when qui comes right after a preposition (like chez, avec, pour), it means 'whom'. In this sentence, chez qui translates literally to 'at the place of whom'.

Question 3

Could I use où (where) instead of chez qui since we are talking about a location?

Accepted Answer

Not in this sentence. The relative pronoun has to match the noun it follows. Because it directly follows Le garçon (a person), you must use a preposition + qui. You would only use où if the preceding noun was a place, such as la maison où nous mangeons (the house where we are eating).

Question 4

I see that attirant ends in '-ant'. Is it acting as a verb or an adjective here?

Accepted Answer

It is acting purely as an adjective meaning 'attractive'. It comes from the present participle of the verb attirer (to attract). Since it functions as an adjective here, it must agree with the masculine singular subject, Le garçon, which is why it has no extra -e or -s at the end.

Le garçon chez qui nous mangeons est attirant.

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