Learn French: Celui dont le pied est blanc est un champignon comestible. - The one whose stem is white is an edible mushroom.

Celui dont le pied est blanc est un champignon comestible.

The one whose stem is white is an edible mushroom.

Breakdown of Celui dont le pied est blanc est un champignon comestible.

the one (masculine singular)

Questions & Answers about Celui dont le pied est blanc est un champignon comestible.

How does celui dont work together in this sentence?

Celui means 'the one' (masculine singular, referring back to the idea of a mushroom) and dont means 'whose' or 'of which'. Together, celui dont means 'the one whose'. You use this demonstrative pronoun combination to single out a specific item from a group based on a feature it possesses.

Could I use ce dont instead of celui dont here?

No, because ce dont refers to general, abstract statements or ideas, meaning 'what' or 'that which' (like 'That's what I'm afraid of'). Because we are referring to a specific physical noun here (un champignon), we must use celui to mean 'the specific one'.

Why is there a le before pied? In English we just say 'whose stem'.

When you use dont to mean 'whose', French still requires a definite article (le, la, or les) before the noun that is possessed. You are literally saying 'the one of which the stem is white'.

Wait, doesn't le pied mean 'the foot'?

Yes, it normally does! But French often uses body parts metaphorically. For a mushroom, a plant, a wine glass, or even a piece of furniture, le pied refers to the base, stalk, stem, or leg.