Lequel

[Pads]

Im doing an exercise using Lequel/ laquelle,,,,

After read up on this subject it says at the end that the word lequel is not translated in to english , giving the example:

Le garçon avec lequel elle est sortie = the boy she went out with .... instead of :the boy which she went out with

Now the sentance I working on is :

Lequel de ces deux hommes est votre ami ? = which of the 2 men is your friend ? How do I say this with out using which ?[8-)]

 

[Clarkkent]

I don't think that you can say it in normal everyday English without saying "which". If your native language is English you have a far better knowledge of its everyday use than any foreign-born textbook author.

One of the joys of English is its refusal to be straight-jacketed into a set of absolute grammatical and usage rules.

[DerekJ]

My understanding is that Lequel is often not translated in English.  Not never translated.

[Helen]

I'm not an English teacher although I did alot of grammar work some 30 years ago, mainly as a result of studying Latin.  So I probably can't explain it very well but I'll give it a try!

The technically correct translation of Le garcon avec lequel elle est sortie would be 'The boy with whom she went out'.  'Whom' is a relative pronoun for a person, equivalent to 'which' for an object.  We wouldn't normally talk like that in English because conversational english is more informal. 

In the second example Lequel is an interrogative pronoun - ie asking a question - and you can't avoid it, nor do you need to.

Hope I've got it right - if not, I'm sure some else will correct me!

[cassis]

You get my vote. [:)]

[Pads]

Thanks everyone for your help  [:)]   

[Frenchie]

[quote user="Helen"]

The technically correct translation of Le garcon avec lequel elle est sortie would be 'The boy with whom she went out'.  'Whom' is a relative pronoun for a person, equivalent to 'which' for an object.  We wouldn't normally talk like that in English because conversational english is more informal. 

[/quote]

I would sometimes  use that ... [:(]

But hey, I'm French..