Log inSign up

Voici ce à quoi l'extraterrestre ressemble vraiment.

Voici ce à quoi l'extraterrestre ressemble vraiment.
Here is what the alien really looks like.
From Lesson 251:Indefinite relative pronouns (ce à quoi, ce sur quoi)·French

Questions & Answers about Voici ce à quoi l'extraterrestre ressemble vraiment.

Why is it ce à quoi instead of just ce que to mean "what"?
The French verb for "to look like" is ressembler à. Because this verb requires the preposition à, you can't use the basic direct object ce que. Instead, you must combine ce (the thing) + à (to) + quoi (which).
What is the literal translation of ce à quoi here?
It translates literally as "that to which". A very literal reading of the French sentence would be: "Here is that to which the alien really is similar."
Could I leave the à at the end, like "ce que l'extraterrestre ressemble à"?
No, French strictly forbids "dangling" prepositions at the end of a clause. While in English we say "what the alien looks like", French requires the preposition to stay right next to its object, pulling it forward to make ce à quoi.
Why does vraiment come after the verb, unlike the English translation?
English often places adverbs before the verb (like "really looks"). However, French adverbs like vraiment typically must follow the conjugated verb they modify, giving us ressemble vraiment.

Learn Voici ce à quoi l'extraterrestre ressemble vraiment 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 →