Blog about English
Using who, whom, whose, which and that in relative clauses.
Relative pronouns introduce relative clauses and connect them to a noun or pronoun.
The main relative pronouns are who, whom, whose, which and that.
The woman who lives next door is a doctor.
Женщина, которая живет по соседству, — врач.
"Who" introduces the relative clause and refers back to "the woman".
The car that I bought is very reliable.
Машина, которую я купил, очень надежная.
"That" introduces a relative clause referring to the noun "car".
The student whose laptop was stolen called the police.
Студент, чей ноутбук украли, вызвал полицию.
"Whose" expresses possession inside the relative clause.
The restaurant which opened last month is already popular.
Ресторан, который открылся в прошлом месяце, уже популярен.
"Which" refers to the thing "restaurant".
The man whom I met at the airport was from Dallas.
Мужчина, которого я встретил в аэропорту, был из Далласа.
"Whom" refers to a person and functions as the object of "met".
The book that you recommended was excellent.
Книга, которую ты порекомендовал, была отличной.
"That" connects the noun "book" to the defining relative clause.
The company whose offices are in Austin is hiring.
Компания, чьи офисы находятся в Остине, нанимает сотрудников.
"Whose" can refer to an organization as well as a person.
The house that we rented had a large backyard.
Дом, который мы арендовали, имел большой двор.
"That" refers back to "the house".
Who refers to people and usually functions as the subject of a relative clause.
Example: The woman who called you is my aunt.
The woman who called you is my aunt.
Женщина, которая тебе звонила, — моя тетя.
"Who" is the subject of the relative clause "who called you".
The man who lives next door is a firefighter.
Мужчина, который живет по соседству, — пожарный.
"Who" refers to "the man" and functions as the subject of "lives".
I met a woman who works at the bank.
Я встретил женщину, которая работает в банке.
"Who" refers to the person described by the relative clause.
The doctor who treated me was very kind.
Врач, который меня лечил, был очень добрым.
"Who" is the subject of "treated".
The employee who answered the phone was helpful.
Сотрудник, который ответил на звонок, был полезен.
"Who" refers to "the employee".
The neighbor who owns that dog moved away.
Сосед, которому принадлежит та собака, переехал.
"Who" introduces a clause describing the neighbor.
The students who arrived early got the best seats.
Студенты, которые пришли рано, получили лучшие места.
"Who" is the subject of "arrived".
Anyone who needs help can call this number.
Любой, кому нужна помощь, может позвонить по этому номеру.
"Who" can follow an indefinite pronoun such as "anyone".
Whom refers to people and functions as the object of a relative clause.
Whom is mainly used in formal English and is often replaced by who in everyday speech.
The man whom I met at the airport was from Dallas.
Мужчина, которого я встретил в аэропорту, был из Далласа.
"Whom" is the object of "met".
The woman whom we invited arrived early.
Женщина, которую мы пригласили, пришла рано.
"Whom" functions as the object of "invited".
The lawyer whom I called returned my message.
Адвокат, которому я позвонил, перезвонил мне.
"Whom" is the object of "called".
The customer whom you helped left a good review.
Клиент, которому ты помог, оставил хороший отзыв.
"Whom" refers to the person receiving the action "helped".
The professor whom the students respected retired last year.
Профессор, которого уважали студенты, ушел на пенсию в прошлом году.
"Whom" is the object of "respected".
The candidate whom the committee selected accepted the offer.
Кандидат, которого выбрал комитет, принял предложение.
"Whom" is the object of "selected".
The person whom you should contact is the manager.
Человек, с которым тебе следует связаться, — менеджер.
"Whom" is the formal object form referring to "the person".
The client whom I spoke with yesterday will call again.
Клиент, с которым я разговаривал вчера, снова позвонит.
"Whom" is formally the object of the preposition "with", although everyday English commonly uses "who".
Whose expresses possession and may refer to both people and things.
Example: The company whose products we use has expanded rapidly.
The woman whose car was stolen called the police.
Женщина, чью машину украли, вызвала полицию.
"Whose" shows possession and refers back to "the woman".
The student whose phone rang apologized.
Студент, у которого зазвонил телефон, извинился.
"Whose" identifies the person associated with the phone.
The company whose products we use has expanded.
Компания, чьими продуктами мы пользуемся, расширилась.
"Whose" can refer to an organization or company.
The house whose roof was damaged is being repaired.
Дом, чья крыша была повреждена, ремонтируют.
"Whose" can also refer to a thing such as "house".
I met a family whose children go to our school.
Я встретил семью, чьи дети ходят в нашу школу.
"Whose" expresses a relationship between the family and its children.
We visited a museum whose collection includes Native American art.
Мы посетили музей, в коллекции которого есть искусство коренных народов Америки.
"Whose" refers to the museum and introduces a possessive relationship.
The neighborhood whose streets were flooded reopened this morning.
Район, улицы которого были затоплены, снова открыли сегодня утром.
"Whose" can refer to a geographical place.
The organization whose members volunteered was recognized by the city.
