What is the difference between quel and lequel?
quel, quelle, quels, quelles = adjectives = what; what sort of; which; what a (in an exclamation = quelle belle ville! = what a beautiful city) OR the interrogative adjective = what (quel st le but = what is the purpose) OR the indefinite adjective = whoever (quel que soit l'homme = whoever the man may be; whatever (quelles que soient les difficultés = whatver/whichever difficulties there may be)
lequel, laquelle, lesquels, lesquelles (auquel, etc. with à and duquel, etc. with de) = relative pronoun = who, whom; which, which one
the forms combined with "de" and used as relative pronouns sometimes mean "whose" as in "l'étudiant avec la soeur duquel j'ai dansé = the student with whose sister I danced.
Good question! As you can see it has to do with the part of speech.
Mme
The difference between "quel" and "lequel" lies in their usage and the context in which they are used.
1. "Quel" is an interrogative adjective that means "which" or "what." It is used to ask questions about the identity or characteristics of something among a group of options. For example, "Quel livre préférez-vous?" (Which book do you prefer?) or "Quelle est ta couleur préférée?" (What is your favorite color?). To find the answer, you need to determine the specific option or characteristic being referred to from the given choices or context.
2. "Lequel" is a pronoun that also means "which" or "what." However, it is used when referring to a specific item or option from a previously mentioned group. For example, "Parmi ces chocolats, lequel préférez-vous?" (Among these chocolates, which one do you prefer?). In this case, "lequel" replaces the noun (chocolat) and represents a particular option from the group. To answer the question, you need to identify the specific item being referred to by considering the context or the options mentioned earlier.
In short, "quel" is an interrogative adjective used to ask about options or characteristics in general, while "lequel" is a pronoun used to refer to a specific item from a given group of options.