C’est un livre dont l’importance est indiscutable.
It’s a book whose importance is undeniable.
Cette loi, dont on parle beaucoup dans les médias, est quelque peu révolutionnaire.
This law, which the media have been talking about a lot, is nothing short of revolutionary.
Ces idées dont ils se moquent maintenant étaient les siennes il y a cinq ans.
These ideas he mocks now were his five years ago.
Les enfants dont elle s’occupe sont ceux de sa soeur.
The children she looks after are her sister’s.
Les douleurs dont elle souffre l’empêche de sortir.
The pains she suffers from prevent her from going out.
Note
Note that dont is not used when it is part
of a longer phrase containing another
preposition
, such as à
côtédeqch:
La femme à
côté de qui j'étais assise ...
[and not *à côté dont j'étais assise ... ]
The woman next to whom I was sitting ...
2 The structure of dont
clauses
2.1Dont first word of clause
Dont is always the first
word of the
relative clause
. This contrasts with the English ofwhich used to express possession, which is preceded
by the thing possessed:
La société dont le nom m'échappe
pour le moment ...
The company the name of which
escapes me for the moment ...
C’est un livre dont l’importance est indiscutable.
It’s a book whose importance is undeniable.
Cette loi, dont on parle beaucoup dans les médias, est quelque peu révolutionnaire.
This law, which the media have been talking about a lot, is nothing short of revolutionary.
Ces idées dont ils se moquent maintenant étaient les siennes il y a cinq ans.
These ideas he mocks now were his five years ago.
Les enfants dont elle s’occupe sont ceux de sa soeur.
The children she looks after are her sister’s.
Les douleurs dont elle souffre l’empêche de sortir.
The pains she suffers from prevent her from going out.
2.2 Used with le, la rather than son, sa
The
nouns
with which dont is used to indicate possession
are always preceded by le,
la or les, whilst in equivalent
English clauses involving whose no
article
is
used. English learners of French often wrongly add a
possessive adjective
:
La femme dont
le nom
m'échappe pour le moment ...
[and not * dont son nom
m'échappe pour le moment] ...
The woman whose name escapes me for the moment ...