Организацию, члены которой были волонтерами, признал город.
"Whose" expresses possession or association with an organization.
Which normally refers to animals and things.
It may also refer to an entire clause or idea.
The car which I bought last year is still reliable.
Машина, которую я купил в прошлом году, все еще надежная.
"Which" refers to the thing "car".
The computer which sits on my desk is very fast.
Компьютер, который стоит на моем столе, очень быстрый.
"Which" functions as the subject of the relative clause.
The restaurant which we visited serves excellent tacos.
Ресторан, который мы посетили, подает отличные тако.
"Which" refers to the restaurant as a thing.
The book which is on the table is mine.
Книга, которая лежит на столе, моя.
"Which" is the subject of "is".
The dog, which was very old, could barely walk.
Собака, которая была очень старой, едва могла ходить.
"Which" refers to the animal and introduces a non-defining clause.
She missed her flight, which caused a lot of problems.
Она опоздала на свой рейс, что вызвало много проблем.
"Which" can refer to the entire preceding situation.
The laptop which I use for work is three years old.
Ноутбуку, который я использую для работы, три года.
"Which" refers to a specific thing in a relative clause.
The park, which is near downtown, gets crowded on weekends.
Парк, который находится недалеко от центра, бывает переполнен по выходным.
"Which" refers to the park in a non-defining relative clause.
That may replace who or which in many defining relative clauses.
It is not normally used in non-defining relative clauses.
The book that I bought was expensive.
Книга, которую я купил, была дорогой.
"That" introduces a defining relative clause referring to "book".
The woman that lives next door is a nurse.
Женщина, которая живет по соседству, — медсестра.
"That" can refer to a person in a defining relative clause.
The car that is parked outside belongs to my brother.
Машина, которая припаркована снаружи, принадлежит моему брату.
"That" is the subject of the relative clause.
The restaurant that we chose was in downtown Austin.
Ресторан, который мы выбрали, находился в центре Остина.
"That" can replace "which" in this defining clause.
The employee that answered the phone was very helpful.
Сотрудник, который ответил на звонок, был очень полезен.
"That" refers to a person in informal or neutral defining usage.
The house that we rented had a pool.
В доме, который мы арендовали, был бассейн.
"That" is the object of "rented" and could be omitted.
The only movie that I wanted to see was sold out.
Единственный фильм, который я хотел посмотреть, был распродан.
"That" is especially natural in this defining structure.
The people that work here are very friendly.
Люди, которые здесь работают, очень дружелюбные.
"That" can refer to people in a defining relative clause, especially in informal usage.
Object relative pronouns may often be omitted.
Example: The book (that) I bought yesterday is excellent.
The book that I bought yesterday is excellent.
Книга, которую я купил вчера, отличная.
The object relative pronoun "that" may be omitted: "The book I bought yesterday is excellent."
The book I bought yesterday is excellent.
Книга, которую я купил вчера, отличная.
The relative pronoun is omitted because it is the object of "bought".
The movie we watched last night was funny.
Фильм, который мы смотрели вчера вечером, был смешным.
The omitted pronoun is the object of "watched".
The person you called is my manager.
Человек, которому ты позвонил, — мой менеджер.
The object pronoun "whom", "who" or "that" can be omitted here.
The restaurant we visited had great food.
В ресторане, который мы посетили, была отличная еда.
No relative pronoun is needed because the antecedent is the object of "visited".
The laptop I use for work is very fast.
Ноутбук, который я использую для работы, очень быстрый.
The omitted relative pronoun would be the object of "use".
The apartment they rented is downtown.
Квартира, которую они сняли, находится в центре.
The object relative pronoun can be omitted after "apartment".
The report that she wrote won an award.
Отчет, который она написала, получил награду.
"That" can be omitted: "The report she wrote won an award."
Relative pronouns may follow prepositions, especially in formal English.
Compare the person to whom I spoke with the person who I spoke to.
The person to whom I spoke was the manager.
Человек, с которым я разговаривал, был менеджером.
"Whom" follows the preposition "to" in a formal construction.
The company for which she works is based in Denver.
Компания, на которую она работает, находится в Денвере.
"Which" follows the preposition "for" in formal English.
The person with whom I traveled lives in Seattle.
Человек, с которым я путешествовал, живет в Сиэтле.
"Whom" is used after "with" in the formal construction.
The project on which we are working is almost finished.
Проект, над которым мы работаем, почти закончен.
"Which" follows the preposition "on".
The professor to whom I sent the email replied quickly.
Профессор, которому я отправил письмо, быстро ответил.
"Whom" is used after "to" in a formal relative clause.
The person who I spoke to was the manager.
Человек, с которым я разговаривал, был менеджером.
In everyday English, the preposition is often left at the end and "who" is commonly used.
The company that she works for is based in Denver.
Компания, на которую она работает, находится в Денвере.
Informal and neutral English commonly strands the preposition at the end.
The project we are working on is almost finished.
Проект, над которым мы работаем, почти закончен.
The object relative pronoun may be omitted while the preposition remains at the end.
