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:
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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!
How to use relative pronouns in Brazilian Portuguese relative clauses?
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 meaning the book is being described by a relative clause. If we use a relative clause, the relative pronoun que meaning that “stands in” for the noun o livro:
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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
thatI 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!
What are the relative pronouns in Brazilian Portuguese?
The relative pronouns in Brazilian Portuguese are:
que meaning that, which, who
quem meaning who, whom
onde meaning where
qual, quais meaning which
cujo(s), cuja(s) meaning whose
quanto(s), quanta(s) meaning 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 meaning 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 pronounAqui estão os brasileiros que conheci.Translation: Here are the Brazilians (that/who) I met.Minha bicicleta, que tem um assento quebrado, está na garagem.Translation: My bike, which has a broken seat, is in the garage.Adorei as viagens que fiz com minha família.Translation: 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) meaning 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 pronounNão sei o que você quer dizer.Translation: I don't know what you mean.Ele chegou tarde, o que me deixou preocupado.Translation: He arrived late which worried me.Definite Article (o, a, os, as) + que can also be used after a main clause with ser meaning 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 pronounEsta blusa é a que comprei ontem.Translation: This blouse is the one that I bought yesterday.antecedent (masculine plural)serrelative pronounFomos nós (Ricardo e eu) os que te telefonaram.Translation: We (Ricardo and I) were the ones that called you.
‘Quem’
The relative pronoun quem meaning 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 pronounMarcelo era a pessoa a quem me referi.Translation: Marcelo was the person to whom I referred.O vizinho com quem falei ontem foi gentil.Translation: 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 pronounEsse é o livro a quem considero como companheiro.Translation: 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.Translation: Anyone who knows Bianca, knows how she is.In this use, quem is considered a relative indefinite pronoun.
‘Onde’
The relative pronoun onde meaning where is used to represent a place.
O Brasil é o país onde moro.Translation: Brazil is the country where I live.This pronoun can also be replaced by em que meaning in which or no/a qual meaning 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.Translation: Brazil is the country in which I live.‘Qual’
The relative pronoun qual meaning 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.Translation: 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 pronounEsta é a rua pela qual passei ontem.Translation: 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!
‘Cujo’
The word cujo meaning 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 nounO funcionário cujo projeto já está pronto está viajando à conferência.Translation: The employee whose project is now ready is traveling to the conference.A árvore cujos frutos são venenosos foi derrubada.Translation: The tree whose fruits are poisonous has been cut down.Esta é a funcionária cujas ideias todos concordam.Translation: This is the employee whose ideas everyone agrees with.‘Quanto’
The relative pronoun quanto means “as much/many” and it appears mostly after the indefinite pronouns tudo meaning everything, tanto(a)(s) meaning so much, or todo(a)(s) meaning 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.Translation: In this restaurant, you can eat everything you want.Aquela professora, de tantas quantas tive, sempre foi a minha preferida.Translation: That teacher, out of so many I had, was always my favorite.Tente examinar todos quantos comparecerem ao consultório.Translation: Try to examine everyone who comes to the office.
In summary
In this post, we discussed the forms and uses of relative pronouns in Brazilian Portuguese. Here is a quick recap:
| Relative Pronoun / Adjective | Use | Tips |
|---|---|---|
que Translation: that, which, who | to refer to people or things | It can be accompanied by o(s), a(s) when it refers to the whole phrase or to a specific noun. |
quem Translation: who, whom | to refer to people, less often can be used to refer to a personified thing | It is always preceded by a preposition when it has an explicit antecedent. |
onde Translation: where | to indicate place, location | Onde refers to a location, and aonde refers to movement. |
qual / quais Translation: which | to refer to people or things | It is accompanied by the definite articles o/a(s), and can substitute que in formal language. |
cujo(s) / cuja(s) Translation: whose | appears before a noun to convey an idea of possession | When the verb is accompanied by a preposition, this needs to be placed before cujo. |
quanto(s) / quanta(s) Translation: as much, as many | to indicate quantity | It appears mostly after tudo meaning everything, tanto meaning so much, and todo meaning all, everyone, everything. |
Now, how about some practice using the relative pronouns in Brazilian Portuguese with our activities?
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