Relative pronouns que, quem and onde

In brief

Use que for people or things when you mean ‘who,’ ‘that,’ or ‘which.’ Use quem for people after a preposition, and onde for a physical place meaning ‘where.’ Unlike English, Portuguese normally keeps que even when it refers to the object of the verb.

Form

person or thing + que + clause; person + preposition + quem + clause; place + onde + clause

Usage

• Use que for the person or thing doing the action: a amiga que ligou (‘the friend who called’).
• Also use que when the person or thing receives the action: o livro que você comprou (‘the book you bought’).
• Use preposition + quem for a person when the verb requires that preposition: a pessoa com quem falei (‘the person I spoke with’).
• Use onde for an actual location, not for a person or an abstract idea.

Examples

• A amiga que me ligou mora em Recife. — The friend who called me lives in Recife.
• O livro que você me emprestou é ótimo. — The book you lent me is great.
• A professora com quem conversei foi muito gentil. — The teacher I spoke with was very kind.
• O café onde a gente se encontrou fechou. — The café where we met has closed.

Common mistake

❌ A amiga quem me ligou mora em Recife.

✅ A amiga que me ligou mora em Recife.

English ‘who’ can introduce the person doing the action, but Portuguese uses que here. Reserve quem in this pattern for a person after a preposition.

Remember

Que works for both people and things. Use onde only for places.