Relative Pronouns in Portuguese Grammar

Introduction

Relative pronouns are essential tools in Portuguese grammar that help you create more sophisticated and natural-sounding sentences. These connecting words allow you to link ideas, avoid repetition, and express complex thoughts with elegance. Whether you’re describing a person you met, talking about a place you visited, or explaining something you learned, relative pronouns make your Portuguese flow smoothly and sound more native-like.

Understanding Relative Pronouns in Portuguese

Relative pronouns serve as bridges between two clauses within a sentence, allowing you to provide additional information about a noun without starting a completely new sentence. In English, words like who, which, that, whose, and where function as relative pronouns. Portuguese has its own set of these connectors, and understanding how to use them correctly will significantly enhance your communication skills.

The main relative pronouns in Portuguese are que, quem, o qual (and its variations), cujo (and its variations), and onde. Each serves a specific purpose and follows particular rules that we’ll explore in detail throughout this article.

Que: The Most Common Relative Pronoun

The relative pronoun que is by far the most frequently used in Portuguese. It’s the workhorse of relative pronouns, appearing in countless everyday sentences. This versatile word can refer to people, things, animals, or ideas, and it translates to who, whom, which, or that in English.

Basic Uses of Que

When you want to add information about a person, you can use que immediately after the noun:
A mulher que mora aqui é professora.
(The woman who lives here is a teacher.)

The same principle applies to things and animals:
O livro que comprei é interessante.
(The book that I bought is interesting.)
O cachorro que late muito é do vizinho.
(The dog that barks a lot belongs to the neighbor.)

Notice how que remains unchanged regardless of whether the noun it refers to is masculine, feminine, singular, or plural. This invariability makes que particularly user-friendly for learners.

Que with Prepositions

When you need to use a preposition before the relative pronoun, que can follow prepositions like de, em, com, para, and others:
A cidade de que falamos fica no sul.
(The city that we talked about is in the south.)
A caneta com que escrevi estava quebrada.
(The pen with which I wrote was broken.)

This construction might feel formal to English speakers, as we often end sentences with prepositions in English. However, in Portuguese, the preposition typically comes before que in more formal or written contexts.

Quem: The Relative Pronoun for People

While que can refer to people, the relative pronoun quem is specifically used for human beings and always follows a preposition. You cannot use quem without a preposition before it in relative clauses.

Common Prepositions with Quem

The most frequent prepositions used with quem include com, de, para, a, and por:
A pessoa com quem conversei foi muito gentil.
(The person with whom I spoke was very kind.)
O professor de quem falei ganhou um prêmio.
(The teacher about whom I spoke won an award.)

Using quem adds a level of formality to your speech. In casual conversation, many speakers prefer to use que even when referring to people, but understanding quem helps you sound more polished and correct in formal settings.

When to Choose Quem Over Que

Choose quem when you’re referring to a person and need to use a preposition:
Formal: O amigo para quem enviei a carta mora longe.
Less formal: O amigo para que enviei a carta mora longe.
(The friend to whom I sent the letter lives far away.)

Both sentences are grammatically correct, but quem sounds more refined and is preferred in written Portuguese and formal speech.

O Qual and Its Variations

The relative pronoun o qual offers an alternative to que and provides greater clarity in certain situations. Unlike que, this pronoun changes according to gender and number, giving you four forms: o qual (masculine singular), a qual (feminine singular), os quais (masculine plural), and as quais (feminine plural).

Advantages of Using O Qual

The primary advantage of o qual and its variations is disambiguation. When a sentence has multiple possible antecedents, using the appropriate form of o qual makes your meaning crystal clear:
Visitei a irmã do João, a qual mora em São Paulo.
(I visited João’s sister, who lives in São Paulo.)

In this example, a qual specifically refers to the sister (feminine), not João. If you used que, the sentence would still be understood through context, but a qual eliminates any potential ambiguity.

