que
Relative Pronoun Que
The word que is the most common relative pronoun in Portuguese. It connects a noun (the antecedent) to a clause that describes it, working for both people and things.
How It Works
The relative pronoun que acts as a bridge between a noun and the information describing it.
1. Universal Usage:
It is used regardless of whether the noun is a person, an object, or an abstract concept.
Example: O homem que fala (The man who speaks) vs. O carro que corre (The car that runs).
2. Grammatical Roles:
It can serve as the subject of the relative clause or the direct object.
- Subject: A rapariga que mora aqui. (The girl who lives here.)
- Object: O livro que eu comprei. (The book [that] I bought.)
3. Restrictive vs. Explanatory:
Punctuation changes the meaning of the sentence:
- Restrictive (no commas): Limits the noun to a specific group. Os alunos que estudaram passaram. (Only the students who studied passed).
- Explanatory (with commas): Adds extra information about the whole group. Os alunos, que estudaram, passaram. (The students, all of whom studied, passed).
4. Que vs. O Que:
Use que when there is a specific noun (antecedent) right before it. Use o que when referring to an entire sentence or an abstract idea (meaning 'what' or 'that which').
Example: Eu sei o que você fez. (I know what you did).
5. Prepositions:
When a verb requires a short preposition (like a, com, de, em, por), the preposition must come before the que.
Example: A casa em que moro. (The house in which I live).
Note: While que is common, quem is generally preferred when referring to people after a preposition (e.g., A pessoa com quem falei).
6. Word Order (Clitic Placement):
In European Portuguese, que is a 'trigger' word that pulls object pronouns to the front of the verb (proclisis).
Example: A pessoa que me viu (The person who saw me) instead of viu-me.
Examples (5)
- Os documentos que eu assinei estão na mesa.
The documents that I signed are on the table.
Word by Word: The documents that I signed are on the table.
Here, 'que' refers to 'documentos' and acts as the object of the verb 'assinei'.
- A rapariga que mora ao lado é simpática.
The girl who lives next door is nice.
Word by Word: The girl who lives at the side is nice.
In this case, 'que' refers to a person ('rapariga') and acts as the subject of the verb 'mora'.
- Esta é a cidade em que nasci.
This is the city in which I was born.
Word by Word: This is the city in that I was born.
When referring to a place with the verb 'nascer' (to be born in), the preposition 'em' must precede 'que'.
- O carro que ele comprou é muito rápido.
The car that he bought is very fast.
Word by Word: The car that he bought is very fast.
A standard use of 'que' referring to an object ('carro').
- As pessoas que nos ajudaram são gentis.
The people who helped us are kind.
Word by Word: The people that us helped are kind.
Notice how 'que' triggers the pronoun 'nos' to move before the verb 'ajudaram'.
Common Mistakes
Using 'que' instead of 'o que' to refer to a whole idea or action.
Ele chegou tarde, que me irritou.Ele chegou tarde, o que me irritou.When referring back to an entire clause or abstract idea rather than a specific noun, you must use 'o que' (meaning 'which' or 'that which').
Omitting the relative pronoun (as is often done in English).
O livro comprei é bom.O livro que comprei é bom.In English, you can say 'The book I bought.' In Portuguese, you MUST include 'que'.
Stranding a preposition at the end of the clause.
A pessoa que eu falei com.A pessoa com que falei.Portuguese does not allow prepositions at the end of a sentence. The preposition must move before the relative pronoun.
How It Connects
Learn This First
To understand the relative pronoun 'que', a learner needs to be comfortable with basic sentence structure and how to link simple ideas. Since 'que' acts as a bridge between a noun and a clause that describes it, familiarity with basic conjunctions and the interrogative form of 'que' provides the necessary grammatical context.
- que/quem/onde/quando/como/quanto/por queQuestion Words
The relative pronoun 'que' shares the same form as the interrogative 'que', and understanding its basic function as a connector is essential.
Foundations - e/ou/mas/porqueBasic Conjunctions
Relative pronouns function as subordinating conjunctions to link clauses; familiarity with basic sentence connectors is a necessary step before complex clause linking.
Foundations - Adjective Agreement
Relative clauses function similarly to adjectives by describing a noun; understanding how descriptors relate to nouns is foundational for using relative pronouns.
Foundations
Related Patterns
- quemRelative Pronoun Quem
Quem is the relative pronoun specifically for people, usually used after prepositions.
Level 3 - o qual/a qual/os quais/as quaisFormal Relative O Qual
A more formal, variable alternative to 'que' often used to avoid ambiguity or after long prepositions.
Level 4 - Proclisis (Pronoun Before Verb)
The relative pronoun 'que' is a major trigger for placing object pronouns before the verb.
Level 2 - que/quando/se + Pronoun + VerbProclisis with Subordinating Conjunctions
Explains how 'que' acts as a subordinating conjunction that attracts pronouns to the front of the verb.
Level 3 - em que/no qualPreposition Plus Relative Pronoun
Explains how to combine prepositions with relative pronouns to indicate location or relation.
Level 4
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
- ondeRelative Adverb OndeLevel 3
- comoRelative Adverb ComoLevel 4
- cujo/cuja/cujos/cujasPossessive Relative CujoLevel 4
- diz-se que/acredita-se queImpersonal Expressions with SeLevel 4
- já queCausal Já QueLevel 4
- uma vez queCausal Uma Vez QueLevel 4
- visto queCausal Visto QueLevel 4
- foi...queCleft Sentences with Foi QueLevel 5
And 4 more in the full list.
Words in This Pattern
Practice que in Bubblegum
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