Learn French: Le futur est ce pour quoi nous travaillons. - The future is what we are working for.

Le futur est ce pour quoi nous travaillons.

The future is what we are working for.

Breakdown of Le futur est ce pour quoi nous travaillons.

être

to be

nous

we / us (object pronoun)

Questions & Answers about Le futur est ce pour quoi nous travaillons.

Why does this sentence use ce pour quoi instead of just ce que for "what"?

ce que means "what" when it is a direct object, but here the action involves the preposition pour (to work for something). When a preposition is combined with an undefined "what", French requires the structure ce + [preposition] + quoi.

In English, the sentence ends with "for". Why does pour appear in the middle of the French sentence?

English often leaves prepositions at the end of a clause ("what we are working for"). French grammar strictly forbids this "dangling preposition". The preposition must always immediately precede the relative pronoun, translating literally to "the thing for which" (ce pour quoi).

Could I say ce pour lequel instead of ce pour quoi here?

No, because lequel is used to refer back to a specific, previously mentioned noun (like a specific project or goal). Since ce refers to an abstract or undefined idea ("the thing"), you must use quoi after the preposition.

The English translation says "are working". Why doesn't the French sentence use a form of être (to be)?

French does not have a present continuous tense (like "are working" or "is doing"). The simple present tense nous travaillons covers both "we work" and "we are working". You just rely on the context to choose the best English translation.