Que, Quem, and Onde: Relative Pronouns in Portuguese
Use que to add information about a person or thing, quem after a preposition for a person, and onde for a place.
Real Life Portuguese · 7 min read · Updated October 15, 2026
The short answer
Que is the most common relative pronoun in everyday Portuguese. It can refer back to a person or a thing: o livro que comprei (the book that I bought) and a pessoa que chegou (the person who arrived). The noun before que tells you what it refers to.
Use que to connect a person or thing to more information
A relative clause lets you combine two short ideas. Instead of repeating the noun, use que to connect them. This pattern helps when a name alone is not enough to describe a place, object, or person.
Este é o café que minha amiga recomendou.
This is the café my friend recommended.
Conheci a professora que escreveu o livro.
I met the teacher who wrote the book.
Gostei da música que você me mandou.
I liked the song you sent me.
Use quem for a person and onde for a place
After a preposition, quem commonly refers to a person: a pessoa com quem trabalho (the person I work with). In less formal conversation, Brazilians may also say a pessoa que eu trabalho com; the version with a preposition before quem is a reliable standard pattern.
Onde refers to a place: a cidade onde nasci (the city where I was born). If the reference is not a place, use a different connector. For example, o dia em que nos conhecemos (the day we met) uses em que, not onde.
A colega com quem viajei mora em Salvador.
The colleague I traveled with lives in Salvador.
A biblioteca onde estudo fecha às seis.
The library where I study closes at six.
Lembro do dia em que nos conhecemos.
I remember the day we met.
Put it into practice
Use que for the common person-or-thing link, quem for a person after a preposition in a standard pattern, and onde when the noun is a place.
Quick practice
Which Portuguese example matches “This is the café my friend recommended”?
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