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:
- où (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.)
Learn more about these related French grammar topics
Examples and resources
Les villes dans lesquelles / où j'ai vécu étaient toutes uniques.
The cities in which / where I lived were all unique.
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.
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.
Q&A
Aurélie
Kwiziq language super star
10/05/16
Your brain is in the right place, but here the trick is the nuance between "to sit (to be sat)" and "to be (in the process of) sitting", which is more strongly marked in French.
If you want to say you're sitting DOWN, you will use the verb "s'asseoir" in Le Présent: "où vous vous asseyez".
However, when you want to say you're sat (or sitting, hence confusion), then you will use Le Présent of "être assis(e)" (to be sat): "vous êtes assis".
I hope that's helpful!
À bientôt !
helen
Kwiziq community member
30/11/17
If you're in the process of sitting, you'd use the reflexive verbs: s'asseoir/s'assoir ?
Laura
Kwiziq language super star
20/02/16
Bonjour Barb,
The fact that there have been several houses means that we know each one had a specific beginning and ending, therefore we need the passé composé.
The "ongoing" rule for the French imperfect means, in essence, "ongoing without a clear beginning or ending."
Hannah
Kwiziq community member
22 May 2018
3 replies
en lequel
Hi, when is "en lequel" used in French or is it grammatically incorrect?
Chris
Kwiziq community member
23 May 2018
23/05/18
Hi Hannah,
en lequel is grammatically correct and is indeed used. Here is an example:
Mon ami, en lequel j'ai confiance, habite à Paris. -- My friend, in whom I trust, lives in Paris.
Does this help? -- Chris (not a native speaker).
Hannah
Kwiziq community member
23 May 2018
23/05/18
This makes sense, thank you.
Can you also use “en lequel” with objects?
And is there any specific reason why you would use “en lequel” rather than a different preposition?
Thank you for your help :)
Chris
Kwiziq community member
24 May 2018
24/05/18
Yes, you can use en lequel with objects. Actually, it is mostly used for objects because for persons there exists an alternative construction.
The woman I work for. -- Le femme pour qui je travaille.
The company I work for. -- L'entrepreise pour laquelle je travaille.
You might want to check out this lesson for further details:
https://french.kwiziq.com/my-languages/french/view/738
You're also asking why I would use "en" and not a different preposition? Which preposition you use depends on what you want to say. In principle, any preposition can be combined with laquelle/lequel/lesquels/lesquelles.
L'arbre sous lequel j'étais assis. -- The tree I was sitting under.
Les livres sans lesquels je ne peux pas continuer. -- The books without which I cannot continue.
I hope that helps, -- Chris (not a native speaker).