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Je voudrais savoir ce sur quoi se base la théorie.

Je voudrais savoir ce sur quoi se base la théorie.
I would like to know what the theory is based on.
From Lesson 251:Indefinite relative pronouns (ce à quoi, ce sur quoi)·French

Questions & Answers about Je voudrais savoir ce sur quoi se base la théorie.

Why do we use ce sur quoi instead of just ce que for "what"?
The verb here is se baser sur (to be based on). When the relative pronoun "what" is the object of a preposition like sur, you cannot use ce que. Instead, you must use ce + the preposition + quoi. Literally, it translates to "that on which".
Why use quoi here instead of lequel?
We use quoi because "what" refers to an unspecified, abstract idea here. If we were referring back to a specific masculine noun mentioned earlier, like "the document", we would use sur lequel. Because we are talking about an indefinite "what", we must use sur quoi.
Why is the subject la théorie placed at the very end of the sentence?
In French relative clauses, it is very common to invert the verb and the subject if the subject is a full noun rather than a pronoun. You could absolutely say ce sur quoi la théorie se base, but ce sur quoi se base la théorie flows better and sounds more elegant to native speakers.
Why use the reflexive verb se base instead of the passive est basée (is based)?
French frequently uses reflexive verbs to express a passive meaning. While est basée is grammatically correct and means the same thing, phrasing it as "bases itself" (se base) is a very natural and standard way to express "is based" in French.

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