Relative onde
Onde links a place to a clause about it: a casa onde vivo (the house where I live), a cidade onde nacín (the city where I was born).
How It Works
After a place noun.
- a casa onde vivo (the house where I live)
- o bar onde nos coñecemos (the bar where we met)
- a praia onde pasamos o verán (the beach where we spend the summer)
With prepositions. Origin or route is shown with a preposition before onde: a aldea de onde vén a miña nai (the village my mother comes from), a rúa por onde pasamos (the street we went along). Onde never takes an article.
An alternative. After a noun, onde can be replaced by en + article + que: a casa onde vivo = a casa na que vivo. See prepositions before relatives.
No noun before it. Onde can also mean "where" or "wherever" on its own: Deixei as chaves onde estaban (I left the keys where they were), Podes sentar onde queiras (you can sit wherever you like).
Pronouns and spelling. Like other relative clauses, a clause with onde places object pronouns before the verb: o bar onde nos coñecemos (see pronouns in subordinate clauses). Galician never writes an accent on relative onde, and in questions it normally has none either. The Spanish form donde is not Galician.
Examples (6)
- Esta é a casa onde vivo.
This is the house where I live.
Word by Word: This is the house where live-I.
- Visitamos a cidade onde naceu o meu avó.
We visited the city where my grandfather was born.
Word by Word: Visited-we the city where was-born the my grandfather.
- O bar onde nos coñecemos xa pechou.
The bar where we met has closed.
Word by Word: The bar where us met-we already closed.
- Ese é o pobo de onde vén a miña nai.
That is the town my mother comes from.
Word by Word: That is the town from where comes the my mother.
- Deixei as chaves onde estaban.
I left the keys where they were.
Word by Word: Left-I the keys where were.
- Podes sentar onde queiras.
You can sit wherever you like.
Word by Word: Can-you sit where want-you.
With no noun before it and the subjunctive, onde means wherever.
Common Mistakes
Using the Spanish form donde.
Esta é a casa donde vivo.Esta é a casa onde vivo.Donde is Spanish and does not appear in the Galician dictionary. Use onde, or de onde for "from where".
Writing an accent on onde.
a cidade ónde nacína cidade onde nacínRelative onde never carries a written accent, and question words normally have none either.
Mixing onde with an article.
a casa na onde vivoa casa na que vivoChoose one pattern: a casa onde vivo or a casa na que vivo. Onde never takes an article.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Relative onde links a place to a clause locating something there.
Related Patterns
- Preposition + Article + quePrepositions Before Relatives
Na que is the main alternative to onde.
Level 4 - que / quen / onde / cando / comoQuestion Words
Onde as a question word.
Level 1 - Pronouns Before the Verb in Subordinate Clauses
Pronouns go before the verb after onde.
Level 3 - Free Relatives: quen / o queFree Relatives: Quen and O Que
Relatives with no noun before them, like onde queiras.
Level 5 - aquí / aí / alíHere and There
Basic words for places.
Level 1
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Words in This Pattern
Practice Relative onde in Bubblegum
Poppy, your AI tutor, writes Galician lessons at your level. Tap any grammar point in a lesson to see its full explanation.
