How do you say who in Spanish?

Who in Spanish is quién with an accent for questions (¿Quién llamó?, who called?) and quien without an accent as a relative pronoun, especially after prepositions (con quien, with whom). Plural: quiénes for questions (¿Quiénes son?, who are they?).

What's the difference between quién and quien?

Quién with the accent is the question word (¿Quién es?, who is it?). Quien without the accent is a relative pronoun used in formal speech (la persona con quien viajo, the person with whom I'm traveling). The pronunciation is identical; only the writing changes.

When do I use que instead of quien?

In everyday Spanish, que covers both who and that as a relative pronoun: el hombre que vino (the man who came), el libro que leí (the book that I read). Use quien only in formal speech, after prepositions (con quien, para quien), or when the relative clause is specifically about people in a formal register.

How do I remember when to use quién vs que?

If you're asking a direct or indirect question, use quién with the accent. If you're connecting two clauses about a person in everyday speech, use que. Reserve quien (no accent) for formal writing or after a preposition. Hearing native speakers use them in real conversation in Parrot's videos makes the pattern stick.

Spanish vocabulary · Beginner

Who in Spanish: Quién vs Quien and the Accent That Decides Everything

Written by Sofia Ramirez, Lead Spanish Curriculum Editor · Reviewed May 2026

Quién · interrogative and relative pronoun · kee-EHN

Who in Spanish is quién with an accent in questions (¿Quién llamó?, who called?) and quien without the accent as a relative pronoun (la persona quien me ayudó, the person who helped me, often replaced by que in everyday speech). Plural: quiénes for questions, quienes as relative.

Quién is kee-EHN, two syllables, stress on EHN. Quiénes is kee-EH-nehs. The qu is just a k sound, the u is silent.

¿Quién llamó?

Who called?

Who in Spanish: Quick Reference

Below are the most common Spanish words for who, with pronunciation and regional usage notes.

Spanish	English	Pronunciation	Region / Register
quién	who	kee-EHN	Default, widely understood
quiénes	who		plural: who all (¿quiénes son?)
quien / quienes	who		without accent: relative pronoun (the one who)
que	who		relative pronoun: the man who came (el hombre que vino)

How Native Speakers Use Quién

Real example sentences across three contexts you'll actually run into.

Direct question

¿Quién es esa persona?

Who is that person?

The standard question word for asking who. Note both opening (¿) and closing (?) question marks in Spanish.

Plural question: who all

¿Quiénes son tus amigos?

Who are your friends?

When you expect more than one answer, Spanish uses the plural quiénes. English uses the same who; Spanish keeps the number distinction.

Relative pronoun (everyday: que; formal: quien)

El doctor que me atendió es muy amable. / El doctor con quien hablamos es muy amable.

The doctor who treated me is very kind.

Spoken Spanish strongly prefers que for the doctor who. Quien is more formal, often appearing after a preposition: con quien (with whom), para quien (for whom).

Avoid These Mistakes When Using Quién

Forgetting the accent in questions

Incorrect: ¿Quien llamó?

Correct: ¿Quién llamó?

Question forms of who, what, where, when need written accents: quién, qué, dónde, cuándo. Quien without an accent is the relative pronoun (the person who), not the question word.

Using quién where Spanish uses que

Incorrect: El hombre quién vino es mi tío.

Correct: El hombre que vino es mi tío.

Everyday Spanish uses que for the man who, the woman who, the people who: that's the default relative pronoun for both things and people. Quien is reserved for formal contexts and after prepositions.

Lock in Who Vocabulary with the Parrot Method

Why word lists alone don't stick

Memorizing a translation feels productive, but most learners forget 70% of what they studied within 48 hours. Vocabulary needs spaced repetition AND real-world exposure to transfer to long-term memory.

See Quién used by native speakers

Parrot's short-form videos feature native speakers using quién in real situations. Context-based exposure beats flashcards, you hear ¿Quién llamó? while watching someone live the moment, connecting meaning, sound, and rhythm at once.

Save, review, repeat, stay consistent

Tap any word to save it. Parrot's spaced-repetition system surfaces it right before you'd forget, no manual flashcard creation. The watch, parrot back, save, review cycle turns recognition into fluency at 2.7x the speed of traditional study.

Common Questions About Who in Spanish

How do you say who in Spanish?: Who in Spanish is quién with an accent for questions (¿Quién llamó?, who called?) and quien without an accent as a relative pronoun, especially after prepositions (con quien, with whom). Plural: quiénes for questions (¿Quiénes son?, who are they?).
What's the difference between quién and quien?: Quién with the accent is the question word (¿Quién es?, who is it?). Quien without the accent is a relative pronoun used in formal speech (la persona con quien viajo, the person with whom I'm traveling). The pronunciation is identical; only the writing changes.
When do I use que instead of quien?: In everyday Spanish, que covers both who and that as a relative pronoun: el hombre que vino (the man who came), el libro que leí (the book that I read). Use quien only in formal speech, after prepositions (con quien, para quien), or when the relative clause is specifically about people in a formal register.
How do I remember when to use quién vs que?: If you're asking a direct or indirect question, use quién with the accent. If you're connecting two clauses about a person in everyday speech, use que. Reserve quien (no accent) for formal writing or after a preposition. Hearing native speakers use them in real conversation in Parrot's videos makes the pattern stick.