Lequel, laquelle, lesquels, lesquelles: which one in French

Use lequel, laquelle, lesquels, lesquelles when you mean “which one(s)” and the noun is not repeated. The form agrees with the noun you have in mind: lequel for masculine singular, laquelle for feminine singular, lesquels for masculine plural, and lesquelles for feminine plural.

Lequel replaces a noun

Quel goes before a noun; lequel replaces the noun.

Quel livre veux-tu ?
Which book do you want?

Lequel veux-tu ?
Which one do you want?

That is the core difference. If the noun is still present, use quel. If the noun is understood and omitted, use lequel.

Agreement still matters

The hidden noun controls the form.

Je cherche une adresse. Laquelle ?
I’m looking for an address. Which one?

J’aime ces deux hôtels. Lesquels préfères-tu ?
I like these two hotels. Which ones do you prefer?

Even if English stays with “which one”, French changes the form.

With à and de: auquel, duquel

With à and de, some forms contract:

Auquel penses-tu ?
Which one are you thinking of?

Do not try to master every formal use at once. For A2/B1, the high-value skill is knowing that à + lequel becomes auquel and de + lequel becomes duquel.

Common mistakes

Using lequel before a noun

If the noun is present, use quel, not lequel.

Lequel train prends-tu ? → Quel train prends-tu ?
Which train are you taking?

Using lequel for every gender

Lequel is only masculine singular.

Lequel robe préfères-tu ? → Laquelle préfères-tu ?
Which dress do you prefer?

Forgetting contractions

À lequel and de lequel contract.

À lequel tu penses ? → Auquel tu penses ?
Which one are you thinking of?

Start with quel, quelle, quels and quelles if you need the adjective forms first. Fluera then gives you short follow-up questions where the noun disappears, so quel livre ? and lequel ? become two linked moves. Try it when you practice French.

Practice