O Qual with Prepositions

When prepositions combine with articles in Portuguese, o qual and its forms follow the same contraction rules:
A empresa para a qual trabalho é internacional.
(The company for which I work is international.)
Os motivos pelos quais saí são pessoais.
(The reasons for which I left are personal.)

Notice how para + a qual stays separate, but por + os quais becomes pelos quais. These contractions follow standard Portuguese rules and become natural with practice.

Cujo and Its Forms: Expressing Possession

The possessive relative pronoun cujo expresses possession or belonging and translates to whose in English. This pronoun also changes according to gender and number: cujo (masculine singular), cuja (feminine singular), cujos (masculine plural), and cujas (feminine plural).

How Cujo Works

The key to using cujo correctly is understanding that it agrees with the thing possessed, not the possessor:
O escritor cujo livro li é famoso.
(The writer whose book I read is famous.)

Here, cujo is masculine singular because livro (book) is masculine singular, even though escritor (writer) is also masculine. The agreement is with the possessed item.

More Examples with Different Forms

Let’s see how the different forms work in practice:
A professora cuja aula assisto é excelente.
(The teacher whose class I attend is excellent.)
Os alunos cujas notas foram altas receberam prêmios.
(The students whose grades were high received awards.)

In the first sentence, cuja agrees with aula (feminine singular). In the second, cujas agrees with notas (feminine plural). This agreement system ensures clarity about what belongs to whom.

Common Mistakes with Cujo

Many learners make the mistake of adding an article after cujo. This is incorrect in Portuguese:
Wrong: O homem cujo o carro quebrou está aqui.
Correct: O homem cujo carro quebrou está aqui.
(The man whose car broke down is here.)

Remember that cujo already contains the possessive relationship, so no article is needed between cujo and the noun it modifies.

Onde: The Relative Pronoun for Places

The relative pronoun onde specifically refers to places and locations, translating to where in English. It’s used when you want to describe or provide information about a physical location or space.

Basic Uses of Onde

Use onde to describe places in straightforward sentences:
A cidade onde nasci é pequena.
(The city where I was born is small.)
O restaurante onde jantamos era excelente.
(The restaurant where we had dinner was excellent.)

This usage is very similar to English, making onde relatively easy for English speakers to grasp and use correctly.

Aonde vs. Onde

Portuguese makes a distinction between onde (indicating location at a place) and aonde (indicating motion toward a place). While onde answers the question where is something, aonde answers where something is going:
A escola onde estudo tem boa biblioteca.
(The school where I study has a good library.)
A praia aonde vamos é linda.
(The beach where we’re going is beautiful.)

In casual speech, many speakers use onde for both situations, but maintaining this distinction shows attention to grammatical precision and sounds more educated.

Onde with Prepositions

You can also use onde with prepositions to express different relationships with places:
A casa de onde venho fica longe.
(The house from where I come is far away.)
O país por onde viajamos era fascinante.
(The country through which we traveled was fascinating.)

Choosing Between Relative Pronouns

With multiple relative pronouns available, knowing which one to use in different situations is crucial for clear communication. Let’s explore the decision-making process through various scenarios and contexts.

People vs. Things

When referring to people, you have several options depending on formality and whether you need a preposition:
Informal, no preposition: O homem que conheci é simpático.
Formal, with preposition: O homem com quem falei é simpático.
Very formal: O homem com o qual falei é simpático.

For things, que or o qual (and its forms) are your choices:
O carro que comprei é novo.
O carro o qual comprei é novo.

Clarity and Emphasis

Sometimes choosing o qual over que helps emphasize your meaning or avoid confusion:
Ambiguous: Falei com a mãe do Pedro que mora em Brasília.
Clear: Falei com a mãe do Pedro, a qual mora em Brasília.

The second version makes it clear that the mother lives in Brasília, not Pedro. This clarity becomes especially important in complex sentences with multiple nouns.

