that
vs
whoever

QUICK ANSWER

"That" is a conjunction which is often translated as "que", and "whoever" is a pronoun which is often translated as "quien". Learn more about the difference between "that" and "whoever" below.

that(

thaht

)

A conjunction is a word that connects words, phrases, clauses, or sentences (e.g., The cat and the dog slept.).

conjunction

1. (used to introduce a subordinate clause)

a. que

She said that she wanted to sleep.Dijo que quería dormir.

A pronoun is a word that stands in for a noun (e.g., she).

pronoun

2. (used to introduce a relative clause)

a. que

The dress that you saw yesterday was mine.El vestido que viste ayer era mío.

3. (demonstrative)

a. eso (neuter)

Bring me that.Tráeme eso.

b. ese (masculine)

That is my ball.Ese es mi balón.

c. esa (feminine)

That is my apple.Esa es mi manzana.

d. aquello (neuter)

Bring me that over there.Tráeme aquello de allá.

e. aquel (masculine)

That over there is my ball.Aquel de allá es mi balón.

f. aquella (feminine)

That over there is my apple.Aquella de allá es mi manzana.

An adjective is a word that describes a noun (e.g., the big dog).

adjective

4. (demonstrative)

a. ese (masculine)

That man is my father.Ese hombre es mi padre.

b. esa (feminine)

That woman is my mother.Esa mujer es mi madre.

c. aquel (masculine)

That man over there is my father.Aquel hombre de allá es mi padre.

d. aquella (feminine)

That woman over there is my mother.Aquella mujer de allá es mi madre.

An adverb is a word that describes a verb, an adjective, or other adverbs (e.g., to run quickly, very tired).

adverb

5. (very)

a. tan

Big Ben is not that tall.La torre del Big Ben no es tan alta.

whoever(

vuhr

)

A pronoun is a word that stands in for a noun (e.g., she).

pronoun

1. (the person who)

a. quien

Whoever stole my laptop is going to be in big trouble.Quien se haya robado mi laptop se va a meter en problemas.

2. (no matter who)

a. quienquiera

Whoever comes to the party will receive a book of stickers.Quienquiera que venga a la fiesta recibirá un librito de pegatinas.

b. sea quien sea

Whoever becomes the next governor will have a tough job.Sea quien sea el próximo gobernador tendrá un trabajo difícil.

c. quien sea

Whoever you ask will tell you that it's the best restaurant in town.A quien sea que se lo preguntes, te dirá que es el mejor restaurante de la ciudad.

3. (in questions)

a. quién

Whoever could be calling at this ungodly hour?¿Quién podría estar llamando a esta hora intempestiva?

A word or phrase that is commonly used in conversational speech (e.g., skinny, grandma).

(colloquial)

(a person not specified)

This refers to an idiomatic word or phrase for which there is no word-for-word translation.

no direct translation

I saw my ex downtown with her new boyfriend, Keith or whoever.Vi a mi ex en el centro con su nuevo novio, Keith o quien sea.

When you get to our office, talk to the secretary or whoever.Cuando llegues a la oficina, habla con la secretaria o con alguien.

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