Whose, Where, and When

What you’ll learn

Express possession, place, and time in relative clauses.

បង្ហាញកម្មសិទ្ធិ ទីកន្លែង និងពេលវេលាក្នុង relative clause។

Meaning and use

Whose links a noun to its possessor. Where introduces a relative clause with a place relationship, often equivalent to in or at which. When links to a time. Choose the relative form according to its job in the clause, not simply because the preceding noun names a place.

Whose បង្ហាញកម្មសិទ្ធិ។ Where បង្ហាញទីកន្លែង ហើយ when បង្ហាញពេលវេលា។ ត្រូវមើលតួនាទីក្នុងឃ្លា ព្រោះមិនមែនឈ្មោះទីកន្លែងគ្រប់ករណីសុទ្ធតែប្រើ where ទេ។

Grammar patterns

Pattern	Example or form
Possession	the student whose bag was lost
Place / time relationship	the café where we met / the day when we arrived

Examples

1. I know a teacher whose daughter studies abroad.

   ខ្ញុំស្គាល់គ្រូម្នាក់ដែលកូនស្រីរបស់គាត់រៀននៅបរទេស។

2. This is the café where we first met.

   នេះជាហាងកាហ្វេដែលយើងជួបគ្នាលើកដំបូង។

3. I remember the day when the school opened.

   ខ្ញុំចាំថ្ងៃដែលសាលាបើក។

4. This is the town that I visited.

   នេះជាទីក្រុងដែលខ្ញុំបានទៅលេង។

Everyday conversation

Dara: Is this the café where you met Dara?

Maly: Yes, and the woman whose shop is next door introduced us.

Common mistakes

Instead of	Use	Why
The man who his car broke down called me.	The man whose car broke down called me.	Whose replaces the possessive relationship.
This is the town where I visited.	This is the town that I visited.	Visit needs an object; where cannot fill that object role.

Practice

Try these questions before opening the answers. Write or say each answer.

សាកល្បងឆ្លើយសំណួរទាំងនេះជាមុនសិន មុននឹងបើកមើលចម្លើយ។ អ្នកអាចសរសេរ ឬនិយាយចម្លើយរបស់អ្នក។

1. Complete: She is the student ___ project won.
2. Complete: This is the room ___ we studied.
3. Choose: The city (where / which) I visited was beautiful.

Answers and explanations

Show answers / បង្ហាញចម្លើយ

1. whose

   Whose shows that the project belongs to the student.

2. where

   The clause describes the place in which we studied.

3. which

   Which is the object of visited.

Quick recap

• Possession: the student whose bag was lost
• Place / time relationship: the café where we met / the day when we arrived