Basic Relative Pronouns

What you'll learn

By the end of this lesson, you'll be able to join two ideas with basic relative pronouns: who for people, which for things, where for places, and that for both.

When do I use it?

A relative pronoun connects a noun to the clause that describes it, so you can say two things in one sentence instead of two short ones:

• who — people: "The woman who lives next door is a doctor."
• which — things: "The book which I bought is very long."
• that — people or things (more informal): "The film that we saw was great."
• where — places: "This is the café where we first met."
• whose — possession: "That's the boy whose sister I know."

The clause after the pronoun tells us which person or thing we mean.

How do I form it?

After a person you can use who or that; after a thing use which or that. "Who" is never used for things, and "which" is never used for people.

Common mistakes for Spanish speakers

Practice