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.
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.)
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 Braimap 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.
