Relative Adjectives: cuyo, cuya, cuyos, cuyas

Notes:

  1. The written lesson is below.
  2. Links to quizzes, tests, etc. are to the left.

 

We include the relative adjective “cuyo” (and its related forms) in this discussion because it relates the owner to that which is owned, as does the English “whose”. Note that there are four forms to accomodate singular and plural, masculine and feminine: cuyo, cuya, cuyos, cuyas.

La niña, cuyo padre es profesor, es muy simpática.
The girl, whose father is a professor, is very nice.

El hombre, cuya madre murió, escribió su biografía.
The man, whose mother died, wrote her biography.

El coche, cuyos faros no funcionan, es un peligro.
The car, whose lights do not work, is a danger.

Pedro, cuyas hermanas son guapas, es mi amigo.
Pedro, whose sisters are beautiful, is my friend.

Note that the adjective agrees in number and gender with the thing being owned, not with the owner:

La niña, cuyo padre es profesor, es muy simpática.
El hombre, cuya madre murió, escribió su biografía.
El coche, cuyos faros no funcionan, es un peligro.
Pedro, cuyas hermanas son guapas, es mi amigo.