Restrictive vs. Non-Restrictive Clauses

Understanding the difference between restrictive and non-restrictive relative clauses helps you use punctuation correctly and convey your intended meaning precisely.

Restrictive Clauses

Restrictive clauses provide essential information that identifies or defines the noun. Without this information, the sentence meaning changes significantly. These clauses don’t use commas:
Os estudantes que estudaram passaram no exame.
(The students who studied passed the exam.)

This sentence implies that only the students who studied passed, distinguishing them from those who didn’t study. The relative clause restricts or limits which students we’re talking about.

Non-Restrictive Clauses

Non-restrictive clauses add extra information about a noun that’s already clearly identified. These clauses are set off by commas:
Meu irmão, que mora em Portugal, vem me visitar.
(My brother, who lives in Portugal, is coming to visit me.)

Here, my brother is already identified, and the fact that he lives in Portugal is additional information. Removing this clause doesn’t change who we’re talking about.

Punctuation Importance

The presence or absence of commas can completely change sentence meaning:
Without commas: As crianças que gostam de ler são inteligentes.
(Children who like to read are intelligent.)
With commas: As crianças, que gostam de ler, são inteligentes.
(Children, who like to read, are intelligent.)

The first sentence suggests only reading children are intelligent. The second suggests all children like to read and are intelligent.

Special Constructions and Advanced Usage

Beyond the basic uses of relative pronouns, Portuguese offers several special constructions that add sophistication to your language skills and allow for more nuanced expression.

O Que as a Neuter Relative Pronoun

When you need to refer to an entire idea, situation, or clause rather than a specific noun, use o que (meaning which or what):
Ele chegou atrasado, o que me irritou.
(He arrived late, which irritated me.)
Não entendi o que você disse.
(I didn’t understand what you said.)

This construction is extremely common in both spoken and written Portuguese and helps you express complex thoughts more naturally.

Tudo Que and Todo Que

For emphasis or to express everything or all, you can use tudo que or todo que:
Falei tudo que sabia sobre o assunto.
(I said everything that I knew about the subject.)
Todo que vier será bem-vindo.
(Everyone who comes will be welcome.)

These constructions add emphasis and make your statements more comprehensive and definitive.

Quem as a Subject

In certain contexts, quem can function as the subject of a sentence without an explicit antecedent:
Quem trabalha duro alcança seus objetivos.
(Whoever works hard achieves their goals.)
Quem chegar primeiro escolhe o lugar.
(Whoever arrives first chooses the place.)

This usage gives your Portuguese a more proverbial or general quality, similar to whoever in English.

Cultural and Regional Variations

Portuguese grammar isn’t monolithic, and relative pronoun usage shows interesting variations across different Portuguese-speaking regions and social contexts.

Formal vs. Informal Speech

In everyday conversation, Brazilian Portuguese speakers often simplify relative pronoun usage. While grammatically less precise, these informal patterns are widely accepted in casual contexts:
Formal: A pessoa com quem falei foi educada.
Informal: A pessoa que eu falei foi educada.

In the informal version, the preposition com is omitted, and que replaces quem. This is very common in spoken Brazilian Portuguese, though it’s better to maintain formal structures in writing.

Regional Preferences

Different regions show preferences for certain relative pronouns. Brazilian Portuguese tends to favor que over o qual in speech, while written Portuguese maintains more distinction between these pronouns. Understanding these preferences helps you sound more natural in different contexts.

Written vs. Spoken Language

The gap between written and spoken Portuguese is particularly noticeable with relative pronouns. Written language preserves formal structures:
Written: A empresa na qual trabalho é grande.
Spoken: A empresa que eu trabalho é grande.

Both are understandable, but recognizing these differences helps you adapt your language to appropriate situations.

Common Errors and How to Avoid Them

Learning from common mistakes accelerates your mastery of relative pronouns. Let’s examine frequent errors made by learners and how to correct them.

