Free Relative Clauses (Quienquiera, Dondequiera, Comoquiera)

When you say "whoever did this," "wherever you go," or "however you look at it," you are using a free relative clause — a relative clause with no specific antecedent. The identity, location, manner, or time is left open. Spanish has a dedicated family of words for this: quienquiera, dondequiera, comoquiera, cuandoquiera. It also has simpler alternatives that mean the same thing. All of them require the subjunctive.

This page covers every free relative form, shows when to use the formal -quiera compounds versus their everyday equivalents, and connects the pattern to the closely related duplicated subjunctive.

Quienquiera que + subjunctive (whoever)

Quienquiera means "whoever" — any person, identity unknown or irrelevant.

The verb after quienquiera que is always in the subjunctive because the person's identity is unknown or deliberately left open.

Plural form

The formal plural is quienesquiera que, but it is extremely rare in modern speech. Most speakers simply use the singular quienquiera even when referring to multiple people:

Dondequiera que + subjunctive (wherever)

Dondequiera means "wherever" — any place, location unspecified.

Dondequiera que is the most commonly used of all the -quiera forms. It appears regularly in both speech and writing.

Comoquiera que + subjunctive (however)

Comoquiera means "however" or "in whatever way."

Comoquiera que sea has become a near-fixed expression meaning "be that as it may" or "in any case." It often introduces a concession before the speaker states their real point.

Cuandoquiera que + subjunctive (whenever)

Cuandoquiera means "whenever" — any time, unspecified.

This is the least common of the four -quiera forms. In everyday Latin American Spanish, speakers strongly prefer alternatives like cuando quieras, siempre que, or cada vez que.

Complete table of -quiera forms

Everyday alternatives without -quiera

In conversational Latin American Spanish, speakers often replace the -quiera forms with simpler constructions using sea or the bare interrogative word + que:

All alternatives also require the subjunctive (except cuando quieras, where quieras is already subjunctive and the following infinitive is not conjugated).

Connection to the duplicated subjunctive

The duplicated subjunctive pattern — sea lo que sea, vaya donde vaya — expresses the same "whatever/wherever" meaning through a different structure. The two constructions are interchangeable in many contexts:

The duplicated subjunctive tends to sound more emphatic and dramatic. The -quiera forms are more neutral. In practice, speakers mix both freely.

Past tense: imperfect subjunctive

When the main clause is in the past, the verb after -quiera que shifts to the imperfect subjunctive:

The -quiera form itself does not change — only the verb that follows que shifts tense.

Cualquiera que (whichever / whatever)

Cualquiera is related to the -quiera family but works differently. It means "any" or "whichever" and can function as an adjective or pronoun:

Note that before a noun, cualquiera shortens to cualquier: cualquier cosa, cualquier persona, cualquier día.

Adondequiera que (to wherever)

A less common but valid form for directional "wherever":

In practice, dondequiera que covers both location and direction. Adondequiera is mostly literary.

Why always subjunctive?

All free relative clauses require subjunctive because the referent — the person, place, manner, or time — is unknown, unspecified, or deliberately left open. This aligns with the core function of the subjunctive in adjective clauses: when the antecedent is not a specific, known entity, the subjunctive is required.

Compare:

The free relative, by definition, has no specific antecedent. It ranges over all possibilities. That is exactly the semantic space the subjunctive occupies.

Common mistakes

Using indicative after a -quiera form:

Free relatives always require subjunctive. If you find yourself reaching for the indicative, the sentence is probably not a free relative — it is a regular relative clause with a known antecedent.

Confusing quienquiera with cualquiera:

Both mean "whoever," but cualquiera is broader — it covers things and people. Quienquiera is exclusively for people.

Writing the -quiera forms as two words:

Quienquiera, dondequiera, comoquiera, and cuandoquiera are each one word. Writing quien quiera que (two words) changes the meaning to "whoever wants to" — a completely different construction.

Summary

• The -quiera forms (quienquiera, dondequiera, comoquiera, cuandoquiera) always take que + subjunctive.
• Everyday alternatives — quien sea que, donde sea que, como sea que — are more common in casual Latin American speech and also require subjunctive.
• The duplicated subjunctive (vayas donde vayas, sea quien sea) expresses the same meaning with a different, more emphatic structure.
• Cualquiera que
  • subjunctive is the most versatile form, covering both people and things.
• In past contexts, the verb after que shifts to the imperfect subjunctive; the -quiera word itself does not change.
• Cuandoquiera is rare; prefer cuando quieras, siempre que, or cada vez que in conversation.

For the duplicated subjunctive pattern, see Sea lo que sea: Duplicated Subjunctive. For the foundational rule about subjunctive in adjective clauses, see Adjective Clauses.