- who
- hu:
1. pronoun((used as the subject of a verb) what person(s)(?): Who is that woman in the green hat?; Who did that?; Who won?; Do you know who all these people are?) quién, quiénes
2. relative pronoun1) ((used to refer to a person or people mentioned previously to distinguish him or them from others: used as the subject of a verb: usually replaceable by that) (the) one(s) that: The man who/that telephoned was a friend of yours; A doctor is a person who looks after people's health.)2) (used, after a comma, to introduce a further comment on a person or people: His mother, who was so proud, gave him a hug.) que•- whoever
3. pronoun1) (no matter who: Whoever rings, tell him/them I'm out.)2) ((also who ever) used in questions to express surprise etc: Whoever said that?) quienquiera que, cualquiera que•- whom
4. relative pronoun(used as the object of a verb or preposition but in everyday speech sometimes replaced by who)1) ((used to refer to a person or people mentioned previously, to distinguish him or them from others: able to be omitted or replaced by that except when following a preposition) (the) one(s) that: The man (whom/that) you mentioned is here; Today I met some friends (whom/that) I hadn't seen for ages; This is the man to whom I gave it; This is the man (whom/who/that) I gave it to.)2) (used, after a comma, to introduce a further comment on a person or people: His mother, who was so proud of him, gave him a hug.) que, quien, quienes•who pron1. quiénwho was at the party? ¿quién había en la fiesta?tell me who they are dime quiénes son2. quethe woman who lives next door la mujer que vive al ladoWHOtr['dʌbəljʊː'eɪʧ'əʊ]abbreviation1 (World Health Organization) Organización Mundial de la Salud; (abbreviation) OMS nombre femeninowho ['hu:] pron1) (used in direct and indirect questions) : quiénwho is that?: ¿quién es ése?who did it?: ¿quién lo hizo?we know who they are: sabemos quiénes son2) (used in relative clauses) : que, quienthe lady who lives there: la señora que vive allífor those who wait: para los que esperan, para quienes esperanwhopron.• cual pron.• el que pron.• que pron.• quien pron.• quién pron.noun (= World Health Organization) OMS f[huː]1. PRON1) (in direct and indirect questions) quién sing , quiénes plwho is it? — ¿quién es?
who are they? — ¿quiénes son?
who are you looking for? — ¿a quién buscas?
who does she think she is? * — ¿quién se cree que es?
I know who it was — (yo) sé quién fue
you'll soon find out who's who — pronto sabrás quién es quién
2) (in exclamations) quiénguess who! — ¡a ver si adivinas quién soy!
who should it be but Neil! — ¿a que no sabes quién era? ¡Neil!, ¡no era otro que Neil!
3) (relative) que; (after preposition) el/la que, quien, el/la cual more frmmy cousin who lives in New York — mi primo que vive en Nueva York
the girl who you saw — la chica que viste
the girl who you spoke to has since left the company — la chica con la que or con quien or more frm con la cual hablaste ya no trabaja en la empresa
those who can swim — los que saben nadar
he who wishes to ... — el que desee ...
deny it who may — aunque habrá quien lo niegue
2.CPDWho's Who N — (=book) libro que contiene una lista de británicos famosos y destacados
WHO, WHOMtheir client list reads like a celebrity Who's Who — su lista de clientes incluye a todos los que son alguien en el mundo de la fama
In direct and indirect questions
► In direct and indirect questions as well as after expressions of (un)certainty and doubt (e.g. no sé), translate who using quién/quiénes when it is the subject of a verb:
Who broke the window? ¿Quién rompió la ventana?
She had no idea who her real parents were Ignoraba quiénes eran sus verdaderos padres ► When who/whom is the object of a verb or preposition, translate using quién/quiénes preceded by personal a or another preposition as relevant:
Who(m) did you call? ¿A quién llamaste?
Who(m) is she going to marry? ¿Con quién se va a casar?
You must tell me who you are going to go out with Tienes que decirme con quién/quiénes vas a salir
In exclamations
► Translate using quién/quiénes with an accent as in the interrogative form:
Who would have thought it! ¡Quién lo hubiera pensado!
As relative
► When who/whom follows the noun it refers to, the most common translation is que:
Do you recognize the three girls who have just come in? ¿Reconoces a las tres chicas que acaban de entrar?
Peter, who was at the match, has told me all about it Peter, que estuvo en el partido, me lo ha contado todo
That man (who(m)) you saw wasn't my father El hombre que viste no era mi padre NOTE: Personal a is not used before que.
"Who" as subject of a verb
► When who is the subject, que can sometimes be substituted by el cual/la cual or quien (singular) and los cuales/las cuales or quienes (plural). This can help avoid ambiguity:
I bumped into Ian and Sue, who had just come back from Madrid Me encontré con Ian y con Sue, la cual or quien acababa de regresar de Madrid ► Only que is possible in cases where subject who can be substituted by that, i.e. where who defines the person in question and the sentence does not make sense if you omit the who clause:
The little boy who won the cycle race is Sarah's nephew El niñito que ganó la carrera ciclista es el sobrino de Sarah
"Who(m)" as object of a verb or preposition
► When who(m) is the object of a verb, you can translate it using que as above. Alternatively, especially in formal language, use personal a + quien/quienes or personal a + ((article)) + cual/cuales {etc} or personal a + ((article)) + que:
The woman (who or whom) you're describing is my music teacher La señora que or a quien or a la cual or a la que describes es mi profesora de música
"Who(m)" as object of a preposition
► After prepositions, you should usually use que or cual preceded by the article or quien:
This is the girl (who or whom) I talked to you about esta es la chica de la que or de la cual or de quien te hablé For further uses and examples, see who, whom* * *noun (= World Health Organization) OMS f
English-spanish dictionary. 2013.
