auxquelles

Auxquelles is a French relative pronoun form used to introduce a relative clause and refer to a feminine plural antecedent that is linked to the preposition à. It is the contracted combination of à + lesquelles, making it the feminine plural counterpart of leurs counterparts like auxquels, lesquelles, and lesquelles in other gender-number combinations.

Usage and form

Auxquelles functions like other relative pronouns: it introduces information about a noun mentioned earlier in the sentence. The choice of form depends on the antecedent’s gender and number and on the preposition governing the clause. When the antecedent is a feminine plural noun and the relative clause uses the preposition à, one can use either the two-word form à lesquelles or the contracted form auxquelles, depending on style and preference. The two forms are generally interchangeable in meaning, with the contracted form often appearing in more formal or literary writing.

Examples

- Les femmes auxquelles nous avons pensé.

- Les questions auxquelles nous faisons référence.

- Les villes auxquelles il a pensé.

In practice, many editors and guides note that à auxquelles and auxquelles convey the same relationship; the choice may reflect regional or stylistic preferences. Note that other prepositions lead to different forms: desquelles (de + lesquelles) for de, auxquelles or auxquelles after différentes prepositions, and so on.

Relation to other forms

Auxquelles is part of a set that includes lesquels, lesquelles, auquel, à laquelle, auxquels, auxquelles, and desquelles, depending on the gender, number, and governing preposition. The relative pronouns replace longer phrases like “à lesquelles” or “à les lesquelles” and maintain the same referential function in a subordinate clause.

See also

Relative pronouns in French; lequel, laquelle, lesquels, lesquelles; dont; où.