Un 11.5
Relative pronouns with demonstrative pronouns
Relative pronouns can be a very useful tool for adding information and describing things. When used in combination with demonstrative pronouns, they can add information in many contexts.
Les pronoms relatifs avec le pronom démonstratif 'ce'
When the sentence that we are adding information to does not explicitly indicate the idea or thing that is being replaced by the relative pronouns ‘qui’ or ‘que’, the neutral demonstrative pronoun ‘ce’ is needed. Do note that ‘ce qui’ and ‘ce que’ cannot refer to a person. This combination of ‘ce’ and a relative pronoun can take up several roles in a sentence, including the subject.
e.g.
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C’est ce qui me plaît. (C’est ___. Cela me plaît.) |
It’s what I like. |
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Ce qui te frustre n’est pas frustrant en fait. (___ te frustres. Ce n’est pas frustrant en fait.) |
What’s frustrating you isn’t actually frustrating. |
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Je comprends ce que tu dis. (Je comprends ___. Tu dis ça.) |
I understand what you’re saying. |
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Voilà ce qu’ils ont fait. (Voilà ___. Ils ont fait ceci.) |
Here’s what they did. |
Les pronoms relatifs avec les pronoms démonstratifs 'celui', 'celle', 'ceux' et 'celles'
As discussed before, demonstrative pronouns that refer to specific nouns cannot stand on their own. One of the three possibilities for these demonstrative pronouns is to follow them with a relative pronoun to further describe what we are referring to. As always, it’s important to pay attention to any needed agreements for tenses that use an auxiliary and past participle.
e.g.
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Parmi ces vidéos, je préfère celle qui parle des sciences politiques. |
Of these videos, I like the one that talks about political science. |
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On va acheter ceux que tu as suggérés. |
We’re gonna buy the ones you suggested. |
Exercices
Un 11.5 - Ex. 1
Un 11.5 - Ex. 2
Un 11.5 - Ex. 3
Leçons