Relative Clauses: The Person Who, The Thing That, The Place Where
Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds
Use 'who' for people, 'that' for things, and 'where' for places to add extra information about a noun.
- Use 'who' for people: The man who lives here is nice.
- Use 'that' for things: The book that I read was great.
- Use 'where' for places: This is the park where we met.
Overview
- The girl who sits in the front is my sister.
- The phone that I bought last year is broken.
- Paris is the city where I was born.
that is very common and can replace both who and which:- The person that helped me. ✓
- The book that I read. ✓
Relative Pronoun Usage
| Noun Type | Pronoun | Example |
|---|---|---|
|
Person
|
who
|
The man who is here
|
|
Thing
|
that
|
The car that I drive
|
|
Place
|
where
|
The city where I live
|
Common Omissions
| Full Form | Short Form |
|---|---|
|
The book that I read
|
The book I read
|
|
The person who I saw
|
The person I saw
|
Meanings
Relative clauses provide essential information about a noun, helping to identify exactly which person, thing, or place you are talking about.
Identifying People
Specifying which person is being discussed.
“The woman who called is my boss.”
“Do you know the boy who won the race?”
Identifying Things
Specifying which object or idea is being discussed.
“The car that I bought is blue.”
“I need a phone that has a good camera.”
Identifying Places
Specifying the location where an event happens.
“The city where I was born is small.”
“This is the restaurant where we ate.”
Reference Table
| Form | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
|
Affirmative
|
Noun + who/that/where + Verb
|
The dog that barks is loud.
|
|
Negative
|
Noun + who/that/where + don't/doesn't
|
The man who doesn't talk is shy.
|
|
Question
|
Is this the [noun] that/who/where...?
|
Is this the place where we met?
|
|
Short Answer
|
Yes, it is.
|
Yes, it is.
|
|
Person
|
Noun + who
|
The girl who sings.
|
|
Thing
|
Noun + that
|
The bag that is red.
|
|
Place
|
Noun + where
|
The room where I sleep.
|
Spectre de formalité
The individual who is responsible is here. (Professional vs casual)
The person who is responsible is here. (Professional vs casual)
The guy who's in charge is here. (Professional vs casual)
The dude who's running it is here. (Professional vs casual)
Relative Clause Map
People
- who for humans
Things
- that for objects
Places
- where for locations
Exemples par niveau
I have a friend who is a doctor.
Tengo un amigo que es médico.
This is the bag that I like.
Esta es la bolsa que me gusta.
That is the house where I live.
Esa es la casa donde vivo.
The man who is tall is my dad.
El hombre que es alto es mi papá.
The girl who is singing is my sister.
La chica que está cantando es mi hermana.
I need a computer that works fast.
Necesito una computadora que funcione rápido.
The park where we play is closed.
El parque donde jugamos está cerrado.
Do you know the person who sent this?
¿Conoces a la persona que envió esto?
The company that hired me is international.
La empresa que me contrató es internacional.
The city where I grew up has changed.
La ciudad donde crecí ha cambiado.
People who exercise often feel better.
Las personas que hacen ejercicio a menudo se sienten mejor.
The book that I am reading is fascinating.
El libro que estoy leyendo es fascinante.
The candidate who impressed the board was hired.
El candidato que impresionó a la junta fue contratado.
The software that we use is outdated.
El software que usamos está desactualizado.
The neighborhood where I live is quiet.
El vecindario donde vivo es tranquilo.
Students who study hard usually succeed.
Los estudiantes que estudian mucho usualmente tienen éxito.
The policy that was implemented failed.
La política que fue implementada fracasó.
The region where the event occurred is remote.
La región donde ocurrió el evento es remota.
The artist who painted this is famous.
El artista que pintó esto es famoso.
The strategy that we chose was risky.
La estrategia que elegimos fue arriesgada.
The institution where he studied is prestigious.
La institución donde estudió es prestigiosa.
The individual who authored the report is here.
El individuo que fue autor del reporte está aquí.
The mechanism that drives this is complex.
El mecanismo que impulsa esto es complejo.
The environment where they thrive is unique.
