Pointing fingers
To emphasize exactly who is to blame for something, you can put a spotlight on them using a cleft sentence.
Use a conjugated form of the verb ser (like es or fue) + the person + quien (who) + the rest of the sentence. If you are emphasizing multiple people, use quienes. Notice how ser conjugates to match the subject (fui yo, fueron ellos).
| It is my brother who insults me! | ¡Es mi hermano quien me insulta! |
| It was them who hit me last night. | Fueron ellos quienes me pegaron anoche. |
| It was me who hit the snitch in the park. | Fui yo quien le pegó al chivato en el parque. |
Using "el que" and "la que"
Instead of quien, you can use el que, la que, los que, or las que. The article must match the gender and number of the person or thing you are pointing out.
| It was that liar who broke the remote control! | ¡Fue ese mentiroso el que rompió el mando! |
| It was my sister who started the row. | Fue mi hermana la que empezó la bronca. |
Emphasizing the receiver
To emphasize who received the action, include the preposition a before the person and again before quien.
| It was my sister whom they blamed yesterday. | Fue a mi hermana a quien culparon ayer. |
| It is mom who you are going to snitch to. | Es a mamá a quien te vas a chivar. |
Spotlighting time and place
You can also emphasize exactly when or where an argument happened by using cuando (when) or donde (where). Keep any necessary prepositions (like en) attached to the place you are emphasizing.
| It was yesterday when the liar decided to snitch. | Fue ayer cuando el mentiroso decidió chivarse. |
| It was in my bedroom where he insulted me yesterday. | Fue en mi dormitorio donde él me insultó ayer. |
