quien

Quien is a Spanish pronoun that operates as both an interrogative and a relative pronoun, depending on the sentence structure. It translates to who in English and is used to refer to people.

In direct questions and exclamations, the word carries an acute accent: qué se? No, the word is “quién.” For example, in a direct question you would write “¿Quién llamó?” or “¿Quiénes vienen?” In exclamations you may encounter forms like “¡Quién pudiera!” or “¡Quién me lo hubiera dicho!” The plural interrogative form is “quiénes.”

As a relative pronoun, quien refers to a person and does not carry an accent when it follows a preposition within a relative clause. Examples include “la mujer con quien hablé” or “la persona a quien llamé.” In these cases, the keeping of the accent is not used, distinguishing the relative use from the interrogative/exclamative use.

Usage notes and forms:

- Interrogative: ¿Quién? ¿Quiénes? with accents on quién and quiénes.

- Indirect questions retain the accent: “No sé quién llamó.”

- Relative pronoun after prepositions: “a quien,” “con quien,” “para quien” (no accent on quien in these contexts).

- Plural relative form: “quienes” without accent in most relatives; interrogative plural “quiénes” carries the accent.

Etymology traces to Latin quis/qui, evolving in Spanish to function as a question word and a relative pronoun. Quien is a fundamental element in constructing questions and clauses about people in Spanish grammar.

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