10.6. The relative pronoun refers to an indefinite pronoun or a context
Indefinite pronouns refer in an abstract way elements or groups. They underline certain aspects of these elements or groups. Somebody for instance means that someone performs or performed an action or can be the goal of an action, but it is unclear who it is. Anybody means that every element of a group can perform the action or can be the goal of an action in an arbitrary way. We can't substitute them.
correct: Somebody has stolen my wallet. => There is no doubt that someone performed the action, but it is unclear who.
wrong: Anybody has stolen my wallet. => That doesn't make sense, because the action has been performed.
correct: Anybody can do that, it's easy. => The message is, that every single element of the group can do that.
wrong: Somebody can do that, it's easy. => If it is easy, than every single element of the group can do that.
In moste cases the aspect emphasized by the indefinite pronoun is obvious. Nobody means for instance, very simple, that nobody performs the action described by the verb or is the goal of the action described by the verb. In other cases it is more tricky and the differences are mor subtle. We will come back on this issue in the chapter about indefinite pronouns.
An indefinite pronoun is referred to with the relative pronoun que. Que can be the subject or the direct object in the relative case. If it is a subject it governs the verb.
main clause
relative clause
main clause
relative clause
subject
direct object
Ninguém (Niemand)
que
fala(m) muito
vejo
é (são) o(s) meu(s) amigo(s).
Todos (Alle)
Alguém (Jemand)
Qualquer (Irgendwer
was auch immer)
O outro (Ein anderer)
Algum (Jemand)
Nenhum (Keiner)
Ninguém (Niemand)
subject
Todos que falam muito são os meus amigos.
All those who talk a lot, are my friends.
direct object
Alguém que vejo é o meu amigo.
Somebody that I see is my friend.
We can distinguish between indefinite pronouns and indefinite adjectives.
indefinite pronouns
Não
conheço
ninguém
que
não**
seja*
artista.
Not
know
nobody
who
not
is
artist
I don't know anybody who is not an artist.
Qualquer
que
seja*
o
plano,
foi
muito
bem
pensado.
Whatever
that
was
the
plan
was
very
well
though.
Whatever was the plan, it had been carefully worked out.
Em
tantos
sentimentos
deve
ter
algum
que
sirva.
Among
such a lot
feelings
have to
have
some
that
serves.
Among such a lot of feelings there should be one that is useful.
indefinitive Adjektive
Nenhum
homem
que
não
domine
a
si
mesmo
é
livre.
Nobody
man
that
not
dominates
to
himself
is
free.
No man that doesn't dominates himself is free.
Há
alguma
mulher
que
estude
espanhol?
Is there
some
woman
that
studies
Spanish?
Is there any woman who studies Spanish?
Qualquer
pessoa
que
te
motive
a ser
melhor,
é
alguém
que
vale
a
pena
manter
por
perto.
Any
person
that
you
motivates
to be
better
is
someone
that
is worth
maintain
by
proximity.
Any person that motivates you to be better is worth being kept nearby.
* This is a conjunctive. It is used here because the assertion of the relative clause is denied. However right now we don't care about these details, we will discuss that in chapter chapter 12, when we talk about the conjunctive. The second conjunctive is used, because the assertion of the relative clause is unsure, but right now we don't care about that either.
** Doble negation is not positive in roman languages. If nobody doesn't do anything a logical analysis would come to the conclusion that everybody does something. However that is not the case in roman languages. If nobody doesn't do something nobody does it.
Something is translated with algo and is referred to with que.
the relative pronoun is subject of the relative clause
Algo que é familiar às massas.
Something that is known to the masses.
Something known to the masses.
the relative pronoun is the direct object of the relative clause
Isso é algo que vejo acontecendo* bastante com colegas.
This is something that I see happen quite often to colleagues.
This is something I see happen quite often to colleagues.
* acontecendo is a gerund. We will discuss this issue in 18.1.4.
If indefinita are referred to with a preposition, "Someone with whom I can spent the rest of my life", the basic rules remains the same, see relative pronouns with preposition. In the case of monosyllabic prepositions a, com, de, em, por we use que / quem if the referred object is a person and que if the referred object is a thing. Sem is an exception to the rule. Sem, although monosyllabic, is referred to with article + qual / quais.
Indefinite pronouns are unpecified in gender and number. If someone knocks at the door we don't know neither how many people are knocking at the door nor if a woman or a man is knocking at the door. Therefore we have a problem in the case of polysyllabic prepositions because in this case there is a preference for o qual / a qual / os quais / as quais and these relative pronouns are well defined in gender and number. The solution is easy we use o qual in case that the referred object is in singular, "Someone with whom I spoke yesterday", and os quais, in case that it is plural, "All with whom I spoke".
(As it had been already said the rule that polysyllabic prepositions requires o qual / a qual / os quais / as quais is a tendency not really a rule. Without any problem we can find examples where polysyllabic prepositions are used with que / quem.)
monosyllabic prepositions like a, com, de, em, por etc.: que
Eu
não
sou
ninguém
com
que
se
possa
contar.
