Hello and welcome to Wednesday’s Words with English with Languissimo® which will help you build your vocabulary so that you can improve your communication skills in English.
My name is Vanessa. I’m the founder and CEO of Languissimo®.
Today, I will cover the difference between “whose” and “who’s” as both words are pronounced the same [hooz].
- “whose” means “à qui”. It is a possessive adjective that is used to ask questions about the possession. You want to know who the owner of an object is. It is often followed by the verb “to be”. For example: “whose is it?” (A qui est-ce?), “whose book is it?” (A qui est ce livre?), “whose shoes are these?” (A qui sont ces chaussures?)
- “Whose” also means “dont”. It is a relative pronoun. In oral speech, you don’t hear it too much. It is used in a formal way. For example, “I’m talking to a friend, whose parents just divorced.” (Je parle à un(e) ami(e) dont les parents viennent de divorcer).
- “who’s” is often confused with “whose” (à qui) in writing because they are pronounced the same: [hooz].
“Who” is always followed by a verb in the third person singular.
“Who’s” is the contraction of the relative pronoun “who” (qui) and the verb to be “is”: “who is”. For example: “Who’s coming?” is the synonym of “who is coming?” (Qui vient?).
“Who’s” is also the contraction of the relative pronoun “who” (qui) and the verb to have “has”: “Who’s got my money?” is a synonym of “who has got my money?” (Qui a mon argent?)
Some Practice Questions
- Who’s telling you what to do?
- Who’s got your money?
- Whose book is “Would you like to speak English with me?”
Ta da! That’s it for today! I hope you enjoyed this podcast. Subscribe to English with Languissimo®, practice, take care and have a great Wednesday! Big hugs 😊