Dans lequel/laquelle : alternative to où with places (French Relative Pronouns)

Take the fastest path to fluent French

In French, to introduce a relative clause talking about a place with "in which/where", you will use "dans lequel/etc".

How to use "dans lequel" and "où" in French

Look at these sentences:

La maison dans laquelle / où j'habite est assez petite.The house in which / where I live is quite small.

Le jardin dans lequel / où il se promène est magnifique en été.The garden (in which) / where he's having a walk is gorgeous in the summer.

Le canapé dans lequel / où vous êtes assis m'a coûté une fortune.The sofa in which / where you're sitting cost me a fortune.

Les villes dans lesquelles / où j'ai vécu étaient toutes uniques.The cities in which / where I lived were all unique.

To introduce relative clauses talking about places (in which/where), there are two ways in French:

-  (where)

- dans + lequel / laquelle / lesquels / lesquelles (in which)
Note: these forms agree in gender and number with the object they refer to

Note: you can never have dans lequel ... separated like in English, or just dans at the end of the clause.
e.g.you cannot say La maison laquelle je vis dans. / La maison je vis dans. (The house (which) I live in.)

Want to make sure your French sounds confident? We’ll map your knowledge and give you free lessons to focus on your gaps and mistakes. Start your Brainmap today »

Learn more about these related French grammar topics

Examples and resources

Le jardin dans lequel / où il se promène est magnifique en été.The garden (in which) / where he's having a walk is gorgeous in the summer.
La maison dans laquelle / où j'habite est assez petite.The house in which / where I live is quite small.
Le canapé dans lequel / où vous êtes assis m'a coûté une fortune.The sofa in which / where you're sitting cost me a fortune.
Les villes dans lesquelles / où j'ai vécu étaient toutes uniques.The cities in which / where I lived were all unique.
Thinking...