How to Teach the French Relative Pronoun DONT – A French Teacher’s Guide
Of all the French relative pronouns, dont is one that I find students have the hardest time using. The biggest challenge isn’t really understanding the word itself. It’s knowing which verbs and expressions are followed by de.
That’s why I don’t start by asking students to memorize a definition of dont. I start with something much more concrete. Look for DE.
In this lesson, I show students how dont replaces de + a person or thing when we want to connect two parts of a sentence and avoid repeating the same person or thing.
French Relative Pronouns Qui, Que, Où, Dont – Foldable Lesson Handout Book
French Relative Pronoun DONT | Lesson, Practice & Speaking Activities
Start with the Purpose of a Relative Pronoun
I first remind students why we use relative pronouns in the first place.
Relative pronouns allow us to connect two parts of a sentence and avoid unnecessary repetition.
French has several relative pronouns, including dont, lequel, où, que, and qui. In this lesson, I focus specifically on dont because it is often the trickiest one to use.
I want students to see dont as a solution to repetition rather than as an isolated vocabulary word they have to memorize.
Start by Looking for DE
This is the most important step I teach.
Look for the preposition DE.
I give students two sentences that repeat the same person or thing.
For example:
Voici mon ami.
Here is my friend.
Je te parlais de mon ami.
I was talking to you about my friend.
We don’t want to repeat mon ami.
So we combine the two sentences:
Voici mon ami dont je te parlais.
The English translation can be:
Here’s my friend who I was talking to you about.
Or, more literally:
Here’s my friend of whom I was speaking.
I don’t want students to get hung up on the English translation. The important thing is what happened in French:
de mon ami → dont
Explain That DE Is Essential
This is a point I emphasize because students are often tempted to simply get rid of de.
I explain that de is essential. We can’t just remove it because we are connecting two clauses.
Instead, we replace de + the repeated person or thing with dont.
So:
Je te parlais de mon ami.
becomes:
Voici mon ami dont je te parlais.
The de hasn’t disappeared randomly. It has been replaced by dont.
This is the idea I want students to recognize every time they see dont.
Compare DONT with EN
I also make a connection with the pronoun en, because students may already know that en can replace de + a person or thing.
For example:
Je te parlais de mon ami.
can become:
Je t’en parlais.
I was talking to you about him.
But there’s an important difference.
EN can replace DE + a person or thing within a sentence.
DONT connects two clauses.
So students can see:
Je te parlais de mon ami.
Je t’en parlais.
But when we want to connect the two sentences:
Voici mon ami dont je te parlais.
I find this comparison especially useful because it shows students that dont isn’t simply another version of en. They have different jobs.
Use a Thing Instead of a Person
Once students understand the pattern with a person, I move on to a thing.
For example:
C’est un joli jardin.
This is a pretty garden.
Je m’occupe de ce joli jardin.
I take care of this pretty garden.
Again, we are repeating joli jardin.
So we combine the sentences:
C’est le joli jardin dont je m’occupe.
This is the garden that I take care of.
The structure is:
de ce joli jardin → dont
And again, I remind students that de is essential in the original expression:
s’occuper de
We aren’t just choosing dont because we’re talking about a garden. We’re using dont because the verb s’occuper de requires de.
Show Students Why the Context Matters
I like to give students examples where using two separate sentences is technically possible but doesn’t communicate the same thing as naturally.
For example:
C’est une robe.
This is a dress.
Je n’aime pas la couleur de cette robe.
I don’t like the color of this dress.
We can simply say:
Je n’aime pas la couleur de cette robe.
But imagine someone has just asked:
Tiens, c’est quoi cette robe ? Je ne l’ai jamais vue.
Hey, what’s this dress? I’ve never seen it.
Now we want to identify the dress while giving additional information about it.
We can say:
Ah, c’est une robe dont je n’aime pas trop la couleur.
It’s a dress whose color I don’t really like.
Here, dont lets us connect the information about the dress naturally.
This is a good example to show students that relative pronouns aren’t just grammar exercises. They help us combine information and avoid repetitive sentences.
Teach DONT with Avoir Besoin de
Once students understand the basic idea, I start giving them common verbs and expressions followed by de.
One of the most useful is:
avoir besoin de
to need
For example:
Ce sont des ingrédients.
These are ingredients.
J’ai besoin d’ingrédients.
I need ingredients.
Combine them:
Ce sont les ingrédients dont j’ai besoin.
These are the ingredients that I need.
I point out that students shouldn’t simply memorize dont = that. They should recognize:
avoir besoin de → dont
That connection will help them use dont correctly when they encounter it later.
Add Rêver de and Parler de
I then introduce a couple of other very common expressions.
rêver de
to dream about
For example:
Ce sont des chaussures.
These are shoes.
Je rêve de ces chaussures !
I’m dreaming about these shoes!
Combine them:
Ce sont les chaussures dont je rêve !
These are the shoes that I’m dreaming about.
Another useful expression is:
parler de
to talk about
For example:
C’est un moment difficile.
It’s a difficult time.
Je ne parle jamais de ce moment difficile.
I never talk about this difficult time.
Combine them:
C’est un moment difficile dont je ne parle jamais.
It’s a difficult time that I never talk about.
Again, the important part is recognizing de after the verb.
Add Avoir Peur de
I also use:
avoir peur de
to be afraid of
For example:
C’est un gros rat.
