Give extra details about people and things: relative clauses.

Relative clauses add extra information about a noun without starting a new sentence — they let you combine two ideas smoothly. The relative pronoun you choose depends on what you're describing: a person, a thing, a place, a time, or possession.

Why this matters This lesson connects directly to your progress: it covers who and that, for people; which and that, for things; whose, where, when, and why. Mastering this content lets you move forward confidently, and reinforces patterns you'll use again later. Take time to review every example before moving to the assessment — repetition is what actually locks knowledge in long-term.

What will you be able to do?

The goals of this lesson.

→ Use: who and that, for people
→ Apply: which and that, for things
→ Recognize and use: whose, where, when, and why

Before you start

You already build sentences with a subject and a verb. This lesson teaches you to combine two ideas into one sentence using "who", "which", and "that" — relative clauses.

Who and that, for people

"Who" refers specifically to people. "That" can also refer to people in everyday speech, though "who" is considered more precise.

Pronoun	Refers to	Example
who	people	the woman who called
that	people (informal) or things	the man that called

Examples

The woman who lives next door is a doctor.

Who (people)

I have a friend who speaks four languages.

Who (people)

The man that called earlier didn't leave a message.

That (people)

Students who study hard usually get good grades.

Who (people)

The teacher who taught me math retired last year.

Who (people)

I met someone who knows your sister.

Who (people)

The person that stole my bike was never caught.

That (people)

We hired a new employee who has great experience.

Who (people)

Which and that, for things

"Which" and "that" both refer to things or animals — "that" is generally more common in everyday spoken English.

Examples

The book which I bought yesterday is amazing.

Which (things)

This is the restaurant that we visited last week.

That (things)

The car which broke down is finally fixed.

Which (things)

I lost the keys that were on the table.

That (things)

The movie which won the award was excellent.

Which (things)

This is the house that my grandfather built.

That (things)

Whose, where, when, and why

"Whose" shows possession, "where" refers to a place, "when" refers to a time, and "why" refers to a reason.

Pronoun	Refers to
whose	possession
where	a place
when	a time
why	a reason

Examples

That's the man whose car was stolen.

Whose (possession)

She's the teacher whose class I loved the most.

Whose (possession)

This is the town where I grew up.

Where (places)

Do you remember the day when we first met?

When (time)

I need a place where I can study quietly.

Where (places)

The company whose products I love just launched something new.

Whose (possession)

That's the reason why he left early.

Why (reason)

The restaurant where we had dinner was fantastic.

Where (places)

Reading

Read the text and answer the questions. You can try as many times as you want.

My neighborhood has changed a lot. The old bakery, which used to sell the best bread in town, closed last year. The family who owned it moved to another city. Now there's a coffee shop where the bakery used to be.

I still remember the baker, whose name was Mr. Ramirez, who always gave free cookies to kids. The street where I grew up looks completely different now. Sometimes I miss the days when everything felt simpler.

💪 Your sentences are getting richer and more connected. Review this lesson if needed, or keep building toward B2!

Fill in the Blanks

Usa las pistas para completar cada palabra en inglés. Sin calificar — repite las veces que quieras.

Key Points

The essentials of this lesson, summarized.

Who and that, for people: "Who" refers specifically to people. "That" can also refer to people in everyday speech, though "who" is considered more precise.
Which and that, for things: "Which" and "that" both refer to things or animals — "that" is generally more common in everyday spoken English.
Whose, where, when, and why: "Whose" shows possession, "where" refers to a place, "when" refers to a time, and "why" refers to a reason.
Reading: Read the text and answer the questions. You can try as many times as you want.

Vocabulary in This Lesson

Key terms to remember.

woman: "The woman who lives next door is a doctor."
friend: "I have a friend who speaks four languages."
called: "The man that called earlier didn't leave a message."
Students: "Students who study hard usually get good grades."
teacher: "The teacher who taught me math retired last year."
someone: "I met someone who knows your sister."

Build the Sentence

Tap the words in the correct order to form the sentence. Ungraded — repeat as many times as you like.

Choose the Correct Verb

Tap the correct verb form to complete each sentence. The other options are conjugations from other tenses — on purpose, so you learn to tell them apart.

I someone who knows your sister

The which I bought yesterday is amazing

That's reason why he left early

We a new employee who has great experience

The where we had dinner was fantastic

Complete the Dialogue

Listen to the full dialogue with the speaker buttons first, then fill in the missing words from this lesson's real conversation. Ungraded — repeat as many times as you like.

that

the who hired me last year.

Assessment

You need at least 80% to unlock the next lesson. You can retake it as many times as you want — your best score is saved.

Summary and next step

You now combine ideas using relative clauses. Next lesson: reported speech — how to report what someone said.

Games

Practice this lesson's vocabulary with a word search and flashcards. Ungraded — play as many times as you like.

Word Search

Tap the first and last letter of a hidden word to find it. Los términos de varias palabras van sin espacios en el tablero (ej. "give up" aparece como GIVEUP).

Flashcards

Elige la respuesta correcta. Si aciertas, la tarjeta queda lista por hoy; si fallas, vuelve a aparecer pronto para reforzarla. Tu progreso se guarda en este dispositivo.

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