A2
quel and lequel — which
How the French interrogative adjective quel and the pronoun lequel work, and how lequel contracts with à and de.
quel goes in front of a noun
| masculine | feminine | |
|---|---|---|
| singular | quel | quelle |
| plural | quels | quelles |
All four are pronounced identically.
Quel livre préfères-tu ?
which book prefer-you
Which book do you prefer?
Quelle heure est-il ?
what hour is-it
What time is it?
It also means what before être
Quelle est votre adresse ?
what is your address
What’s your address?
Qu’est-ce que votre adresse ?
Quelle est votre adresse ?
Before être with a noun, French uses quel rather than qu’est-ce que. The same applies to quel est votre nom and quelle est la question.
quel is also an exclamation
Quel dommage !
what shame
What a shame!
No article, where English needs a.
lequel replaces the noun
| masculine | feminine | |
|---|---|---|
| singular | lequel | laquelle |
| plural | lesquels | lesquelles |
J’ai deux stylos. Lequel veux-tu ?
I-have two pens. which-one want-you
I’ve got two pens. Which one do you want?
It contracts with à and de
Exactly as the article does — see contractions.
| à + lequel | auquel |
| de + lequel | duquel |
| à + lesquels | auxquels |
Le film auquel je pense.
the film to-which I think
The film I’m thinking of.
Laquelle does not contract: à laquelle, de laquelle.