– a simple guide for A1 learners

We can use these words to connect information in a sentence. The word we choose depends on what we are talking about.

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1. WHO – people

Use WHO when the word before it is a person.

We often use who when this person does something.

Examples

• The woman who lives upstairs is very friendly.
• I have a friend who speaks Spanish.
• The boy who opened the door is my brother.

Easy way to check

Can you say he, she, or they?

The woman who lives upstairs
→ She lives upstairs.

The boys who play football
→ They play football.

So we use WHO.

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2. WHOM – people

WHOM is also used for people. We use it when the person is the object of the action.

Examples

• The guest whom we called arrived early.
• The woman whom I helped thanked me.
• The student whom the teacher praised was happy.

Easy way to check

Can you say him, her, or them?

The guest whom we called
→ We called him.

The woman whom I helped
→ I helped her.

In everyday English

Whom is formal. In normal conversation, people often use who instead.

• The guest who we called. → common
• The guest whom we called. → more formal

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3. WHICH – things and animals

Use WHICH when you are talking about a thing or an animal.

It can be used when the thing or animal does an action or when someone does something to it.

Examples

• I found the keys which I lost yesterday.
• The bicycle which is outside belongs to Tom.
• The cat which lives next door is very quiet.
• This is the computer which I use at work.

Remember

WHICH → thing or animal

• a house → which
• a car → which
• a phone → which
• a dog → which

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4. WHEN – time

Use WHEN to give more information about a time.

It can follow words such as:

• day
• year
• time
• morning
• evening

Examples

• Do you remember the morning when we left?
• 2010 was the year when I started my job.
• I remember the time when we lived in London.
• Friday is the day when I work from home.

Remember

WHEN → time

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A very easy overview

Word	We use it for	Example
WHO	people	The man who works here
WHOM	people	The man whom I called
WHICH	things / animals	The car which I bought
WHEN	time	The day when we arrived

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⭐ Four things to remember

WHO → a person who does something

The woman who teaches English.

WHOM → a person who receives an action

The woman whom I called.

WHICH → a thing or animal

The phone which I bought.

WHEN → a time

The day when we arrived.

Quick question

Ask yourself:

Person? → WHO / WHOM
Thing or animal? → WHICH
Time? → WHEN

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Fill in: WHO, WHOM, WHICH or WHEN

1. The man ______ works at the hotel is very friendly.
2. I remember the day ______ we first met.
3. The phone ______ I bought is very expensive.
4. The woman ______ I called was very helpful.
5. The boy ______ plays football is my brother.
6. Do you remember the year ______ you started school?
7. The car ______ is outside belongs to my father.
8. The teacher ______ helped me was very kind.
9. The guest ______ we helped thanked us.
10. I like the restaurant ______ has a big garden.
11. Sunday is the day ______ we usually visit our family.
12. The girl ______ lives next door is from Thailand.
13. This is the bag ______ I lost yesterday.
14. The man ______ I met at the station was a doctor.
15. I remember the morning ______ we left the hotel.
16. The dog ______ lives in that house is very friendly.
17. The waiter ______ served us was very polite.
18. The woman ______ we invited came early.
19. This is the computer ______ I use at work.
20. 2020 was the year ______ many people worked from home.
21. The student ______ speaks English very well is from Indonesia.
22. The book ______ I bought is about travel.
23. The customer ______ I helped was very happy.
24. I remember the evening ______ we had dinner together.
25. The man ______ opened the door is my uncle.
26. The hotel ______ we visited was very beautiful.
27. The person ______ you called is waiting outside.
28. Friday is the day ______ I usually go shopping.
29. The woman ______ works in the restaurant speaks English.
30. The bicycle ______ Tom bought is new.
31. The guest ______ the manager called arrived at 8 o’clock.
32. I remember the time ______ we lived in London.
33. The children ______ play in the park are very happy.
34. The camera ______ I use is quite old.
35. The man ______ I helped at the airport was very tired.
36. Summer is the time ______ many people travel.
37. The chef ______ cooks our food is from Vietnam.
38. The house ______ we saw yesterday was very large.
39. The woman ______ the police helped was lost.
40. Do you remember the day ______ you got your first job?
41. The boy ______ sits next to me is very funny.
42. The watch ______ I found was on the table.
43. The guest ______ we called did not answer the phone.
44. I remember the afternoon ______ we went to the beach.
45. The nurse ______ works here is very nice.
46. The restaurant ______ we visited last night was full.
47. The man ______ she invited is her brother.
48. 2015 was the year ______ I moved to this city.
49. The dog ______ we saw in the street was very small.
50. The woman ______ helped the child is a teacher.

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Correct version:

1. The man who works at the hotel is very friendly.
2. I remember the day when we first met.
3. The phone which I bought is very expensive.
4. The woman whom I called was very helpful.
5. The boy who plays football is my brother.
6. Do you remember the year when you started school?
7. The car which is outside belongs to my father.
8. The teacher who helped me was very kind.
9. The guest whom we helped thanked us.
10. I like the restaurant which has a big garden.
11. Sunday is the day when we usually visit our family.
12. The girl who lives next door is from Thailand.
13. This is the bag which I lost yesterday.
14. The man whom I met at the station was a doctor.
15. I remember the morning when we left the hotel.
16. The dog which lives in that house is very friendly.
17. The waiter who served us was very polite.
18. The woman whom we invited came early.
19. This is the computer which I use at work.
20. 2020 was the year when many people worked from home.
21. The student who speaks English very well is from Indonesia.
22. The book which I bought is about travel.
23. The customer whom I helped was very happy.
24. I remember the evening when we had dinner together.
25. The man who opened the door is my uncle.
26. The hotel which we visited was very beautiful.
27. The person whom you called is waiting outside.
28. Friday is the day when I usually go shopping.
29. The woman who works in the restaurant speaks English.
30. The bicycle which Tom bought is new.
31. The guest whom the manager called arrived at 8 o’clock.
32. I remember the time when we lived in London.
33. The children who play in the park are very happy.
34. The camera which I use is quite old.
35. The man whom I helped at the airport was very tired.
36. Summer is the time when many people travel.
37. The chef who cooks our food is from Vietnam.
38. The house which we saw yesterday was very large.
39. The woman whom the police helped was lost.
40. Do you remember the day when you got your first job?
41. The boy who sits next to me is very funny.
42. The watch which I found was on the table.
43. The guest whom we called did not answer the phone.
44. I remember the afternoon when we went to the beach.
45. The nurse who works here is very nice.
46. The restaurant which we visited last night was full.
47. The man whom she invited is her brother.
48. 2015 was the year when I moved to this city.
49. The dog which we saw in the street was very small.
50. The woman who helped the child is a teacher.

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Remember how babies
learn a language:

Babies learn a language by listening.
They use their ears to hear sounds.
Their brain remembers these sounds.
Babies connect sounds with people and things.
They listen to their parents.
Then they copy the sounds they hear. They imitate words.
Slowly, babies learn to speak.

So,
LISTEN, LISTEN, LISTEN, LISTEN………………