What are relative pronouns and how to use them in Brazilian Portuguese?

Relative pronouns are words like “who,” “which,” and “that” that are used to introduce certain phrases (called “relative clauses”) that describe nouns. Like other pronouns, relative pronouns replace a noun, in this case, the noun that would otherwise be repeated when you connect two phrases. Here’s an example illustrating the use of relative pronouns in Brazilian Portuguese relative clauses:

In this post, we will cover how to use relative pronouns to form relative clauses in Brazilian Portuguese, as well as the forms of those relative pronouns and when to use each one. Keep on reading!

We use relative pronouns to introduce Brazilian Portuguese relative clauses. A relative clause is a group of words, with at least subject and a verb, that is used to describe a noun (called the “antecedent” of the relative clause). Relative pronouns are used to connect the relative clause to the word it describes, without needing to repeat that word.

For example, in the sentences below, the noun o livro(the book) is being described by a relative clause. If we use a relative clause, the relative pronoun que(that) “stands in” for the noun o livro:

Here are a few differences between relative clauses in English and Brazilian Portuguese:

• In English, relative pronouns can often be omitted, for example we might translate the sentence above as “This is the book that I read last year.” In Brazilian Portuguese, though, relative pronouns cannot be omitted.

• In English, relative pronouns can often be omitted, for example we might translate the sentence above as “This is the book that I read last year.” In Brazilian Portuguese, though, relative pronouns cannot be omitted.

• In English, if a relative pronoun replaces a noun that follows a preposition, you can often leave the preposition at the end of a sentence (e.g. “The man who I gave my heart to”), but in Brazilian Portuguese, the preposition must always come right before the relative pronoun (e.g. “The man to whom I gave my heart”).

Let’s have a look at the different relative pronouns!

The relative pronouns in Brazilian Portuguese are:

• que(that, which, who)

• quem(who, whom)

• onde(where)

• qual, quais(which)

• cujo(s), cuja(s)(whose)

• quanto(s), quanta(s)(as much, as many)

Notice that while que, quem, and onde are all “invariable” (meaning they have only one form), qual/quais, cujo(s)/cuja(s), and quanto(s)/quanta(s) are “variable,” meaning that they change their form depending on the gender or number of the antecedent.

Now, let’s go through each of these pronouns one-by-one.

• ‘Que’

  Que(that, which, who) is the most common invariable relative pronoun in Brazilian Portuguese, and it is used with any kind of antecedent noun (people, things, ideas, etc.) that are either singular or plural in form.

  antecedentrelative pronoun

  Aqui estão os brasileiros que conheci.

  Here are the Brazilians (that/who) I met.

  Minha bicicleta, que tem um assento quebrado, está na garagem.

  My bike, which has a broken seat, is in the garage.

  Adorei as viagens que fiz com minha família.

  I loved the trips (that) I took with my family.

  The relative pronoun que can sometimes be preceded by the definite articles o(s), a(s)(the). This happens in two main situations:

  • O que is used when the antecedent is a whole sentence, and not just a noun. In this case it means “what” or “which,” as in:

    antecedent sentencerelative pronoun

    Não sei o que você quer dizer.

    I don't know what you mean.

    Ele chegou tarde, o que me deixou preocupado.

    He arrived late which worried me.

  • Definite Article (o, a, os, as) + que can also be used after a main clauseNo definition set for main clauseLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. with ser(to be) to mean “the one(s) that.” In this case, the article you use will depend on the gender and number of the antecedent noun.

    antecedent (feminine singular)serrelative pronoun

    Esta blusa é a que comprei ontem.

    This blouse is the one that I bought yesterday.

    antecedent (masculine plural)serrelative pronoun

    Fomos nós (Ricardo e eu) os que te telefonaram.

    We (Ricardo and I) were the ones that called you.

    Important

    In this use, the definite article can be dropped in informal speech, as in:

    Foi ele (o) que me falou sobre você.

    He was (the one) who told me about you.

• ‘Quem’

  The relative pronoun quem(who, whom) is used only for an antecedent that is a person. When it has an explicit antecedent, it is always preceded by a preposition.

  antecedentprepositionrelative pronoun

  Marcelo era a pessoa a quem me referi.

  Marcelo was the person to whom I referred.

  O vizinho com quem falei ontem foi gentil.

  The neighbor with whom I spoke yesterday was kind.

  Less often, quem can also be used to refer to an inanimate thing that has been personified:

  antecedentprepositionrelative pronoun

  Esse é o livro a quem considero como companheiro.

  This is the book that I consider as a companion.

  Quem can also be used without an explicit antecedent, to mean “anyone who.” In this use quem is not accompanied by a preposition.

