La figurine du héros, laquelle est sur la table, est verte.

Questions & Answers about La figurine du héros, laquelle est sur la table, est verte.

Why do we use laquelle here instead of qui?
If we used qui, the sentence would be ambiguous: La figurine du héros qui est sur la table. Is the miniature on the table, or the hero? Because laquelle is feminine singular, it clearly points back to the feminine noun la figurine and ignores the masculine noun le héros.
Can I use laquelle as a subject in any relative clause to sound more advanced?
No, using lequel or laquelle as a subject is strictly reserved for clearing up ambiguity when there are two possible nouns the pronoun could refer to. If there is no confusion, you must stick to the standard relative pronoun qui.
Why does the sentence use du héros instead of contracting to de l'héros?
The word héros starts with an aspirated H (h aspiré). Even though the letter H is silent when spoken, it acts like a hard consonant boundary. This means you cannot contract words before it, so de le combines into du normally, giving us du héros.
What does the adjective verte at the end of the sentence agree with?
It agrees with the main subject of the sentence, la figurine, which is feminine singular. The relative clause (laquelle est sur la table) interrupts the sentence, but the core statement is simply La figurine... est verte.

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