I
not
am
nobody
with
that
one
can
count
I am not someone to rely on.
Alguém
em
que
você
possa
confiar.
Someone
in
who
you
can
trust
Someone you can trust.
Vamos
considerar
um
produto
qualquer
em
que
o
valor
de
custo
seja
muito
alto.
We go
consider
a
product
any
in
that
the
value
of
costs
is
very
high.
We consider some product whose costs are very high.
polysyllabic prepositions like para, contra, sobre: article + qual / quais
Ele
queria
mostrar
que
havia
alguém
sobre
o
qual
ele
não
tinha
poder.
He
wanted
to show
that
there is
someone
about
the
that
he
not
has
power.
He wanted to show that there is someone upon whom he doesn't exert any power.
Alguém
sobre
o
qual
já
longamente
escrevemos
aqui.
Somebody
about
the
that
already
since long time
we write
here.
Somebody we have been writing about here already for a long time.
Algo
contra
o
qual
os
europeus
devem
proteger-se.
Something
against
the
that
the
europeans
should
protect themselves.
Something the europeans should protect themselves against.
A relative pronoun can refer to a context, to an idea. In a sentence like "He didn't tell me the truth, what makes the solution of the problem difficult" the relative pronoun what doesn't refer to something concret, but to an abstract idea. Sometimes the indefinite pronoun refers to an idea and the relative pronoun refers to the indefinite pronoun.
Referencing a context:
what:
He was not prepared to this question what complicated the negotiation.
Referencing an indefinite pronoun:
all / nothing what:
Nothing that he does he does well.
He is successful in all (what) he does.
Ideas and indefinite pronouns that refere to ideas are referred to in Portuguese with o que. (In Spanish it is lo que, a neutral form, but given that Portuguese doesn't have a neutral form, the masculin form is used.) O refers the idea and que is the relative pronoun that refers to the idea or the indefinite pronoun.
referencing an idea
Eles
se
apaixonaram,
o
que
complicou
tudo.
They
themselves
fall in love
what
that
complicated everything.
alles.
They fall in love with each other what complicated everything.
O
vapor
quente,
no entanto*,
aumenta
o
inchaço,
o
que
não
é
bom.
The
steam
hot
however
increased
the
swelling
what
that
not
is
good.
The hot steam however increased the swelling what wasn't good.
Referenzierung von todo , nada
Podem
comer
tudo
o
que
tem
barbatanas
e
escamas.
Can
eat
everything
what
that
have
fins
and
scales.
You can eat everything that has fins and scales.
Entre
a
dor
e
o
nada
o
que
você
escolhe?
Between
the
pain
and
the
nothing
what
that
you
choose?
If you can choose between pain and nothing what do you choose?
* There is no need to understand the construction no entanto, because the construction is incomprehensible. Entanto alone doesn't mean anything and no doesn't mean not as in other roman languages. No actually doesn't exist, not is não in Portuguese. No entanto is a relic of a former language layer. We will discuss this issue in chapter 19.3.4.
Tudo (all / everything) and todos / todas (all of them) can be referred to with quanto(s), quanta(s). The basic meaning of quanto is how much / how many and therefore an interrogative pronoun / interrogative adjective and espontaneously it is hard to see how it can be used as a relative pronoun. (Something that works as well in Italian, but not in Spanish, by the way.) However most of relative interrogative pronouns are as well relative pronouns and therefore there is a certain logic in that.
Ele
sabe
tudo
quanto
fazemos.
He
knows
everything
that
we do.
He knows everything we do.
Tudo
quanto
imaginei,
tudo
quanto
eu
pensei.
Everything
how much
imagined
everything
how much
I
thought.
Everything (that) I imagined, everything (that) I thought.
Todos
quantos
o
tocavam
ficavam
curados.
All
how many
the
touched
remained
healthy.
All who touched it got well.
Beba
todas
quantas
quiser*
beber.
Drink
all
as much
want
drink.
Drink as much as you want.
*quiser is a conjuntivo do futuro of the verb quer. This tense is astonishing even for people who studied roman languages. It exists only in Portuguese and, nowadays, in no other roman language. We will come back to this issue in the chapter 12.2.4.
Como is a relative adverb. It refers to a noun in the main clause, but is an adverb in the relative clause.
Nada
é,
como
tem que
ser.
Nothing
is
like
have to
be.
There is nothing that is like it should be.
Tudo and nada, all and nothing, can be referenced as well together with a preposition. In English we can leave out the reference to nothing and in this case. In Portuguese not. (In general: Very often we can leave out the reference through a relative pronoun in English. This is a speciality of the English language and doesn't work in any other language, at least the author of these lines doesn't know any language where this possible.)
That was all that we have been talking about.
That was all we have been talking about.
One could be tended to believe that the rules we have seen before apply as well for referencing ideas, however the picture is not as simple. We have seen in the precedent chapters that with polysyllabic prepositions we use o qual / a qual / os quais / as quais and with monosyllabic prepositions que. This rule, as said before, is at least a tendency.
