Spanish · B1 · Everyday language
People who receive our help in Spanish
This guide focuses on identifying people by the actions we take toward them, such as helping, thanking, or trusting. In Spanish, when we use 'whom' to describe these relationships, we often use 'a quien' or 'al que' combined with specific prepositions required by the verb.
What you'll learn
- Identify people using relative clauses.
- Correct use of the personal 'a' with relative pronouns.
- Matching verbs like 'ayudar', 'agradecer', and 'confiar' with the correct prepositions.
- Distinguishing between singular and plural relative pronouns.
Spanish phrases for people who receive our help
Ese es el niño a quien ayudé ayer.
That is the boy whom I helped yesterday.
'A quien' is a formal way to say 'whom' for a person.
Aquí está la niña a la que agradecimos.
Here is the girl whom we thanked.
'A la que' is a very common, natural way to express 'whom' in Spanish.
¿Ese es el vecino en quien confías?
Is that the neighbour whom you trust?
The verb 'confiar' always uses 'en' (trust IN someone).
Esos son los niños a los que ayudó nuestra maestra.
Those are the children whom our teacher helped.
Use 'a los que' for plural masculine or mixed groups.
La mujer a la que le creo es nuestra conserje.
The woman whom I believe is our caretaker.
In Spanish, 'creer' (to believe someone) often uses an indirect object pronoun 'le'.
El niño al que ayudaste está en mi clase.
The child whom you helped is in my class.
'Al que' is the contraction of 'a' + 'el que'.
El hombre al que agradecimos ha llegado.
The man whom we thanked has arrived.
'Agradecer' takes the preposition 'a' when referring to the person being thanked.
Los amigos en quienes confío me escuchan.
The friends whom I trust listen to me.
'Quienes' is the plural form of 'quien'.
Hear these phrases and practise them
Tildi plays every phrase out loud, tests you in five-minute lessons and builds them into bedtime stories from your own picture books.
Try it free for 7 daysKey words
ayudar
to help
Usually takes the personal 'a' when referring to a specific person.
agradecer
to thank
Used to express gratitude to someone.
confiar en
to trust (in)
Unlike English, Spanish always requires 'en' after 'confiar'.
conserje
caretaker / janitor
A person who looks after a building.
Relative Pronouns with People
When referring to a person as the object of a verb, Spanish uses 'a quien' or 'al que' (and their variations). The choice depends on the verb's requirements (like 'confiar en').
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Singular (whom) | a quien / al que / a la que | La niña a la que ayudé. |
| Plural (whom) | a quienes / a los que / a las que | Los niños a los que ayudé. |
| With 'Confiar' | en quien / en el que | El amigo en quien confío. |
More examples
Ella es la doctora a quien le agradecí.
She is the doctor whom I thanked.
The 'le' is an optional but common redundancy for clarity.
Los abuelos a los que ayudamos son muy amables.
The grandparents whom we helped are very kind.
Matches gender and number with the people being helped.