Who, Which, That: qui, quae, quod
Qui, quae, quod join a describing clause to a noun.
How It Works
| The noun is | One | Several |
|---|---|---|
| masculine | qui | qui |
| feminine | quae | quae |
| neuter | quod | quae |
The table shows the forms for a subject. Puer qui legit has qui because the boy is the one who reads. The other cases are in the next entries.
The verb in the relative clause agrees with the noun it describes. In Pater noster, qui es in caelis, qui stands for you, so the verb is es and not est.
The relative pronoun comes right after the noun it describes, as in puer qui in horto legit. The noun it points back to is called its antecedent, which just means the word that comes before.
Examples (5)
- Puer qui legit Marcus est.
The boy who reads is Marcus.
Qui is masculine singular, like puer.
- Puella quae cantat Iulia est.
The girl who sings is Iulia.
Quae is feminine singular, like puella.
- Donum quod in mensa est magnum est.
The gift that is on the table is big.
Quod is neuter singular, like donum.
- Libri qui in mensa sunt boni sunt.
The books that are on the table are good.
Qui is masculine plural, like libri, and sunt is plural.
- Pater noster, qui es in caelis.
Our Father, who are in heaven.
Qui stands for you, so the verb is es.
Common Mistakes
Using a masculine relative pronoun with a feminine noun.
Puella qui cantat Iulia est.Puella quae cantat Iulia est.Puella is feminine, so the relative pronoun must be feminine too: quae.
Using quis in a statement.
Puer quis legit Marcus est.Puer qui legit Marcus est.Quis is the question word who. A relative clause needs qui.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Qui, quae, quod are question words with a second job, and a relative clause is a clause inside a sentence.
Related Patterns
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Words in This Pattern
Practice Who, Which, That: qui, quae, quod in Bubblegum
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