Quien (and its plural quienes) is the relative pronoun that means who or whom in Spanish. Unlike que, which is a jack-of-all-trades, quien is more specialized: it refers only to people, and in modern Latin American Spanish it shows up mainly in two situations — after a preposition, or as a stylistic alternative in non-restrictive clauses.
The forms
| Form | Use |
|---|---|
| quien | singular — one person |
| quienes | plural — more than one person |
Quien and quienes refer only to people (or, in some literary contexts, personified entities). Never use them for inanimate objects — that's what que, el que, or el cual are for.
Use #1: after a preposition
The most common use of quien is after a preposition when referring to a person. In this position, Spanish prefers quien / quienes over plain que.
La mujer a quien llamaste no está en casa.
The woman you called isn't home.
Los amigos de quienes te conté llegaron anoche.
The friends I told you about arrived last night.
In spoken Latin American Spanish you'll also hear the longer form el que / la que / los que / las que in these contexts — more on that on the el que / el cual page. Both work; quien sounds a touch more formal.
Use #2: non-restrictive clauses
When you add a side comment about a person — the kind of extra information that sits between commas — you can use either que or quien. In writing, especially more formal writing, quien gives the sentence a slightly more polished feel.
Mi amigo, quien es médico, vive en Bogotá.
My friend, who is a doctor, lives in Bogotá.
Los ingenieros, quienes trabajaron todo el fin de semana, terminaron el proyecto.
The engineers, who worked all weekend, finished the project.
In casual speech, though, most Latin American speakers just use que:
Mi amigo, que es médico, vive en Bogotá.
My friend, who is a doctor, lives in Bogotá.
Both sentences mean the same thing, and both are correct. You'll hear que on the street and quien in the newspaper.
que or quien. Without commas (a restrictive clause), stick with que. Quien sounds odd in restrictive clauses to most Latin American ears.Use #3: as a stand-alone "the one who"
Quien can also function without a preceding noun, meaning "the one who" or "whoever." This use is closer to a fixed expression than to a relative pronoun, but it's worth knowing.
Quien mucho abarca, poco aprieta.
He who bites off too much chews little. (proverb)
Quien estudia, aprende.
Whoever studies, learns.
In this function you'll see quien (or quienes) at the beginning of proverbs, general statements, and bits of advice. It's a slightly literary flavor, but it's not rare.
Agreement: singular or plural?
Since quien refers to a person (or people), it agrees in number with its antecedent. Use quien for one person and quienes for more than one.
La persona a quien busco no está aquí.
The person I'm looking for isn't here.
Las personas a quienes busco no están aquí.
The people I'm looking for aren't here.
Quien does not change for gender — there's no quiena or quieno. One form fits both masculine and feminine referents.
Quien vs que: a quick comparison
| Situation | Best choice |
|---|---|
| Restrictive clause (no commas), thing or person | que |
| Restrictive clause (no commas), after a preposition, person | quien / el que |
| Non-restrictive clause (with commas), person | que or quien (quien is more formal) |
| Stand-alone "the one who" | quien |
Don't confuse with the interrogative
The relative quien / quienes has no written accent. The interrogative quién / quiénes (used in questions) does. Compare:
¿Quién vino a la fiesta?
Who came to the party?
El chico que vino a la fiesta es mi primo.
The boy who came to the party is my cousin.
For the interrogative use, see the quién interrogative page.
Related Topics
- Relative Pronoun: QueB1 — Que is the most common relative pronoun — 'that', 'which', 'who'
- El Que and El CualB2 — Longer relative forms used for emphasis or after prepositions
- Quién and QuiénesA1 — Asking 'who' with quién (singular) and quiénes (plural)