Où can mean where AND when (French Relative Pronouns)

In French, the relative pronoun  can have two different meanings.

Learn about the relative pronoun où in French

Look at these straightforward examples of  as a relative pronoun:

La maison  j'ai grandi a été démolie.The house where I grew up has been demolished.

La ville il habite a beaucoup de charme.The town where he lives is very charming.

Here  simply means where and introduces an action taking place in a previously mentioned location.

See also Dans lequel/laquelle : alternative to où with places (French Relative Pronouns)

 

Now look at these sentences using  in a different context:

Le jour  il a gagné le match.The day (when/that) he won the game.

La semaine ils sont restés à l’hôtel s’est vite terminée.The week (in which) they stayed at the hotel went quickly.

L’époque il vivait était dangereuse.The era (in which) he lived was dangerous.
The era he lived in was dangerous.

In sentences where the relative pronoun introduces actions taking place during a previously mentioned time frame, you will also use  to express when or that/in which.

This can lead to completely different ways to express things than in English:

Le jour  j'ai eu vingt ans...The day (when/that) I turned twenty...

Note that you cannot omit the  the way you can the when/that/which in English.

You can never use quand  or  que in this context!

ATTENTION: 

When used in a question,  always means where? and quand always means when?

vas-tu ce weekend ?Where are you going this weekend?

Quand vous êtes-vous rencontrés ?When did you meet?

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Learn more about these related French grammar topics

Examples and resources

Quand vous êtes-vous rencontrés ?When did you meet?
C'est l'heure tout est sage,
Et l'ombre danse au coin du feu.
It's the time when everyone is good,
And the shadow dances near the fire.
Le jour  j'ai eu vingt ans...The day (when/that) I turned twenty...
La semaine ils sont restés à l’hôtel s’est vite terminée.The week (in which) they stayed at the hotel went quickly.
L’époque il vivait était dangereuse.The era (in which) he lived was dangerous.
The era he lived in was dangerous.
Le jour  il a gagné le match.The day (when/that) he won the game.
La ville il habite a beaucoup de charme.The town where he lives is very charming.
La maison  j'ai grandi a été démolie.The house where I grew up has been demolished.
vas-tu ce weekend ?Where are you going this weekend?
Thinking...