Usage note : which

As a pronoun

In questions

When which is used as a pronoun in questions it is translated by lequel, laquelle, lesquels or lesquelles according to the gender and number of the noun it is referring to :

there are three peaches, which do you want?

= il y a trois pêches, laquelle veux-tu?

‘Lucy’s borrowed three of your books’ ‘which did she take?’

= ‘Lucy t’a emprunté trois livres’ ‘lesquels a-t-elle pris?’

The exception to this is when which is followed by a superlative adjective, when the translation is quel, quelle, quels or quelles :

which is the biggest (apple)?

= quelle est la plus grande?

which are the least expensive (books)?

= quels sont les moins chers?

In relative clauses as subject or object

When which is used as a relative pronoun as the subject of a verb, it is translated by qui :

the book which is on the table

= le livre qui est sur la table

the books which are on the table

= les livres qui sont sur la table

When which is the object of a verb it is translated by que (qu’ before a vowel or mute ‘h’) :

the book which Tina is reading

= le livre que lit Tina

Note the inversion of subject and verb ; this is the case where the subject is a noun but not where the subject is a pronoun :

the book which I am reading

= le livre que je lis

In compound tenses such as the present perfect and past perfect, the past participle agrees in gender and number with the noun que is referring to :

the books which I gave you

= les livres que je t’ai donnés

the dresses which she bought yesterday

= les robes qu’elle a achetées hier

In relative clauses after a preposition

Here the translation is lequel, laquelle, lesquels or lesquelles according to the gender and number of the noun referred to :

the road by which we came or the road which we came by

= la route par laquelle nous sommes venus

the expressions for which we have translations

= les expressions pour lesquelles nous avons une traduction

Remember that if the preposition would normally be translated by à in French (to, at etc.), the preposition + which is translated by auquel, à laquelle, auxquels or auxquelles :

the addresses to which we sent letters

= les adresses auxquelles nous avons envoyé des lettres

With prepositions normally translated by de (of, from etc.) the translation of the preposition which becomes dont :

a blue book, the title of which I’ve forgotten

= un livre bleu dont j’ai oublié le titre

However, if de is part of a prepositional group, as for example in the case of près de meaning near, the translation becomes duquel, de laquelle, desquels or desquelles :

the village near which they live

= le village près duquel ils habitent

the houses near which she was waiting

= les maisons près desquelles elle attendait

The translation duquel etc. is also used where a preposition + noun precedes of which :

a hill at the top of which there is a house

= une colline au sommet de laquelle il y a une maison

As a determiner

In questions

When which is used as a determiner in questions it is translated by quel, quelle, quels or quelles according to the gender and number of the noun that follows :

which car is yours?

= quelle voiture est la vôtre?

which books did he borrow?

= quels livres a-t-il empruntés?

Note that in the second example the object precedes the verb so that the past participle agrees in gender and number with the object.

For translations of which as a determiner in relative clauses see B2 in the entry which.

Big English-French dictionary. 2003.