However when ideas are referred we can find monosyllabic prepositions + article + qual / quais even in academic papers that are not a spontaneous expression. If concepts or tudo / nada are referred to we can find the use of o que together with polysyllabic prepositions. The examples below are real sentences of Portuguese native speakers. There are a lot of examples that doesn't comply with the standard rules we find in grammar books. (Since ideas / indefinite pronouns don't have gender and number, we use o qual.)
monosyllabical prepositions with o qual
Tudo
com
o
qual
sonha
a
maioria
da
população
americana
é
possível
para
todos
aqueles
com
alma
empreendedora.
All
with
the
that
dream
the
majority
of the
population
american
is
possible
for
all
those
with
spirit
entrepreneurial.
Everything the american population dreams of can be reached with entrepreneurial spirit.
O
senador
representa
tudo
ao
qual
me
oponho.
The
senator
represents
all
to
what
me
opposed
The senator represents everything I am opposed to.
pollysylabic prepositions with (o) que
Ele
falava
de
tudo
sobre
que
era
lícito
conversar.
He
talked
of
all
about
what
was
allowed
to talk.
He talked about everything that was allowed to talk about.
Não
fiz
o
melhor,
mas
fiz
tudo
para que
o
melhor
fosse*
feito.
Not
made
the
best
but
mad
all
for
the
best
was
done.
I didn't make the best, but I did everything to get the best done.
Este
lugar
representa
tudo
contra
o
que
lutei
durante
toda
a
minha
carreira.
This
place
represents
all
against
the
that
I
fought
all
the
my
career.
This place represents all I fought against during my entire career.
Amo
tudo
sobre
que
ela
fala
e
da
maneira
que
ela
fala.
Love
all
about
that
she
talks
and
of the
way
that
she
talks.
I love the issues she talks about and the way she does it.
Saiba**
tudo
sobre
que
é
considerado
um
dos
mais
importantes
meios
de
comunicação.
Know
everything
about
what
is
considered
one
of the
most
important
means
of
communication.
Get aquainted with what is generally considered the most important means of communication.
And examples that comply with these rules.
polysyllabic prepositions with o qual
Não
existe
nada***
sobre
o
qual
se
pode
ter
influência.
Nothing
exists
nothing
about
the
that
one
can
have
influence.
There is nothing that can be influenced.
O
poder
público
é
um
todo
contra
o
qual
se
luta
diariamente .
The
power
public
is
one
all
against
the
that
one
fights
every day.
People fight against the whole public power every day.
monosyllabic prepositions with que
Não
há****
nada
em
que
paire
tanta
sedução
e
maldição
como
num
segredo.
Nothing
there is
nothing
in
what
pairs
such a lot of
seduction
and
evil
as
in a
secret
There is nothing so surrounded by seduction and evil as a secret.
Depois
de
tudo
por
que
passámos
juntos,
não
posso
aceitar.
After
vo
all
through
que
passed
together
noht
can
accept.
After all what we have passed together, I can'accept that.
Tudo
do
que
precisas,
já
tens.
Everything
of the
that
you need
already
have.
You have already all what you need.
* fosse is perfeito simples do conjuntivo. We will explain that in detail later.
** saiba is presente do conjuntivo. We will explain that in detail later.
*** Doble negation remains a negation in Portuguese.
**** há comes from haver, to have. In the meaning of to possess it didn't survive and is only used in the third person person in the sense of there is.
Until know we have only seen relative clauses that refer to an element or a context of the main clause. We can reconstruct the following sentences in order to see more clearly that it is a relative clause, but even than they differ from the relative clauses we have seen until know.
1) Who laughs last, laughs best. => Those who laugh last, laugh best.
2) What you do not wish to be done to yourself, do not do to others. => Everything that you do not wish to be done to yourself, do not do to others.
From a formal point of view in the reconstructed version we have a classical relative clause. Those is the pronoun and the pronoun is referred to with the relativo pronoun who. However the reconstruction doesn't change anything. The referred thing is outside the sentence. If refer to that thing directly with who or who refers the pronoun that refers to the thing doesn't make any difference.
In a normal relative clause the referred thing is well defined. The relative pronoun refers to something or a context that exists. In the case of a free relative clause the object referred to is undefined. A free relative clause doesn't describe the object referred, it constitutes it. The amount of people who laugh last is undefined, but whoever laughs last, laughs best. The relative pronoun in this case is quem or o que.
Quem
ri
por
último
ri
melhor.
O
que
ri
por último,
ri
melhor.
Who laughs last, laughs best.
Quem
cava
uma
cova
para
outra
pessoa
cai
lá dentro
mesmo.
O
que
cava
uma
cova
para
outra pessoa
cai
lá dentro
mesmo.
Harm set, harm get.
O
que
não
queres
para
ti
não
faças
aos
outros.
What you do not wish to be done to yourself, do not do to others.
