A cheerful woman in a red dress is visually linked by a bright yellow ribbon to a large blue flower on a green hill, symbolizing the connection made by the relative pronoun 'quien'.

quien

/kyen/

who?used to add extra information about a person,whom?often used after short words like 'con', 'para', 'a'

Also:the one who / he who / she who?when it starts a phrase acting as the subject,the ones who / they who?in its plural form, 'quienes'

📝 In Action

Mi hermano, quien es médico, vive en Bogotá.

My brother, who is a doctor, lives in Bogota.

Ella es la persona con quien hablé ayer.

She is the person with whom I spoke yesterday.

Fueron mis amigos quienes me ayudaron con la mudanza.

It was my friends who helped me with the move.

Quien no arriesga, no gana.

He who doesn't risk, doesn't gain. (Nothing ventured, nothing gained.)

Word Connections

Synonyms

el que / la que (the one who/that)
el cual / la cual (who/which (more formal))

Common Collocations

a quien corresponda – to whom it may concern
con quien – with whom
para quien – for whom
de quien – from whom / of whom / whose

Idioms & Expressions

Quien ríe último, ríe mejor. – The person who succeeds in the end has the true victory.
Quien calla, otorga. – If you don't object to something, you are assumed to agree with it.

💡 Grammar Points

Only for People

Think of quien as meaning 'that person who'. It's only ever used to refer to human beings. For objects, places, or ideas, you'll almost always use que.

Singular vs. Plural: `quien` vs. `quienes`

If you're talking about just one person, use quien. If you're talking about two or more people, it changes to quienes. Example: 'Los chicos, quienes juegan fútbol...'

A Favorite After Short Words (Prepositions)

Quien is the go-to word after little connecting words like a (to), con (with), de (from), and para (for) when you're referring to a person. Example: 'La mujer para quien trabajo...'

❌ Common Pitfalls

Using `que` instead of `quien` after prepositions

Mistake: "La persona con que hablé es de Argentina."

Correction: La persona con *quien* hablé es de Argentina. After a short word like 'con' that refers to a person, Spanish strongly prefers using `quien`.

Forgetting the plural `quienes`

Mistake: "Los turistas, quien visitaron el museo, estaban felices."

Correction: Los turistas, *quienes* visitaron el museo, estaban felices. Since 'turistas' is plural (more than one person), you need to use the plural form `quienes`.

Using `quien` for things

Mistake: "El coche, quien es rojo, es muy rápido."

Correction: El coche, *que* es rojo, es muy rápido. `Quien` is for people only! For an object like 'el coche' (the car), you must use `que`.

⭐ Usage Tips

The 'Comma Trick'

When you add extra, non-essential information about a person between two commas, using quien sounds very natural. For example: 'Ana, quien es mi mejor amiga, viene a la fiesta.'

✏️ Quick Practice

💡 Quick Quiz: quien

Question 1 of 2

Which word best completes this sentence: 'Los profesores, ___ enseñan español, son de Colombia.'

📚 More Resources

Word Family

quién(who? (in a question)) - pronoun

quienes(who / whom (plural)) - pronoun

quiénes(who? (plural, in a question)) - pronoun

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the simplest difference between `quien` and `que`?

The easiest rule is: `quien` is for people, and `que` is for everything else (things, ideas, places). While `que` can sometimes be used for people, `quien` can NEVER be used for things. So when in doubt, if it's not a person, it's not `quien`.

Why does `quien` sometimes have an accent mark (`quién`)?

The accent mark tells you it's a question word. `Quién` (with an accent) asks 'Who?'. For example, '¿Quién es ella?' (Who is she?). `Quien` (no accent) is for making statements and connecting ideas, like 'Ella es quien me llamó' (She is the one who called me).

Can I always use `que` instead of `quien` for people?

Not always. The biggest rule is that after a short connecting word (a preposition) like 'con', 'de', 'a', or 'para', you MUST use `quien` if you're talking about a person. For example, you have to say 'la chica *a quien* vi' (the girl whom I saw), you cannot say 'la chica a que vi'.