Relative Clauses

Who, which, that, and whose

WHO: This pronoun is used to refer to people. It can exercise the function of a subject or object of the sentence.

• The woman who works at my office is very efficient.
• Mark’s brother, who is 18, has just started University.

WHICH: Unlike who, this pronoun only works for things and animals. It can also be the subject or object of the sentence.

• The book which I read last week is very interesting.
• The cat, which is very friendly, is called Tom.

THAT: This is a pronoun that can be applied both to refer to people and things. Therefore, you can use it to substitute both who and which if the context allows it.

• The woman that works at my office is very efficient.
• The book that I read last week is very interesting.

WHOSE: We have the pronoun whose, which we should not confuse with who since it acts as a possessive. To better identify it, think that in Spanish it would be translated as cuyo, cuya, cuyos o cuyas.

• Yesterday I met a girl whose sister is a supermodel.
• I knew the guy whose bike you bought.

WHOM: I don't want to forget to mention the relative pronoun whom. Although rarely used, it can be very useful in formal (polite) contexts. In addition, it is ideal to demonstrate your command of English.

The pronoun "whom" replaces people when they are not the subject of the sentence but are the ones who receive it. That is to say:

• To whom it may concern. – A quien concierna/interese.
• Whom does he love? – ¿A quién ama él?

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