Relative clauses: que, quien, donde

B1

Grammar path · Lesson 56 of 86 · Stage B1 · Complex sentences

Relative clauses let you join two ideas into one sentence by describing a noun: el libro que leo means 'the book I'm reading'. The workhorse is que. It works for people and things, and it can never be dropped, unlike English 'that'. Use quien (plural quienes) only for people, mostly after a comma or after a preposition. Use donde for places: la ciudad donde vivo. The most common mistake is using quien where Spanish wants que: say el chico que vino, not 'el chico quien vino'.

Practise this lesson · 10 sentences

Form

With que (people or things)sustantivo + que + verbo
Tengo un amigo que habla japonés.I have a friend who speaks Japanese.
With quien (people, extra information)persona + , quien + verbo + ,
Mi hermana, quien vive en Lima, es médica.My sister, who lives in Lima, is a doctor.
With donde (places)lugar + donde + verbo
Esta es la escuela donde estudié.This is the school where I studied.
Question¿... + sustantivo + que + verbo?
¿Dónde está el libro que compraste?Where is the book you bought?

When to use it

Identifying which person or thing

Put que right after the noun, with no comma, to pin down which person or thing you mean. This is by far the most common use.

El chico que está allí es mi primo.The boy who is over there is my cousin.
La casa que compramos tiene jardín.The house we bought has a garden.

Adding extra information about a person

When the clause only adds extra information and sits between commas, you can use quien for a person. In everyday speech, que also works here.

Mi profesora, quien es de Bogotá, habla muy rápido.My teacher, who is from Bogotá, speaks very fast.
Hablé con Ana, quien me dio la noticia.I spoke with Ana, who gave me the news.

Talking about places

After a noun for a place, use donde to say what happens there. It works like 'where' in English.

Este es el restaurante donde cenamos ayer.This is the restaurant where we had dinner yesterday.
Busco un lugar donde pueda estudiar tranquilo.I'm looking for a place where I can study in peace.

Signal words

quequienquienesdonde

Don't confuse it with

Relative clauses with prepositions: en el que, con quien

Check whether the verb in the clause needs a preposition. If it doesn't, use plain que, quien or donde as on this page: la chica que conocí. If the verb takes a preposition, like hablar con or pensar en, the preposition must come before the relative word: la chica con quien hablé. For places, donde can usually replace en el que.

Frequently asked questions

Can I drop que like 'that' in English?

No. In Spanish que is always required: el libro que leo, never 'el libro leo'.

When do I use quien instead of que for people?

Use quien after a comma or after a preposition: mi tío, quien vive aquí. With no comma, use que: el hombre que vive aquí.

What is the difference between quien and quienes?

quien refers to one person and quienes to several: mis padres, quienes viven en Quito.

For places, should I use donde or en el que?

Both are correct and mean the same: la ciudad donde vivo or la ciudad en la que vivo. donde is more common in speech.

Does relative que take an accent like qué?

No. Accented qué is only for questions and exclamations. The relatives que, quien and donde are written without an accent.

More in Sentences and connectors

Question words: qué, dónde, cuándo…A1Negation: no, nunca, nada, nadieA1Real conditions: si + presentB1Reported speech: dice que…B1Linking words: pero, sin embargo, por esoB1Unreal conditions: si + imperfect subjunctiveB2Past unreal conditions: si hubiera…B2Reported speech in the past: dijo que…B2Relative clauses with prepositions: en el que, con quienB2Cause and concession: como, ya que, a pesar de queB2Sequence of tensesC1Other conditional forms: a no ser que, de + infinitive, con tal de queC1Result and purpose: de modo que, a fin de queC1
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