English grammar
Whose (possessive relative pronoun)
Say who or what something belongs to, using whose.
From the scene The flat whose owner…
In short
Whose replaces his, her, its or their in a relative clause and comes just before the noun: a flat whose owner…
Your turn
Which one goes with a person's name?
Options: the owner, whose name I don't know · a flat whose owner lives in Barcelona · the flat whose neighbours complain
Show answer
a person's name → the owner, whose name I don't know
How it works
Whose replaces his/her/its/their inside a relative clause and comes straight before the noun it owns.
Your turn
Pick the word that fits the line.
The flat (blank) photo we saw yesterday? It looked nice.
Options: which · whose · who's
Show answer
The flat whose photo we saw yesterday? It looked nice.
¿El piso cuya foto vimos ayer? Parecía bonito.
Good to know
A flat whose owner lives in Barcelona (= the flat's owner). It works for people and things, singular and plural.
Good to know
Don't confuse it with who's (= who is).
a thing's owner a flat whose owner lives in Barcelona
Javi
Look, Nuria. There is a flat whose owner lives in Barcelona.
Mira, Nuria. Hay un piso cuyo dueño vive en Barcelona.
Your turn
What fills the gap?
Look, Nuria. There is (blank).
Options: the owner, whose name I don't know · the flat whose neighbours complain · a flat whose owner lives in Barcelona
Show answer
Javi
Look, Nuria. There is a flat whose owner lives in Barcelona.
Mira, Nuria. Hay un piso cuyo dueño vive en Barcelona.
a person's name the owner, whose name I don't know
Your turn
What goes with the owner, whose name I don't know?
Options: a person's name · a thing's owner · plural: whose doesn't change
Show answer
the owner, whose name I don't know → a person's name
plural: whose doesn't change the flat whose neighbours complain
Ramón
Are you talking about the flat whose neighbours complain about everything?
¿Habláis del piso cuyos vecinos se quejan de todo?
Your turn
What fills the gap?
Are you talking about (blank) about everything?
Options: the flat whose neighbours complain · a flat whose owner lives in Barcelona · whose name I don't know
Show answer
Ramón
Are you talking about the flat whose neighbours complain about everything?
¿Habláis del piso cuyos vecinos se quejan de todo?
part of a thing a flat whose walls are paper-thin
Ramón
Nice, but it's a flat whose walls are paper-thin.
Bonito, pero es un piso cuyas paredes son de papel.
Your turn
What fills the gap?
Nice, but it's (blank).
Options: a flat whose walls are paper-thin · a flat whose owner lives in Barcelona · the owner, whose name I don't know
Show answer
Ramón
Nice, but it's a flat whose walls are paper-thin.
Bonito, pero es un piso cuyas paredes son de papel.
Common mistake
Not who or which here. Possession: the flat's neighbours.
Are you talking about the flat whose neighbours complain about everything?
¿Habláis del piso cuyos vecinos se quejan de todo?
Practise it in the story
Meet this rule inside a short animated scene. Answer as it plays, then say the lines yourself.
Practise free in the appSee all forms
| a thing's owner | a flat whose owner lives in Barcelona |
|---|---|
| a person's name | the owner, whose name I don't know |
| plural: whose doesn't change | the flat whose neighbours complain |
| part of a thing | a flat whose walls are paper-thin |
More lines from the story
- NuriaThe flat whose photo we saw yesterday? It looked nice.¿El piso cuya foto vimos ayer? Parecía bonito.
- RamónOf course. It's a building whose caretaker is a friend of mine.Claro. Es un edificio cuya portera es amiga mía.
- NuriaA building whose neighbours complain... just like yours, Don Ramón!Un edificio cuyos vecinos se quejan... ¡como el suyo, Don Ramón!