+——————+—————-+——————————————————+ | Sing. | Plu. | | +——————+—————-+——————————————————+ |Quien |Quienes |(who, whom) | |El cual |Los cuales |(who, whom or which) | |La cual |Las cuales | | |Que | |(that) | |Cuyo |Cuyos |(whose, or of which (denoting | |Cuya |Cuyas | possession)) | +——————+—————-+——————————————————+
Quien is used for persons only. El cual and que are used for persons and things.
EXAMPLES—
El agente á quien (or al cual) hemos escrito: The agent to whom we have written.
¿Son aquéllas las partidas de azúcares de las cuales me habló V. ayer?
Are those the lots of sugar of which you spoke to me yesterday?
Me acuerdo de las personas y las cosas que V. ha mencionado: I remember the people and things that you mentioned.
El buque cuya tripulación ha desembarcado: The ship whose crew has landed.
El comerciante á cuyo hijo hemos conocido: The merchant whose son we have known.
Que is used very often instead of quien and el cual. Que is to be preferred when the clause following is a mere complement of the principal clause (preceding), and Quien or El cual only when the following clause is considered not less in importance than the clause preceding, viz., when it introduces _a new idea,[99] as—
¿Ha visto V. al viajante que nos visitó esta mañana?
Have you seen the traveller who called on us this morning?