à qui
whose
The French translation for 'whose' is 'à qui'. It is a possessive pronoun used in questions. It can be used in both formal and informal situations in French. For example, 'à qui est cette voiture?' translates to 'whose car is this?'. Thus, it serves the same purpose as 'whose' in English but follows a slightly different structure in sentences.
Example sentences using: à qui
À qui avez-vous parlé hier?
Who did you speak to yesterday?
This sentence uses 'à qui' to ask about the person that was spoken to in the past.
À qui appartient ce livre?
Who does this book belong to?
This phrase is asking to whom the book belongs. 'À qui' means 'to whom' in English, and is often used to ask who something belongs to.
À qui tu penses?
Who are you thinking of?
The phrase is asking about the person the listener is thinking of. In this context, 'à qui' is translated as 'of whom'.
À qui avons-nous l'honneur?
To whom do we have the honor?
It is a formal way of asking who someone is, mostly used in a formal context when first meeting someone.
À qui s'adresse ce message?
To whom is this message addressed?
This phrase is asking about the recipient of a message. 'À qui' is initiating a question about the intended receiver of a communication.
À qui dois-je rendre ce document?
To whom should I return this document?
This phrase questions about the person to whom the speaker should return a document. 'À qui' is used to inquire about the person involved in the document exchange.
Je ne sais pas à qui faire confiance.
I don't know who to trust.
In this case, 'à qui' means 'whom' and is used in a statement expressing uncertainty about trust.
À qui cela peut-il bien appartenir?
To whom can this possibly belong?
This phrase is a more formal or emphatic way to ask to whom something might belong, using 'à qui' to raise the question.
À qui va cet argent?
Who does this money go to?
Here, 'à qui' is being used to ask about the recipient of the money. It's a way to inquire about the cash flow.
Je me demande à qui cette veste peut bien appartenir.
I wonder to whom this jacket could belong.
In this case, the speaker is wondering to whom the jacket belongs. It is a more complex sentence structure but still uses 'à qui' to initiate a question about ownership of an item.