The difference between dont, donc, don and d'on

17 oct. 2017 11:21 - language-swap

Niveau intermédiaire plus

All of these words are French homophones but DO NOT have the same meaning.

The word “donc” (so, therefore) is a coordination conjunction that indicates the consequence.
Example:
Je ne sais pas de quoi nous parlons, donc je me tais.

“Dont” (whose, that) is a relative pronoun. It refers to a nominal group or a noun preceded by the preposition “de”.
Example:
Le livre dont je te parle est passionnant. → Je te parle de ce livre.

The word “don” (a gift), is a noun that comes from the verb “donner” (to give).
Example:
Le peintre a fait don de son tableau a une association.

While the word “d'on” is a contraction of the preposition “de” and the pronoun “on”. It is very rare.
Example:
Il parle d'on ne sait quoi.