Relative quen
Quen as a relative always refers to people. Use it after a preposition, as in a persoa con quen falei (the person I spoke to), or on its own for "whoever": Quen avisa non é traidor (whoever gives a warning is no traitor).
How It Works
After a preposition. When the verb in the relative clause needs a preposition and the noun is a person, quen can follow the preposition:
- a persoa con quen falei (the person I spoke with)
- o amigo a quen lle deixei o coche (the friend I lent the car to)
- a escritora sobre quen fixen o traballo (the writer I did the project on)
Here you can also use an article + que: a persoa coa que falei. See prepositions before relatives. After a noun, quen belongs mostly to careful or formal style, so in everyday speech the article + que is more common. Quen never takes an article: con quen, not co quen.
Not as a plain subject. In a clause that identifies the noun, the subject is que: a moza que vive aquí, not a moza quen vive aquí. Formal writing sometimes uses quen between commas after a single person: A alcaldesa, quen presidía o acto, falou ao final.
No noun before it. Quen can include its own antecedent and mean "whoever" or "the person who". When it is the subject, it then has no preposition: Quen chegue primeiro, que abra a porta (whoever arrives first should open the door), Foi ela quen mo contou (it was she who told me). See free relatives and cleft sentences. It is also common with an infinitive: Non teño con quen falar (I have no one to talk to).
Always singular. Quen has no plural form. With a plural noun, the article + que is the usual choice: as amigas coas que saio (the friends I go out with).
Examples (6)
- Esa é a persoa con quen falei onte.
That is the person I spoke to yesterday.
Word by Word: That is the person with whom spoke-I yesterday.
- O amigo a quen lle deixei o coche aínda non mo devolveu.
The friend I lent the car to still hasn't given it back to me.
Word by Word: The friend to whom to-him lent-I the car still not me-it returned.
- Quen avisa non é traidor.
Whoever gives a warning is no traitor.
Word by Word: Who warns not is traitor.
A traditional saying. There is no noun before quen, so it means whoever.
- Foi ela quen mo contou.
It was she who told me.
Word by Word: Was she who me-it told.
- Non teño con quen deixar os nenos.
I have no one to leave the children with.
Word by Word: Not have-I with whom to-leave the children.
- Quen chegue primeiro, que abra a porta.
Whoever arrives first should open the door.
Word by Word: Who arrives first, that opens the door.
Common Mistakes
Using quen as the subject right after a noun.
O home quen vive aquí é o meu tío.O home que vive aquí é o meu tío.When a clause identifies the noun just mentioned, its subject is que. Quen goes after a noun only with a preposition.
Making quen plural.
As amigas con quenes saio viven en Lugo.As amigas coas que saio viven en Lugo.Quen has no plural form; quenes is not Galician. With a plural noun, Galician usually uses the article + que: coas que.
Putting an article before quen.
Esa é a persoa co quen falei.Esa é a persoa con quen falei.Quen never takes an article. Use either con quen or coa que.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Relative quen refers to people and has specific uses with or without an expressed antecedent.
Related Patterns
- Free Relatives: quen / o queFree Relatives: Quen and O Que
Quen and o que with no noun before them.
Level 5 - é ... quen / foi ... ondeCleft Sentences
Cleft sentences such as Foi ela quen mo contou.
Level 5 - Preposition + Article + quePrepositions Before Relatives
The alternative to preposition + quen.
Level 4 - o que / a que / os queRelatives with the Article
The ones who: the plural-friendly alternative to quen.
Level 4
Words in This Pattern
Practice Relative quen in Bubblegum
Poppy, your AI tutor, writes Galician lessons at your level. Tap any grammar point in a lesson to see its full explanation.
