Question 1

Can I say la raison pourquoi instead of la raison pour laquelle?

Accepted Answer

No, standard French doesn't use pourquoi immediately after la raison. Even though English speakers naturally want to literally translate "the reason why," in French you must say "the reason for which." You do this by combining the preposition pour with a form of the relative pronoun lequel.

Question 2

How do I know to use laquelle instead of lequel or lesquels?

Accepted Answer

The relative pronoun must agree in gender and number with the noun it refers back to (its antecedent). Here, it replaces la raison, which is a feminine singular noun, so you must use laquelle. If the noun had been masculine, like le motif (the motive), you would use pour lequel.

Question 3

Does pièces mean "rooms" here?

Accepted Answer

Not in this context. The word pièce is highly versatile and can mean a room in a house, a coin, a theatrical play, or a mechanical part. Since he is hoarding (amasse) them and they are described as inutiles (useless), pièces here most likely refers to "coins" or "junk parts."

Question 4

Why use the verb amasser instead of collectionner?

Accepted Answer

Collectionner means to intentionally collect things as a hobby, like a stamp collector. Amasser means to amass, pile up, accumulate, or hoard a large quantity of something. Using amasse paints a picture of him just piling up these useless items indiscriminately, rather than carefully curating a collection.

La raison pour laquelle il amasse ces pièces inutiles est ridicule.

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