Breakdown of Il vaut mieux comparer ces croquis, dont deux sont très précis.
être
to be
très
very
ce
this (before a noun)
deux
two
comparer
to compare
il vaut mieux
it is better to
dont
whose / about which / of which
précis
precise
le croquis
the sketch (drawing)
Questions & Answers about Il vaut mieux comparer ces croquis, dont deux sont très précis.
Why do we use dont here to mean 'of which'?
In French, dont is the standard relative pronoun used to express a quantity or subset of a previously mentioned noun. Here, it connects the subset deux to the main group ces croquis. While English says 'two of which,' French phrasing translates more strictly as 'of which two.'
Can I change the word order to deux dont to match the English 'two of which'?
Why isn't there a preposition like de before the infinitive comparer?
The impersonal expression il vaut mieux (it is better) takes a direct infinitive, so no preposition is needed. This is different from similar expressions that B2 learners often mix it up with, like il est préférable de or c'est mieux de, which do require a preposition.
Why does précis end in an 's' in this sentence?
The adjective précis is describing the subject of that clause, which is deux. Because deux refers to two of the masculine plural croquis, the adjective must be masculine plural. Keep in mind that the masculine singular form is also précis, so the spelling doesn't actually change here, but grammatically it is functioning as a plural.
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