Which may refer to an entire preceding clause rather than a single noun.
Example: He missed the train, which surprised everyone.
He missed the train, which caused a lot of problems.
Он опоздал на поезд, что вызвало много проблем.
"Which" refers to the entire preceding event, not just "train".
She quit her job, which surprised everyone.
Она уволилась с работы, что всех удивило.
"Which" refers to the fact that she quit her job.
The company closed the office, which upset many employees.
Компания закрыла офис, что расстроило многих сотрудников.
"Which" refers to the whole preceding action.
He forgot the meeting, which was unfortunate.
Он забыл о собрании, что было досадно.
"Which" comments on the preceding fact as a whole.
The storm lasted all night, which damaged several houses.
Буря продолжалась всю ночь, что повредило несколько домов.
"Which" refers to the preceding situation rather than simply "night".
She accepted the offer, which made her parents happy.
Она приняла предложение, что порадовало ее родителей.
"Which" refers to the action of accepting the offer.
The server went down, which delayed the release.
Сервер отключился, что задержало выпуск.
"Which" refers to the entire preceding event.
We arrived two hours early, which gave us plenty of time to relax.
Мы приехали на два часа раньше, что дало нам достаточно времени отдохнуть.
"Which" refers to the preceding fact and its consequence.
Both who and that may refer to people in defining clauses, although who is generally preferred in formal English.
The choice depends on style, register and context.
The woman who lives next door is a teacher.
Женщина, которая живет по соседству, — учитель.
"Who" is generally preferred for people, especially in careful English.
The woman that lives next door is a teacher.
Женщина, которая живет по соседству, — учитель.
"That" is also possible in a defining relative clause referring to a person.
The employees who work remotely need better equipment.
Сотрудникам, которые работают удаленно, нужно лучшее оборудование.
"Who" is natural and generally preferred when the antecedent is a person.
The employees that work remotely need better equipment.
Сотрудникам, которые работают удаленно, нужно лучшее оборудование.
"That" is acceptable in many defining clauses in everyday English.
The person who called left a message.
Человек, который звонил, оставил сообщение.
"Who" sounds especially natural because the antecedent is a person.
The person that called left a message.
Человек, который звонил, оставил сообщение.
"That" is possible in a defining clause but is less explicitly human-focused than "who".
The only person who can solve this is Maria.
Единственный человек, который может это решить, — Мария.
"Who" is strongly natural in careful English when referring to a person.
The only person that can solve this is Maria.
Единственный человек, который может это решить, — Мария.
"That" is possible in defining usage, though "who" is generally preferred in formal contexts.
Relative pronoun usage varies according to the level of formality.
Formal English favors whom and preposition-fronting, while informal English often omits object pronouns and strands prepositions.
The person to whom I spoke was the manager.
Человек, с которым я разговаривал, был менеджером.
Formal English may place the preposition before "whom".
The person who I spoke to was the manager.
Человек, с которым я разговаривал, был менеджером.
Informal English commonly uses "who" and leaves the preposition at the end.
The client whom we contacted responded immediately.
Клиент, с которым мы связались, сразу ответил.
"Whom" is a formal object form.
The client we contacted responded immediately.
Клиент, с которым мы связались, сразу ответил.
In less formal English, the object relative pronoun can be omitted.
The company for which she works is based in Denver.
Компания, на которую она работает, находится в Денвере.
This is a formal preposition-fronted construction.
The company she works for is based in Denver.
Компания, на которую она работает, находится в Денвере.
This is a natural neutral or informal alternative.
Whom did you speak to about the problem?
С кем ты говорил по поводу проблемы?
"Whom" is traditionally formal, although "who" is common in everyday American English.
Who did you speak to about the problem?
С кем ты говорил по поводу проблемы?
"Who" is very common in conversational English, even when it functions as an object.
Choose the correct relative pronoun according to its antecedent and grammatical function.
Common mistakes include confusing who and which, overusing that, misusing whom and omitting required relative pronouns.
The woman who lives next door is a doctor.
Женщина, которая живет по соседству, — врач.
Use "who" for a person when the relative pronoun is the subject of the clause.
The car which I bought is very reliable.
Машина, которую я купил, очень надежная.
Use "which" for a thing such as "car", not "who".
The student whose phone rang apologized.
Студент, у которого зазвонил телефон, извинился.
Use "whose" to express possession inside a relative clause.
The book I bought yesterday is excellent.
Книга, которую я купил вчера, отличная.
An object relative pronoun can often be omitted.
The person I spoke to was very helpful.
Человек, с которым я разговаривал, был очень полезен.
The object relative pronoun can be omitted when the preposition remains at the end.
The company that we contacted replied quickly.
Компания, с которой мы связались, быстро ответила.
"That" is possible in a defining relative clause.
The man whom I met was from Houston.
Мужчина, которого я встретил, был из Хьюстона.
"Whom" is the formal object form; "who" is common in everyday speech.
She missed the train, which caused a delay.
Она опоздала на поезд, что вызвало задержку.
"Which" can refer to the entire preceding clause, not just to "train".