Log inSign up

L'univers est ce en quoi je crois et ce pour quoi je travaille.

L'univers est ce en quoi je crois et ce pour quoi je travaille.
The universe is what I believe in and what I work for.
From Lesson 251:Indefinite relative pronouns (ce à quoi, ce sur quoi)·French

Questions & Answers about L'univers est ce en quoi je crois et ce pour quoi je travaille.

Why do we use ce en quoi instead of just en quoi or ce que?
When the English word "what" means "the thing that" and is paired with a preposition, French uses ce followed by the preposition and quoi. Here, ce acts as "the thing" and en quoi means "in which". So ce en quoi je crois literally translates to "that in which I believe".
Why does this sentence use en quoi with croire? Don't we usually use à with this verb?
We often use croire à to simply say we believe something exists (like croire aux fantômes). However, croire en expresses a deeper faith, trust, or confidence. You use croire en for God, yourself, or the universe. Because the verb phrase is croire en, the relative pronoun requires the matching preposition en.
Why are pour and quoi written as separate words in ce pour quoi?
As a single word, pourquoi means "why". But here, the sentence isn't asking a question or talking about a reason. It is combining the preposition pour (for) with the pronoun quoi (which). Ce pour quoi means "the thing for which" or "what... for".
Could I say ce que je crois en to match the English word order?
No, you can never put a preposition at the end of a sentence or clause in French. In English, we often say "what I believe in", leaving "in" at the very end. In French, the preposition must come before the relative pronoun, strictly forming ce en quoi je crois.

Learn L'univers est ce en quoi je crois et ce pour quoi je travaille and more in French

All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.

  • ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
  • ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
  • ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free
Start learning French →