  Quem conhece a Bianca, sabe como ela é.

  Anyone who knows Bianca, knows how she is.

  In this use, quem is considered a relative indefinite pronoun.

  Tip

  When the antecedent is a person and the direct objectNo definition set for direct objectLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. of a verb, you can use either quem or que.

  • If the verb marks its object with a specific preposition, you’ll need to add that preposition before quem but not que:

    O rapaz que preciso estuda comigo.
    O rapaz de quem preciso estuda comigo.

    The boy who I need studies with me.

  • However, if the verb doesn’t already require that its object be marked by a specific preposition, you’ll need to add the preposition a(to) before quem:

    A garota que conheci está em minha sala.
    A garota a quem conheci está em minha sala.

    The girl who I met is in my classroom.

  To review the verbs that are followed by a preposition in Brazilian Portuguese, check out our list!

• ‘Onde’

  The relative pronoun onde(where) is used to represent a place.

  O Brasil é o país onde moro.

  Brazil is the country where I live.

  This pronoun can also be replaced by em que(in which) or no/a qual(in which) without any significant change of meaning. Take a look:

  O Brasil é o país em que moro.
  O Brasil é o país no qual moro.

  Brazil is the country in which I live.

  Important

  The relative pronoun onde cannot be used to describe a place something is moving toward, only for a static location. If you want to show movement, you should use the relative pronoun aonde(to where), which is the combination of the preposition a(to) with onde(where).

  O local aonde preciso ir fica no centro da cidade.

  The place where I need to go is in the center of the city.

• ‘Qual’

  The relative pronoun qual(which) is used with any kind of noun as its antecedent (people, things, ideas, etc.). It is variable and must follow a definite article, so there are four forms, depending on the gender and number of the antecedent:

  • o qual → masculine singular

  • a qual → feminine singular

  • os quais → masculine plural

  • as quais → feminine plural

  For example:

  Li um livro sobre o qual nunca tinha ouvido falar antes.

  I read a book about which I’d never heard before.

  The definite articles before qual, when possible, should be contracted with the prepositions that are placed before them, as in:

  prepositionrelative pronoun

  Esta é a rua pela qual passei ontem.

  This is the street through which I passed yesterday.

  If you want to read more about contraction of prepositions and definite articles in Brazilian Portuguese, check out this list!

  Tip

  Qual can often be used as a replacement for que, but remember that where que is invariable, qual is variable, so you need to use the right form of the relative pronoun.

  Os contratos que ele assinou são importantes.
  Os contratos os quais ele assinou são importantes.

  The contracts that he signed are important.

  Whereas queis used in informal spoken or written language, o/a qual and os/as quais are more formal.

• ‘Cujo’

  The word cujo(whose, of which) is technically a relative adjective, rather than a relative pronoun, because it is always used to describe a noun by linking it with its possessor. Cujo can refer back to human or non-human possessors, and it agrees in gender and number with the noun that it describes:

  • cujo + masculine singular noun

  • cuja + feminine singular noun

  • cujos + masculine plural noun

  • cujas + feminine plural noun

  For example:

  antecedent (possessor)relative adjectivepossessed noun

  O funcionário cujo projeto já está pronto está viajando à conferência.

  The employee whose project is now ready is traveling to the conference.

  A árvore cujos frutos são venenosos foi derrubada.

  The tree whose fruits are poisonous has been cut down.

  Esta é a funcionária cujas ideias todos concordam.

  This is the employee whose ideas everyone agrees with.

  Tip

  In less formal speech, you can replace cujo with dele(s)/dela(s)(belonging to him/her/it/them) or do/a qual(of which).

• ‘Quanto’

  The relative pronoun quanto means “as much/many” and it appears mostly after the indefinite pronouns tudo(everything), tanto(a)(s)(so much), or todo(a)(s)(all, everyone, everything). Quanto has four forms:

  • quanto → masculine singular

  • quanta → feminine singular

  • quantos → masculine plural

  • quantas → feminine plural

  When quanto comes after an indefinite pronoun, it will agree with that pronoun. For example:

  Nesse restaurante, você pode comer tudo quanto quiser.

  In this restaurant, you can eat everything you want.

  Aquela professora, de tantas quantas tive, sempre foi a minha preferida.

  That teacher, out of so many I had, was always my favorite.

  Tente examinar todos quantos comparecerem ao consultório.

  Try to examine everyone who comes to the office.

In this post, we discussed the forms and uses of relative pronouns in Brazilian Portuguese. Here is a quick recap:

Now, how about some practice using the relative pronouns in Brazilian Portuguese with our activities?