Quiconque
French Indefinite Pronoun
Quiconque is a formal French word, found mainly in formal registers such as law and other
administrative jargons. Quiconque can be an indefinite relative pronoun or an indefinite pronoun.
| Quiconque as an indefinite relative pronoun | ||
As an indefinite relative pronoun, quiconque is more or less equivalent to celui
qui. The
difference is that quiconque has no antecedent, so it stresses the
anonymity/universality of the phrase,
whereas celui qui tends to refer back to an antecedent, either stated or
implied. Quiconque means whoever or anyone who,
while
celui qui means the one who. |
||
| Quiconque a tué sera jugé. | Whoever has killed will be judged. | |
| « Quiconque a beaucoup vu /
Peut avoir beaucoup retenu ». (Jean de La Fontaine) |
"Anyone who has seen a lot / May have remembered a lot." | |
| Ils tuèrent quiconque ils virent. | They killed whoever they saw. | |
| « J'appelle bourgeois quiconque pense bassement ». (Gustave Flaubert) |
"I call 'bourgeois' anyone who thinks lowly." | |
| Il conseillerait à quiconque de faire la même chose. | He would advise anyone to do the same thing. | |
| Vous répondrez aux questions de quiconque les pose. | You will answer the questions of anyone who asks. | |
| Quiconque as an indefinite pronoun | ||
As an indefinite pronoun, quiconque is a formal equivalent to n'importe
qui or, when used with ne, personne. |
||
| Quiconque peut assister à la conférence. | Anyone can attend the conference. | |
| Vous êtes mieux que quiconque à cette école. | You're better than anyone at this school. | |
| Je le ferais pour quiconque. | I'd do it for anyone. | |
|
Nous ne permîmes à quiconque de partir avant la fin. |
We didn't permit anyone to leave before the end. | |
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