How to Say "who" in Spanish
The most common Spanish word for “who” is “que” — use 'que' when it acts as a relative pronoun referring to people, often functioning like 'that' or 'which' in English, connecting a noun to a clause..
que
/keh//ke/
Examples
La chica que está aquí es mi amiga.
The girl that is here is my friend.
El libro que leo es interesante.
The book that I'm reading is interesting.
La casa que tiene el techo rojo es mía.
The house that has the red roof is mine.
Espero que vengas a la fiesta.
I hope that you come to the party.
The Ultimate Connector
Use 'que' to add extra information about a person or thing you just mentioned. It's like 'that', 'which', or 'who' in English all rolled into one.
Don't Forget 'Que'
Mistake: “English often drops 'that' (e.g., 'I think he is nice').”
Correction: In Spanish, you almost always need to keep the 'que': 'Creo que es simpático.'
quien
/kyen//ˈkjen/
Examples
Mi vecino, quien vive al lado, es muy amable.
My neighbor, who lives next door, is very kind.
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.
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...'
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`.
Que vs. Quien for People
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