El entorno donde ellos prosperan es único.
Facile à confondre
Learners use them interchangeably.
Learners use 'where' for time.
Learners use 'who' in formal writing.
Erreurs courantes
The man which is here.
The man who is here.
The book who I read.
The book that I read.
The place that I live.
The place where I live.
The girl she is nice.
The girl who is nice.
The house who I live.
The house where I live.
The car that it is fast.
The car that is fast.
The person where I met.
The person who I met.
The city which I was born.
The city where I was born.
The friend that I spoke.
The friend who I spoke to.
The thing who I bought.
The thing that I bought.
The person with who I spoke.
The person with whom I spoke.
The place that I visited there.
The place that I visited.
The man which is tall.
The man who is tall.
The book that it is on the table.
The book that is on the table.
Structures de phrases
The ___ who ___ is my friend.
I have a ___ that ___.
This is the ___ where ___.
People who ___ are usually ___.
Real World Usage
The person who took this photo is amazing.
The place we met is closed.
I am looking for a role that challenges me.
Is this the train that goes to London?
The restaurant that I ordered from is great.
The study that was conducted shows results.
Keep it simple
Don't repeat
Omission
Formal vs Informal
Smart Tips
Always use 'who' to sound more natural.
Use 'where' to be precise.
Avoid omitting the relative pronoun.
Use 'whom' after prepositions.
Prononciation
Stress
The relative pronoun is usually unstressed.
Falling
The MAN who lives HERE. ↘
Completing a statement.
Mémorise-le
Moyen mnémotechnique
Who is for a person, That is for a thing, Where is for a place, it’s a simple string!
Association visuelle
Imagine a person with a 'WHO' sign, a book with a 'THAT' sign, and a house with a 'WHERE' sign.
Rhyme
Who for the friend, That for the pen, Where for the place, again and again.
Story
Meet Sam. Sam is a person who loves coffee. He has a mug that is red. He goes to a cafe where they serve the best beans.
Word Web
Défi
Write 3 sentences about your day using 'who', 'that', and 'where'.
Notes culturelles
Very common to omit 'that' in casual speech.
Often uses 'which' for things even in defining clauses.
Strictly avoids omitting pronouns.
Relative pronouns evolved from Old English demonstratives.
Amorces de conversation
Who is the person who inspires you most?
What is the place where you feel most relaxed?
Can you describe a movie that you really enjoyed?
What is a gadget that you use every day?
Sujets d'écriture
Erreurs courantes
Test Yourself
The girl ___ is singing is my sister.
Which sentence is correct?
Find and fix the mistake:
The man which lives here is nice.
Arrange the words in the correct order:
All words placed
Click words above to build the sentence
La casa donde vivo es pequeña.
Answer starts with: The...
Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:
I have a friend. He speaks French.
This is the restaurant ___ we ate.
Score: /8
Exercices pratiques
8 exercisesThe girl ___ is singing is my sister.
Which sentence is correct?
Find and fix the mistake:
The man which lives here is nice.
is / the / that / book / I / read
La casa donde vivo es pequeña.
Person - ?
I have a friend. He speaks French.
This is the restaurant ___ we ate.
Score: /8
FAQ (8)
In very informal speech, yes, but 'who' is much better.
Use 'where' only for locations like cities, houses, or parks.
They are similar, but 'that' is for essential info and 'which' is for extra info.
Check if you are repeating the subject or using the wrong pronoun.
Yes, if it's the object of the clause in informal English.
If you are talking about the place as an object, use 'that'.
Try describing your daily routine using these clauses.
Yes, it is very common in all types of writing.
Scaffolded Practice
1
2
3
4
Mastery Progress
Needs Practice
Improving
Strong
Mastered
In Other Languages
que / quien
English requires 'who' for people.
qui / que
English uses 'who' and 'that' based on the noun type.
der/die/das
English relative pronouns do not change for gender or case.
relative clause + noun
English uses a pronoun after the noun.
alladhi
English pronouns are gender-neutral.
de
English uses specific relative pronouns.
Learning Path
Prerequisites
Vidéos associées
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