Breakdown of Este é o funcionário que trabalha no departamento.
ser
to be
em
in / on / at
trabalhar
to work
este
this (este, esta, estes, estas)
o departamento
the department
o funcionário
the employee
que
who / which / that (relative)
Questions & Answers about Este é o funcionário que trabalha no departamento.
Why does the sentence use que instead of a specific word for 'who' like quem?
In Portuguese, the relative pronoun que is very flexible and is used for both people and things. It can translate to 'who', 'which', or 'that'. You might know that quem means 'who', but as a relative pronoun, quem is mostly used after prepositions (like com quem). When referring directly back to a noun like o funcionário, que is the natural choice.
If we were talking about multiple female employees, would que change to a plural or feminine form?
No, the relative pronoun que is invariable. It never changes its form, regardless of the gender or number of the noun it refers to. If the subject changed, it would still be as funcionárias que trabalham no departamento.
Why does the sentence use no instead of em o for 'in the'?
The preposition em (in/on/at) always combines with the definite article o (the, masculine singular) to form the mandatory contraction no. In Portuguese, you must use these joined forms rather than leaving the words separate.
Could I say Esse é o funcionário instead of Este é o funcionário?
Learn Este é o funcionário que trabalha no departamento and more in Portuguese
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free