SEMAINE 23 – JOUR 1 Relative Clauses (Who, Which, That, Where, Whose)
INTRODUCTION
OBJECTIF DE LA LEÇON
À la fin de cette leçon, tu seras capable de :
✅ relier deux phrases
✅ éviter les répétitions
✅ donner plus d’informations sur une personne, un lieu ou une chose
✅ écrire des phrases plus naturelles et plus professionnelles
Observe :
Phrase 1
The man is my teacher.
He lives next door.
❌ Deux phrases séparées
Phrase améliorée
✅ The man who lives next door is my teacher.
Autre exemple :
The book is interesting.
I bought it yesterday.
✅ The book which I bought yesterday is interesting.
LISTENING DU JOUR
COURS DU JOUR
Mon Coach Pro · Grammaire B1–B2
Relative Clauses
Who · Which · That · Where · Whose
A relative clause is a group of words that gives more information about a noun. It comes directly after the noun it describes.
Structure : Noun + Relative Pronoun (who / which / that / where / whose) + rest of clause
The man who lives next door is a teacher.
L'homme qui habite à côté est enseignant.
| Pronoun | Used for | Example |
|---|---|---|
| WHO | People (subject or object) | The student who passed the exam is brilliant. |
| WHICH | Things / Animals | The book which I bought is very useful. |
| THAT | People OR Things (defining) | The car that he drives is expensive. |
| WHERE | Places | The school where I studied is famous. |
| WHOSE | Possession (people/things) | The girl whose bag was stolen cried. |
Use who to refer to a person (subject or object of the relative clause).
Formula: Person + who + verb + …
The doctor who treated me was very kind.
Le médecin qui m'a soigné était très gentil.
Students who study hard always succeed.
Les élèves qui travaillent dur réussissent toujours.
The girl who I met yesterday is from Abidjan.
La fille que j'ai rencontrée hier vient d'Abidjan.
💡 Tip: In informal speech, who can replace whom:
→ The man who she loves (= whom she loves).
→ The man who she loves (= whom she loves).
Use which to give information about a thing or an animal.
Formula: Thing/Animal + which + verb + …
The phone which I bought last week broke already.
Le téléphone que j'ai acheté la semaine dernière est déjà cassé.
The letter which arrived this morning is from the school.
La lettre arrivée ce matin vient de l'école.
The cat which sleeps all day belongs to my neighbour.
Le chat qui dort toute la journée appartient à mon voisin.
💡 Non-defining use: Which (with a comma) adds extra info — the sentence still makes sense without it.
→ My car, which is quite old, still runs perfectly.
→ My car, which is quite old, still runs perfectly.
That can replace who or which in defining relative clauses.
Formula: Noun (person/thing) + that + verb + …
The student that scored 100% received a prize.
L'élève qui a eu 100% a reçu un prix.
The only thing that matters is your effort.
La seule chose qui compte, c'est ton effort.
Is there anything that I can do to help?
Y a-t-il quelque chose que je peux faire pour t'aider ?
⚠️ Important: Never use that in non-defining clauses (with commas).
My sister, that lives in Bouaké, is a nurse. ✔ My sister, who lives in Bouaké, is a nurse.
My sister, that lives in Bouaké, is a nurse. ✔ My sister, who lives in Bouaké, is a nurse.
Use where to describe a place.
Formula: Place + where + subject + verb + …
The village where I was born is very small.
Le village où je suis né est très petit.
That is the restaurant where we celebrated.
C'est le restaurant où nous avons fêté.
She moved to Paris, where she found a good job.
Elle a déménagé à Paris, où elle a trouvé un bon travail.
Use whose to show possession. It replaces his / her / their / its.
Formula: Noun + whose + noun + verb + …
The boy whose father is a minister studies in France.
Le garçon dont le père est ministre étudie en France.
The company whose products are sold worldwide is based here.
La société dont les produits sont vendus dans le monde entier est basée ici.
I know a teacher whose lessons are never boring.
Je connais un enseignant dont les cours ne sont jamais ennuyeux.
💡 Tip: Whose works for people and things.
→ The house whose roof was damaged was repaired last week.
→ The house whose roof was damaged was repaired last week.
| Defining | Non-Defining | |
|---|---|---|
| Role | Essential — identifies the noun | Extra info — not essential |
| Commas | No commas | Commas used |
| That | ✔ Allowed | ✘ Not allowed |
| Example | The man who called you is here. | Mr Koffi, who is 60, retired. |
The teacher which taught us English left.
✔ The teacher who taught us English left.
→ Use who for people, not which.
The city where I live there is big.
✔ The city where I live is big.
→ Don't add "there" — where already replaces it.
The man which car was stolen called the police.
✔ The man whose car was stolen called the police.
→ Use whose for possession.
🎓
Coach Assoa vous conseille :
Posez-vous toujours deux questions :
① De quoi parle-t-on ? → personne : who · chose : which/that · lieu : where · possession : whose
② L'info est-elle essentielle ? → Si oui, pas de virgule. Si non, virgules + pas de that.
Créez vos propres phrases sur votre quartier, votre famille, votre école. C'est ainsi qu'on intègre la grammaire pour de vrai !
EXERCICE D'APPLICATION
📝 Quiz — Relative Clauses
Testez vos connaissances sur Who, Which, That, Where, Whose
- ❓ 10 questions
- ⏱️ 15 minutes
- ✅ Correction immédiate après chaque réponse
- 🎓 Résultats détaillés à la fin
🎓 Relative Clauses — Mon Coach Pro
15:00
QUESTION 1 / 10