Cujo and Cuja in Portuguese: How to Say ‘Whose’ — Practice

Use cujo to connect an owner with a thing

Cujo, cuja, cujos, and cujas mean whose and link a preceding person or thing to a noun that belongs to, relates to, or is associated with it. The form agrees with the noun after cujo, not with the owner before it.

In Conheci a escritora cujo livro ganhou um prêmio (I met the writer whose book won an award), livro is masculine singular, so the form is cujo even though escritora is feminine.

Match the form to the noun that follows

Use cujo with a masculine singular noun, cuja with a feminine singular noun, cujos with masculine plural, and cujas with feminine plural. Look at the possessed noun immediately after the form to choose the ending.

In standard written usage, do not normally add the definite article between cujo and that noun. Write o pesquisador cujo estudo (the researcher whose study), rather than cujo o estudo.

Choose a simpler structure in everyday conversation

Cujo is more common in formal writing and carefully structured speech than in casual conversation. In an everyday exchange, you can often repeat the owner or restructure the sentence: o livro da escritora (the writer's book) may be clearer than a relative clause.

Use cujo when it helps you make a concise connection between two ideas. If the sentence feels difficult to follow, split it into two shorter sentences rather than forcing a formal structure into a casual conversation.

Remember: Choose cujo, cuja, cujos, or cujas according to the noun that follows. In casual speech, a simpler phrase with de or a possessive may sound more natural.

Check your understanding

Choose the English meaning of each Portuguese example. Answer before looking back at the tables. These questions check the written examples in this guide; they are not a listening or proficiency test.

Recall the Portuguese, then say it

Read the English prompt and say a Portuguese version before opening the answer. The answer shows the example from the lesson; other natural translations may also work. Compare the meaning and the situation rather than counting a different word as automatically wrong.

1. I met the writer whose book won an award.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Conheci a escritora cujo livro ganhou um prêmio.

2. We visited the neighborhood whose streets were renovated.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Visitamos o bairro cujas ruas foram reformadas.

3. The student whose mother is a teacher arrived early.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   O aluno cuja mãe é professora chegou cedo.

4. The company whose products are Brazilian opened a store.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   A empresa cujos produtos são brasileiros abriu uma loja.

5. I met the writer. Her book won an award.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Conheci a escritora. O livro dela ganhou um prêmio.

6. That is the professor whose course I took.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Esse é o professor cujo curso eu fiz.

Make the phrase useful to you

Choose one example you could actually use. Say it once from memory, then change one detail that fits your life, such as the person, place, time, or object. Check whether your change also needs a different verb form, article, or adjective ending. If it does, compare it with the pattern in the explanation.

Choose cujo, cuja, cujos, or cujas according to the noun that follows. In casual speech, a simpler phrase with de or a possessive may sound more natural.

Return to two prompts tomorrow without opening the answers first. If a phrase still feels difficult, shorten it to a useful chunk and build the complete sentence again.

Sources and your next lesson

This I Speak Portuguese practice guide builds on our Cujo and Cuja in Portuguese: How to Say ‘Whose’ lesson on Real Life Portuguese, with written recall tasks and additional speaking practice. The explanations and examples are teaching material; the practice questions are exercises, not a transcript of a recording.

To add Brazilian audio to your routine, choose a lesson in the Real Life Portuguese app. The app offers its own lessons and practice; this page does not imply that every example here has an app recording.