How does the relative pronoun qui work in Latin?

Qui, quae, quod agrees with its antecedent, the noun it refers back to, in gender and number. Its case comes from its job inside its own clause. In rex quem videmus, the king whom we see, quem is masculine singular because rex is, and accusative because it is the object of videmus. In rex qui venit, the king who is coming, the same antecedent gives a nominative, because the pronoun is now the subject.

What is the difference between qui, quae and quod?

In the nominative singular, qui is masculine, quae feminine and quod neuter: vir qui venit, mater quae venit, templum quod videmus. But quae also serves as the feminine plural and the neuter plural, so verba quae dicis, the words which you say, uses quae for a neuter noun. Check the antecedent's gender in the dictionary rather than guessing from its ending.

What does cuius mean in Latin?

Whose, or of whom, of which: the genitive singular of qui, the same for all three genders. Rex cuius nomen scimus is the king whose name we know. The dative singular cui, to whom, is equally shared: vir cui librum damus, the man to whom we give the book. In the plural the forms split again: quorum, quarum, quibus.

Latin Relative Pronoun: qui, quae, quod and How It Agrees

Q: How do you say with whom in Latin?

Cum quo, or with cum glued on after it, quocum, both classical: vir quocum loquor, the man with whom I am speaking. For a feminine antecedent it is cum qua or quacum, and in the plural cum quibus or quibuscum. With other prepositions the order is the normal one: urbs in qua sumus, the city in which we are.

By Michael McGettrickUpdated 12 October 2026

, , is the Latin who, which and that, and it is the eighth commonest word in the language. One rule runs it: gender and number from the noun it refers to, case from its own clause. Here it is on one noun, , in five jobs.

nominativeaccusativegenitivedativeablativeWhat do the colours mean?

Job in its clause	Latin	English
subject		the king who is coming
object		the king whom we see
whose		the king whose name we know
to whom		the king to whom we give a book
with whom		the king with whom we speak

Quick check

Now use it: three quick questions on the chart above. The full practice is further down.

Pick the right one

0/3

What case is the relative pronoun, given its job in its own clause?

rex qui venit
rex quem videmus
rex cuius nomen scimus

The noun outside, , never changed. The pronoun did, because its job changed.

The forms

Case	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nom
Acc
Gen

Abl

Case	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nom
Acc
Gen
/Abl

Like is, hic and , it has a genitive in -ius and a dative in -i for every gender: , . Much of the rest runs close to , , .

Gender from outside, case from inside

Ask two questions, in this order:

Which noun does it refer to? That gives gender and number.
What does it do in its own clause? That gives the case.

masculinefeminineneuternominativeaccusativeablativeWhat do the colours mean?

Antecedent	Relative clause	English
(sg)		the man who is coming
(sg)		the man whom you see
(sg)		the mother who is coming
(sg)		the mother whom you see
(sg)		the temple which you see
(sg)		in which we are

A whole sentence, for the shape of it:

. - The man whom you see is my brother.

is the subject of ; is the object of . Two clauses, two cases, one man.

quae does three jobs

The commonest trap. is the feminine singular, the feminine plural and the neuter plural:

Antecedent	Latin	English
feminine sg		the mother who is coming
feminine pl		the mothers who are coming
neuter pl		the words which you say

The verb usually settles the number, and the dictionary settles the gender: , is neuter, so its plural takes , never . And a noun whose ending hides its gender still takes the matching form: , , book, is masculine, so , the book which is in the temple.

qui in real Latin

The best-known prayer in Latin uses it:

, . - Our Father, who art in heaven. (the Lord's Prayer as the Church prays it, from Matthew 6:9, where critical editions of the Vulgate read )

is masculine singular from and nominative as the subject of . The verb is second person because the antecedent is being spoken to. The Mass does the same: , , Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world.

Mistakes English speakers make

Wrong	Right	Why
		case comes from the clause
		neuter plural is
		is feminine
		is masculine

What to do next

For every relative clause you read, name the antecedent first, then the pronoun's job.
Do the drill below.
For , who? in questions, see Latin question words; for the other pronouns, the Latin pronouns chart.

Practise: test yourself

Sort into groups

0/8

Which pronoun goes straight after each noun, as the subject of its clause?

Tap a word, then the group it belongs in.

Pick the right one

0/5

What case is the relative pronoun, given its job in its own clause?

rex qui venit
rex quem videmus
rex cuius nomen scimus
urbs in qua sumus
verba quae dicis

Complete the story

0/4

Choose the form of qui for each gap: gender from the noun, case from its own clause.

The king's city

Urbs videmus magna est. Rex ibi est multos filios habet. Filia nomen scimus Iulia est. Verba dicit vera sunt.

Gap 1 of 4

Spot the mistake

0/3

Tap the mistake.

Translation drill

0/3

Find the antecedent, then the pronoun's job.

Vir quem vides frater meus est.
Rex cuius nomen scimus venit.
Pater noster, qui es in caelis.

Frequently asked questions

How does the relative pronoun work in Latin?

, , agrees with its antecedent, the noun it refers back to, in gender and number. Its case comes from its job inside its own clause. In , the king whom we see, is masculine singular because is, and accusative because it is the object of . In , the king who is coming, the same antecedent gives a nominative, because the pronoun is now the subject.

What is the difference between , and ?

In the nominative singular, is masculine, feminine and neuter: , , . But also serves as the feminine plural and the neuter plural, so , the words which you say, uses for a neuter noun. Check the antecedent's gender in the dictionary rather than guessing from its ending.

Does the relative pronoun agree in case with its noun?

No, and that is the commonest mistake. The case comes from the relative clause, not from the antecedent. is nominative in , but is accusative, because inside its own clause it is what we see. Merging the two questions produces , which no Roman wrote.

What does mean in Latin?

Whose, or of whom, of which: the genitive singular of , the same for all three genders. is the king whose name we know. The dative singular , to whom, is equally shared: , the man to whom we give the book. In the plural the forms split again: , , .

How do you say with whom in Latin?

, or with glued on after it, , both classical: , the man with whom I am speaking. For a feminine antecedent it is or , and in the plural or . With other prepositions the order is the normal one: in , the city in which we are.

Latin Relative Pronoun: qui, quae, quod and How It Agrees

Quick check

Pick the right one

The forms

Gender from outside, case from inside

quae does three jobs

qui in real Latin

Mistakes English speakers make

What to do next

Practise: test yourself

Sort into groups

Pick the right one

Complete the story

Spot the mistake

Translation drill

Practice worksheets and infographics

Free for members

Frequently asked questions

Latin Relative Pronoun: qui, quae, quod and How It Agrees

Quick check

Pick the right one

The forms

Gender from outside, case from inside

quae does three jobs

qui in real Latin

Mistakes English speakers make

What to do next

Practise: test yourself

Sort into groups

Pick the right one

Complete the story

Spot the mistake

Translation drill

Practice worksheets and infographics

Free for members

More grammar on this course

Frequently asked questions