Que, Quem, and Onde: Relative Pronouns in Portuguese — Practice

Use que to connect a person or thing to more information

Que is the most common relative pronoun in everyday Portuguese. It can refer back to a person or a thing: o livro que comprei (the book that I bought) and a pessoa que chegou (the person who arrived). The noun before que tells you what it refers to.

A relative clause lets you combine two short ideas. Instead of repeating the noun, use que to connect them. This pattern helps when a name alone is not enough to describe a place, object, or person.

Use quem for a person and onde for a place

After a preposition, quem commonly refers to a person: a pessoa com quem trabalho (the person I work with). In less formal conversation, Brazilians may also say a pessoa que eu trabalho com; the version with a preposition before quem is a reliable standard pattern.

Onde refers to a place: a cidade onde nasci (the city where I was born). If the reference is not a place, use a different connector. For example, o dia em que nos conhecemos (the day we met) uses em que, not onde.

Remember: Use que for the common person-or-thing link, quem for a person after a preposition in a standard pattern, and onde when the noun is a place.

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. This is the café my friend recommended.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Este é o café que minha amiga recomendou.

2. I met the teacher who wrote the book.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Conheci a professora que escreveu o livro.

3. I liked the song you sent me.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Gostei da música que você me mandou.

4. The colleague I traveled with lives in Salvador.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   A colega com quem viajei mora em Salvador.

5. The library where I study closes at six.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   A biblioteca onde estudo fecha às seis.

6. I remember the day we met.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Lembro do dia em que nos conhecemos.

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.

Use que for the common person-or-thing link, quem for a person after a preposition in a standard pattern, and onde when the noun is a place.

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 Que, Quem, and Onde: Relative Pronouns in Portuguese 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.