quién
/ˈkjen/
The Spanish phrase quien means 'who'.
quien is used as a relative pronoun meaning 'who' or 'whom' to connect clauses.
Which one should you use?
The form with an accent, quién, is used for direct and indirect questions or exclamations. In contrast, the form without an accent, quien, is used as a relative pronoun.
How does it change in a sentence?
Both the interrogative quién and the relative quien must agree in number with the person they refer to, changing to quienes in the plural.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈkjen/
Did you know?
- The word quién is a direct relative of the English word 'who' through their shared ancient ancestor in Proto-Indo-European. They both evolved from a root starting with the sound *kʷ-.
- When used in a question, quién can be used rhetorically in the phrase ¿Quién sabe?, which doesn't just ask 'who knows' but often means 'who knows for sure' or 'it's impossible to know'.
- In formal Spanish, quien can be used as a substitute for 'the person who'. For example, quien quiera means 'anyone who wants to' rather than referring to a specific person.
Examples in context
- ¿Quién es el director de la empresa?Who is the director of the company?
- ¿Quién es usted, señor?Who are you, sir?
- ¿Quién va a la fiesta?Who is going to the party?
- ¿Quién eres tú?Who are you?
- ¿A quién le preguntas?Who are you asking?
- El que busca, encuentra.He who seeks, finds.
- ¿Quién es ese hombre?Who is that man?
- ¿Quién quiere comer ahora?Who wants to eat now?
- ¿Quién llamó por teléfono?Who called on the phone?
Example conversation
Lucía and Javier are at home when a doorbell rings.
- Lucía¿Quién es?Who is it?
- JavierNo sé quién puede ser.I don't know who it could be.
- LucíaTal vez es el cartero.Maybe it is the mailman.
- JavierYo abriré la puerta.I will open the door.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry quién, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries quién, CC BY-SA 4.0.