It’s a big rat.
J’ai peur de ce gros rat.
I’m afraid of this big rat.
Combine them:
C’est le gros rat dont j’ai peur.
That’s the big rat that I’m afraid of.
This is another good example because students can clearly see de ce gros rat in the original sentence.
Practice S’occuper de
We’ve already seen this expression, but I like to practice it again because it’s a very useful example of the basic pattern.
s’occuper de
to take care of
C’est un petit garçon.
That’s a little boy.
Je m’occupe de ce petit garçon.
I take care of this little boy.
Becomes:
C’est un petit garçon dont je m’occupe.
That’s a little boy that I take care of.
Students can now start to see that dont is not tied to one particular kind of sentence. It works with people and things whenever the original construction contains de.
Add Se Souvenir de
Another useful expression is:
se souvenir de
to remember
For example:
C’était un voyage.
It was a trip.
Je me souviendrai toujours de ce voyage.
I will always remember this trip.
Combine them:
C’était un voyage dont je me souviendrai toujours.
That was a trip that I will always remember.
This is a particularly nice example because the verb is in the future, showing students that the dont construction isn’t limited to the present tense.
Practice Avoir l’Habitude de
I also use:
avoir l’habitude de
to be used to
For example:
C’est un vieil ordi.
It’s an old computer.
Je n’ai plus l’habitude de cet ordi.
I’m not used to this computer anymore.
Combine them:
C’est un ordi dont je n’ai plus l’habitude.
It’s a computer that I’m not used to anymore.
Again, I have students look for de in the original sentence.
Introduce More Expressions Followed by DE
Once students have the basic idea, I give them several more expressions so they can start recognizing the pattern in different contexts.
Some of the examples I use are:
se méfier de
to beware of / distrust
se moquer de
to make fun of
se rendre compte de
to become aware of
se servir de
to use
For example:
C’est une personne dont il faut se méfier.
This is a person to beware of.
C’est un homme politique dont tout le monde se moque.
He’s a politician that everyone makes fun of.
C’est une erreur dont je me suis rendu(e) compte.
It’s a mistake that I became aware of.
And:
C’est un couteau dont je me sers tous les jours.
This is a knife that I use every day.
These examples are useful because students begin to see that the real challenge with dont is often not the relative pronoun itself. It’s recognizing the expressions that require de.
Make the Main Pattern Very Clear
At this point, I bring students back to the basic pattern:
DE + PERSON OR THING → DONT
I have them start with two sentences.
Voici mon ami.
Je te parlais de mon ami.
Then they identify the repeated person:
mon ami
And the de:
de mon ami
Then they replace the whole de + repeated noun with dont:
Voici mon ami dont je te parlais.
This gives them a process they can repeat with new examples.
Have Students Find DE Before They Choose DONT
When students are practicing, I don’t want them to guess based on the English translation.
Instead, I have them ask:
What verb or expression am I using?
Does it use DE?
Am I connecting two clauses and replacing the person or thing that follows DE?
If the answer is yes, dont is the relative pronoun they need.
This is much more reliable than trying to remember whether dont means who, which, that, whose, or of whom in English.
Practice by Combining Sentences
Once students have practiced the individual expressions, I have them combine two sentences.
For example:
C’est un livre.
Je parle de ce livre.
→ C’est un livre dont je parle.
Or:
C’est une personne.
Je me méfie de cette personne.
→ C’est une personne dont je me méfie.
Or:
Ce sont des ingrédients.
J’ai besoin de ces ingrédients.
→ Ce sont les ingrédients dont j’ai besoin.
The repetition makes the pattern much easier to recognize.
Bring Back the Connection with EN
At the end of the lesson, I return to the comparison with en.
Students have already seen:
Je m’occupe de ce jardin.
→ Je m’en occupe.
But when we want to connect that information to the noun:
C’est le jardin dont je m’occupe.
I explain that both constructions start with de, but they serve different purposes.
EN replaces de + person or thing.
DONT replaces de + person or thing when we are connecting two clauses with a relative pronoun.
This distinction helps students understand why they can’t simply use en when they need dont.
Give Students Plenty of Practice with Common DE Expressions
I find that the best way to make dont stick is to practice it with the verbs and expressions students are likely to encounter.
The hardest part is knowing which verbs are followed by de, so I don’t expect students to master every possible expression in one lesson.
Instead, I want them to develop the habit of noticing de.
Once they recognize:
avoir besoin de
parler de
rêver de
avoir peur de
s’occuper de
se souvenir de
avoir l’habitude de
se méfier de
se moquer de
se rendre compte de
se servir de
they have a much easier time understanding why dont appears in the relative clause.
Ready to Practice French Relative Pronouns?
If you’re ready to give your students more practice with qui, que, où, and dont, here are my ready-to-use resources for this topic.
French Relative Pronoun DONT | Lesson, Practice & Speaking Activities
French Relative Pronouns QUI – QUE – OÙ – DONT Bundle
French Relative Pronouns Qui, Que, Où, Dont – Foldable Lesson Handout Book
French Relative Pronouns Qui, Que, Où, Dont – PowerPoint Jeopardy Game
French Relative Pronouns QUE – QUI – OÙ – DONT – French Grammar Activity #1
French Relative Pronouns QUE QUI OÙ DONT – French Grammar Activity #2
