Question 1

Why do we use ceux qui instead of ceux que in this sentence?

Accepted Answer

Ceux means "the ones" (masculine plural). We follow it with qui rather than que because "the ones" are doing the action in the second half of the sentence: they are the things that grow (poussent). You use qui when it acts as the subject of the verb, and que when it is the object.

Question 2

How do we know what ceux refers to if it just translates to "the ones"?

Accepted Answer

By itself, ceux is a placeholder. However, because it is specifically masculine and plural, both speakers know it refers back to a masculine plural noun mentioned earlier in their conversation (like les champignons, the mushrooms). If they were talking about feminine things like flowers (les fleurs), the sentence would use celles instead.

Question 3

I learned that pousser means "to push". Why is it translated as "grow" here?

Accepted Answer

You are right that pousser means "to push", but it is also the standard French verb for plants, hair, and teeth "growing" (think of them pushing up through the soil or skin). If you were talking about a child or an animal growing up, you would use the verb grandir instead.

Question 4

Does the tree pin sound like the English word "pin"?

Accepted Answer

No, le pin (the pine tree) uses a classic French nasal vowel. In fact, it is pronounced exactly the same way as le pain (the bread), even though they are spelled differently and mean completely different things.

Le spécialiste a pris ceux qui poussent sur le pin.

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