Breakdown of Je ne sais pas ce qui se passe sur cette case.
je
I
sur
on
ne
not (used before the verb)
pas
not (used after the verb)
ce
this (before a noun)
se passer
to happen
savoir
to know (a fact), to know how to
ce qui
what (subject)
la case
the square (on a grid or board)
Questions & Answers about Je ne sais pas ce qui se passe sur cette case.
Why do we use ce qui here instead of lequel?
You use lequel to clarify a relative clause when referring back to a specific noun (an antecedent). In this sentence, there is no specific noun being referenced. We mean "what" in the sense of "the unknown thing that." For an undefined "what," you must use the indefinite pronoun ce paired with a relative pronoun like qui or que.
Why is it ce qui and not ce que?
Why is the verb se passe reflexive here?
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