A2 · Subordinate clauses
Relative pronouns: que, quem
The same word introduces « that he came » and « the man that came ».
At a glance
- Remember
- que is always there and never changes.
- Form
- o homem que vithe man I saw
- Signal words
- que
- quem
- o qual
- de que
- Trap
- Wrong:O livro me deste é bom.Right:O livro que me deste é bom.
Your turn
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The form
The forms and what they mean
Each row gives the meaning first, then the form in Portuguese.
| the man I saw | o homem que vi |
| the house we bought | a casa que comprámos |
| I know you are coming | sei que vens |
| with whom I spoke | com quem falei |
| of whom I told you | de quem te falei |
| the subject we spoke about | o assunto de que falámos |
The rules one by one
The form this topic is aboutThe word that calls for it
que covers people and things, all genders, all numbers.
O livro que me deste é bom.The book you gave me is good.
The same word introduces the « that » clause.
Sei que ele chega hoje.I know he is arriving today.
After a preposition, people take quem.
A pessoa com quem falei era simpática.The person I spoke to was nice.
que is never left out in Portuguese.
Acho que sim.I think so.
Example sentences
A rapariga que mora ao lado é médica.The young woman who lives next door is a doctor.
Disse-me que ia chegar tarde.He told me he would be late.
O amigo de quem te falei chega amanhã.The friend I told you about arrives tomorrow.
Não sei o que fazer.I do not know what to do.
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
In English the relative pronoun may be dropped — « the book you gave me ». In Portuguese never. O livro me deste is not a sentence; que is always there. This is the single commonest structural mistake an English speaker makes here, because the omission is invisible from the inside.
The full explanation
Read it all · about 1 min
Que stands for people and for things, singular and plural, masculine and feminine: o homem que vi, a casa que comprámos, os livros que li.
It also introduces the « that » clause: sei que vens. The same word, two jobs — and English keeps them apart. Your « that » in « I know that you are coming » is a conjunction and cannot be replaced by « which »; the « that » in « the book that you gave me » is a relative pronoun and can. Here there is nothing to keep apart: one word covers both, and it never changes shape.
After a preposition, and only there, people take quem: a pessoa com quem falei, o amigo de quem te falei. Note also that the preposition goes to the front — English strands it at the end (« the person I spoke to ») and Portuguese cannot.
For things after a short preposition it is que — o assunto de que falámos — or the more written o qual with the article: o assunto do qual falámos.
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