Relative Clause with kes
Mees, kes seal seisab, on mu isa means The man who is standing there is my father. The kes clause sits between commas.
How It Works
A relative clause with kes tells us more about a person. It comes right after the noun it describes, and commas mark both ends of it.
Kes changes its case to show its job inside the relative clause:
- subject: Mees, kes seal seisab, ... (who is standing)
- object: Naine, keda sa nägid, ... (whom you saw)
- owner: Poiss, kelle isa töötab koolis, ... (whose father)
- with: Sõber, kellega ma reisisin, ... (with whom I travelled)
- to: Inimesed, kellele ma helistasin, ... (whom I called)
All the other forms use the stem kelle-: kellel (also kel), kellelt, kellest.
Kes stays singular after a plural noun: inimesed, kellega ta rääkis sounds better than kelledega.
Kes or mis? Use kes for people and mis for things. For a company or an institution both are possible: firma, kes ~ mis ehitas selle maja. For animals, mis is also common.
Keep the clause next to its noun: See inimene, keda me usaldasime, vedas meid alt.
Examples (6)
- Mees, kes seal seisab, on mu isa.
The man who is standing there is my father.
Kes is the subject of the clause.
- Naine, keda sa nägid, on arst.
The woman you saw is a doctor.
Keda is the partitive, the object of nägid.
- Sõber, kellega ma reisisin, elab nüüd Tartus.
The friend I travelled with now lives in Tartu.
Kellega is the comitative.
- See on poiss, kelle isa töötab koolis.
This is the boy whose father works at the school.
Kelle is the genitive: whose.
- Inimesed, kellele ma helistasin, ei vastanud.
The people I called didn't answer.
Kellele stays singular even though inimesed is plural.
- Kas sa tunned kedagi, kes räägib hästi prantsuse keelt?
Do you know anyone who speaks French well?
Common Mistakes
Leaving kes in the nominative when it is the object.
Naine, kes sa nägid, on arst.Naine, keda sa nägid, on arst.In the clause, the woman is the object of nägid, so kes becomes the partitive keda.
Using mis for a person.
Mees, mis seal seisab, on mu isa.Mees, kes seal seisab, on mu isa.Kes refers to people. Mis is for things.
Leaving out the commas.
Mees kes seal seisab on mu isa.Mees, kes seal seisab, on mu isa.A relative clause is always set off with commas, before it and after it.
How It Connects
Learn This First
A kes clause uses kes in the case of its role.
Related Patterns
- Relative Clause with mis
The same kind of clause for things.
Level 3 - Relative Clause with kusRelative Clauses with Kus
Relative clauses about places use kus, kuhu or kust.
Level 3 - Pronouns in Other Cases
Kes takes endings in the same way as other pronouns.
Level 2 - Commas Before Clauses
Why the relative clause is between commas.
Level 3 - Participle Phrases Instead of Clauses
A participle phrase before the noun can replace a kes clause.
Level 4
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Words in This Pattern
Practice Relative Clause with kes in Bubblegum
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