cujo/cuja/cujos/cujas

Possessive Relative Cujo

Level 4

Cujo (and its forms cuja, cujos, cujas) is the formal Portuguese equivalent of 'whose'. It connects a possessor to a possessed object and is used exclusively in formal writing and high-level speech.

How It Works

The possessive relative cujo is a sophisticated tool for linking ideas in formal Portuguese. While you will rarely hear it in a casual conversation at a café, you will see it constantly in literature, news, and legal documents.

1. Agreement Rules:
The pronoun changes its ending based on the gender and number of the noun that comes after it:

  • Cujo: Masculine singular (e.g., cujo livro)
  • Cuja: Feminine singular (e.g., cuja casa)
  • Cujos: Masculine plural (e.g., cujos filhos)
  • Cujas: Feminine plural (e.g., cujas ideias)

2. The 'No Article' Rule:
One of the most important rules is that cujo replaces the definite article. You must never say cujo o or cuja a. The pronoun itself already contains the determiner function.

3. Prepositions:
If the verb in the second part of the sentence requires a preposition (like gostar de or confiar em), that preposition must move to the front of cujo. For example: O amigo em cuja honestidade confio (The friend in whose honesty I trust).

4. Register:
In casual speech, Brazilians and Portuguese people usually replace cujo with simpler structures like de quem or by using que followed by a possessive like dele.

Examples (4)

  1. O escritor, cujos livros são famosos, virá à cidade.

    The writer, whose books are famous, will come to the city.

    Word by Word: The writer, whose books are famous, will come to the city.

    Here, 'cujos' is masculine plural because it agrees with 'livros', even though the writer is singular.

  2. Esta é a árvore cujas flores são brancas.

    This is the tree whose flowers are white.

    Word by Word: This is the tree whose flowers are white.

    'Cujas' is feminine plural to match 'flores'. Note that 'cujo' can be used for objects/plants, not just people.

  3. A mulher a cuja filha me referi é médica.

    The woman to whose daughter I referred is a doctor.

    Word by Word: The woman to whose daughter me referred is doctor.

    The preposition 'a' is placed before 'cuja' because the verb 'referir-se' requires the preposition 'a'.

  4. Fernando Pessoa, cuja obra é vasta, é um ícone português.

    Fernando Pessoa, whose work is vast, is a Portuguese icon.

    Word by Word: Fernando Pessoa, whose work is vast, is an icon Portuguese.

    'Cuja' agrees with the feminine singular noun 'obra'.

Common Mistakes

  • Using a definite article after 'cujo'.

    O homem cujo o carro quebrou.
    O homem cujo carro quebrou.

    Never place 'o', 'a', 'os', or 'as' after 'cujo'. The pronoun already acts as the article.

  • Agreeing with the possessor instead of the possessed object.

    A mulher cujo marido... (Correct) / O homem cujo esposa... (Incorrect)
    O homem cuja esposa...

    English speakers often want to use 'cujo' for men and 'cuja' for women. In Portuguese, it must match the gender of the object that follows it.

  • Using 'cujo' to ask a question.

    Cujo é este livro?
    De quem é este livro?

    'Cujo' is only a relative pronoun used to connect clauses. To ask 'Whose is this?', you must use 'De quem'.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

cujo/cuja/cujos/cujasLevel 4Possessive Relative Cujo

Learn This First

To learn 'cujo', a learner must understand how relative pronouns link two sentences and be comfortable with the specific Portuguese rule where possessive words agree with the thing owned, not the owner. Since 'cujo' is a formal literary term, familiarity with basic possession and simpler relative pronouns is a necessary foundation.

Words in This Pattern

cujo