Forgetting Prepositions

One common error is dropping necessary prepositions before relative pronouns:
Wrong: A casa que moro é antiga.
Correct: A casa em que moro é antiga.
(The house in which I live is old.)

Always check if the verb in the relative clause requires a preposition. If it does, include that preposition before the relative pronoun.

Article Errors with Cujo

As mentioned earlier, adding an article after cujo is incorrect:
Wrong: O professor cujo os alunos são bons.
Correct: O professor cujos alunos são bons.
(The teacher whose students are good.)

The word cujo already functions as a possessive adjective, so no article is needed.

Wrong Agreement with O Qual

Remember that o qual must agree in gender and number with its antecedent:
Wrong: As pessoas o qual conheço são gentis.
Correct: As pessoas as quais conheço são gentis.
(The people whom I know are kind.)

Since pessoas is feminine plural, you must use as quais, not o qual.

Confusing Cujo Agreement

A particularly tricky error is making cujo agree with the possessor instead of the possessed:
Wrong: O homem cuja família é grande.
Correct: O homem cuja família é grande.
(The man whose family is large.)

Actually, this example is correct because cuja agrees with família (feminine), not with homem. The confusion arises when learners try to make cujo agree with the wrong noun.

Practice Strategies for Mastery

Developing fluency with relative pronouns requires consistent practice and exposure to authentic Portuguese. Here are effective strategies to improve your skills.

Reading Extensively

Read Portuguese texts from various sources including news articles, novels, and blog posts. Pay special attention to how relative pronouns are used in different contexts. Notice the patterns and try to understand why a writer chose a particular relative pronoun.

Sentence Combining Exercises

Practice combining simple sentences using relative pronouns:
Tenho um amigo. Ele mora em Lisboa.
Combined: Tenho um amigo que mora em Lisboa.

This exercise helps internalize the mechanics of relative clauses and builds your intuition for natural sentence construction.

Translation Practice

Translate English sentences with relative pronouns into Portuguese, paying attention to structural differences:
English: The book that I’m reading is interesting.
Portuguese: O livro que estou lendo é interessante.

This practice highlights differences between English and Portuguese relative pronoun usage.

Speaking and Writing

Actively incorporate relative pronouns into your spoken and written Portuguese. Start with simple sentences using que, then gradually introduce other relative pronouns as you become more comfortable. Don’t worry about making mistakes initially as they’re part of the learning process.

Relative Pronouns in Different Text Types

Different types of texts and communication contexts call for different approaches to using relative pronouns. Understanding these variations helps you communicate effectively across situations.

Academic and Formal Writing

Academic writing favors precision and formality, making o qual, quem, and properly used prepositions essential:
Os resultados da pesquisa, os quais foram publicados em 2023, são significativos.
(The research results, which were published in 2023, are significant.)

This level of formality establishes credibility and meets academic writing standards.

Conversational Portuguese

In casual conversation, simplicity and clarity take priority. Speakers often use que almost exclusively and may drop prepositions:
Você conhece a pessoa que eu falei?
(Do you know the person I talked about?)

While grammatically less precise than including the preposition de before que, this construction is perfectly natural in spoken Brazilian Portuguese.

Professional Communication

Business emails, reports, and presentations require a middle ground between academic formality and conversational ease:
A proposta que apresentamos atende aos requisitos solicitados.
(The proposal that we presented meets the requested requirements.)

This strikes a balance, using que appropriately while maintaining professional tone.

Conclusion

Mastering relative pronouns transforms your Portuguese from choppy, simple sentences into flowing, sophisticated communication. Each relative pronoun serves specific purposes, from the versatile que to the precise cujo, and understanding these distinctions empowers you to express complex ideas clearly. Practice these structures regularly, expose yourself to authentic Portuguese texts, and don’t fear making mistakes as you develop your skills. With time and consistent effort, using relative pronouns will become second nature, allowing you to focus on expressing your thoughts rather than constructing your sentences.