à qui
In French, the phrase for the English relative pronoun 'whose' is à qui.
The phrase à qui is used in questions to ask about possession or belonging, such as when asking 'Whose is this?' or 'Whose turn is it?'
Meaning: (relative) that or those of whom or belonging to whom (pron)
Which one should you use?
While à qui is used to ask a question about possession, the French relative pronoun used to mean 'of whom' or 'whose' within a relative clause is typically dont.
Did you know?
- The word qui in the phrase à qui is thought by some linguists to be onomatopoeic, meaning it may have originated from a specific sound rather than a formal root.
- The preposition à in the phrase à qui indicates that possession is viewed as something belonging 'to' someone, rather than 'of' someone.
- While à qui is used for people, French uses the word dont to mean 'whose' for both people and inanimate objects.
Examples in context
- C’est à qui ?Whose go is it?This sentence shows an informal way to ask whose go it is using à qui.Tatoeba #4320229 by gillux, translation #40380 by sundown
- À qui est-ce ?Whose is this?Tatoeba #4151 by TRANG, translation #2302 by CK
- À qui le tour ?Whose turn is it next?Tatoeba #6031 by zmoo, translation #54805 by CK
- À qui est ce livre ?Whose book is this?
- Voici l'homme dont la voiture est garée dans mon allée.Here is the man whose car is parked in my driveway.
- C'est à qui cette jolie maison ?Whose lovely house is this?
- De qui est cette voiture ?Whose car is this?
- 198 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Chloé and Nathan are cleaning up after a party.
- ChloéL'homme à qui appartient ce sac est parti.The man whose bag this is has left.
- NathanTu penses que c'est le sac de Marc ?Do you think it is Marc's bag?
- ChloéOui, c'est sûrement lui.Yes, it is surely him.
- NathanJe vais le mettre de côté alors.I will set it aside then.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries qui, à, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
