Breakdown of Os muros renovados, em frente dos quais o carro parou, são altos.
ser
to be
o carro
the car
alto
tall / high
em frente de
in front of
parar
to stop
o muro
the wall
renovado
renovated
os quais
which / who (m.pl)
Questions & Answers about Os muros renovados, em frente dos quais o carro parou, são altos.
Why do we use dos quais here instead of just que?
When a relative pronoun comes after a multi-syllable preposition or a prepositional phrase like em frente de (in front of), we must use a form of o qual instead of the simple que. Because the phrase ends in de, it combines with os quais to become dos quais.
What dictates the gender and number of dos quais?
The relative pronoun must match the noun it is replacing or referring back to. Here, it refers back to os muros (the walls), which is a masculine plural noun. That is why we use the masculine plural form os quais (inside dos quais).
In English we might say 'which the car stopped in front of'. Can we leave the preposition at the end in Portuguese?
No, Portuguese never allows a sentence or clause to end with a preposition. The preposition or prepositional phrase must always come directly before the relative pronoun, perfectly mirroring the formal English structure 'in front of which'.
Learn Os muros renovados, em frente dos quais o carro parou, são altos 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