1. Introduction
In English grammar, “who” and “whom” are pronouns used to refer to people. Although they have similar meanings, they are used differently depending on their grammatical function in a sentence.
The main difference is simple:
- Who is used when referring to the subject of a sentence—the person who performs an action.
- Whom is used when referring to the object of a verb or a preposition—the person who receives an action or is affected by it.
Understanding this distinction helps you speak and write English more accurately, especially in formal writing, examinations, and professional communication.
2. What Is “Who”?
“Who” is an interrogative pronoun when used to ask questions. It can also be a relative pronoun when it introduces a clause describing a person.
We use “who” when the person being referred to performs the action in a sentence.
Examples of “Who” in questions
- Who is knocking at the door?
- Who teaches you English?
- Who wrote this letter?
- Who called me yesterday?
- Who wants to participate in the competition?
In these sentences, “who” refers to the person performing the action. For example, in “Who wrote this letter?”, the person referred to by “who” performs the action of writing.
Examples of “Who” in statements
- The woman who lives next door is a doctor.
- I know the boy who won the race.
- She is the teacher who helped me.
- The man who repaired my car was very friendly.
In these examples, “who” introduces a clause that provides additional information about a person.
3. What Is “Whom”?
“Whom” is an interrogative or relative pronoun used when referring to a person who is the object of a verb or a preposition.
The person referred to by “whom” does not perform the main action; instead, the action is directed toward that person, or the person is the object of a relationship expressed by a preposition.
Examples of “Whom” in questions
- Whom did you invite to the party?
- Whom did the teacher praise?
- Whom are you waiting for?
- Whom did she meet yesterday?
- To whom did you give the book?
Consider the question “Whom did you invite to the party?”
The subject is “you,” and the verb is “invite.” The person invited is the object. Therefore, “whom” is traditionally considered correct in formal grammar.
In everyday conversation, however, many English speakers say, “Who did you invite to the party?” This is widely accepted in informal English.
Examples of “Whom” in statements
- The man whom I met yesterday is my uncle.
- The student whom the principal praised received an award.
- She is the person whom we invited.
- The author whom I admire has published a new book.
In each sentence, “whom” refers to the person receiving the action of the verb.
4. The Easiest Way to Remember the Difference
A useful trick is to replace “who” or “whom” with “he” or “him.”
- If “he” fits, use who.
- If “him” fits, use whom.
This method also works with “she” and “her,” or “they” and “them.”
For example:
Question: Who/whom called you?
Answer: He called me. We say “he,” not “him,” so “who” is correct.
Question: Who/whom did you call?
Answer: I called him. We say “him,” not “he,” so “whom” is traditionally correct.
More examples:
- Who broke the window? (He broke the window.)
- Whom did you see? (I saw him.)
- Who is coming with us? (She is coming with us.)
- Whom did they select? (They selected her.)
This simple substitution technique is one of the most effective ways to distinguish between the two pronouns.
5. Who and Whom After Prepositions
A preposition is a word such as “to,” “for,” “with,” “from,” or “about.” In formal English, “whom” is generally used after a preposition when referring to a person.
Examples:
- To whom should I address this letter?
- With whom are you travelling?
- For whom did you buy this gift?
- From whom did you receive this message?
- About whom were they talking?
In informal English, the preposition often appears at the end of the sentence, and “who” is commonly used instead.
For example:
- Formal: With whom are you going?
- Informal: Who are you going with?
Both versions are understandable and natural in their respective contexts, although the first sounds more formal.
6. Common Mistakes to Avoid
Here are some common errors and their traditional corrections.
| Incorrect or less formal | Formal or traditionally preferred |
|---|---|
| Whom is calling me? | Who is calling me? |
| Who did you invite? | Whom did you invite? |
| Who did she give the book to? | To whom did she give the book? |
| Whom wants to answer? | Who wants to answer? |
Remember that some examples in the left column are not necessarily wrong in modern conversational English. In particular, “Who did you invite?” is perfectly natural and widely accepted. The more formal “Whom did you invite?” emphasizes the traditional grammatical distinction.
7. Who and Whom in Relative Clauses
Relative clauses provide information about a person. “Who” is used when the pronoun is the subject of the clause, while “whom” is traditionally used when it is the object.
Examples:
- The girl who sings beautifully is my sister.
- The girl whom I taught is my sister.
- The manager who interviewed me was polite.
- The manager whom I interviewed was polite.
Notice the difference between the last two sentences. In the third sentence, the manager performs the interview. In the fourth, I perform the interview, and the manager receives the action.
In everyday English, “who” often replaces “whom” in object position, particularly when the pronoun is not immediately after a preposition.
8. Conclusion
The distinction between “who” and “whom” becomes easier once you understand subjects and objects. Use “who” for the person performing an action and “whom” for the person receiving the action or following a preposition in formal grammar.
For everyday communication, “who” is increasingly common in both roles. However, learning to use “whom” correctly will improve your understanding of formal English and help you recognize the difference in academic writing, grammar tests, and professional documents.
The most important rule to remember is: Who = he/she/they; whom = him/her/them.
1. はじめに
英語の文法では、「who」と「whom」は、どちらも人を指す代名詞です。意味は似ていますが、文の中でどのような役割を果たすかによって使い分けます。
基本的な違いは次のとおりです。
- Who（誰が・誰は）：文の主語として使います。つまり、動作をする人を指します。
- Whom（誰を・誰に）：動詞の目的語、または前置詞の目的語として使います。つまり、動作を受ける人や、動作の対象となる人を指します。
この違いを理解すると、特にフォーマルな文章、試験、ビジネス上のコミュニケーションで、より正確な英語を使えるようになります。
2. 「Who」の使い方
「Who」は、質問をするときに使う疑問代名詞です。また、人について説明する節を導く関係代名詞としても使われます。
「Who」は、文の中で動作をする人を指す場合に使います。
質問文での「Who」の例
– Who is knocking at the door?
誰がドアをノックしていますか？
– Who teaches you English?
誰があなたに英語を教えていますか？
– Who wrote this letter?
誰がこの手紙を書きましたか？
– Who called me yesterday?
昨日、誰が私に電話しましたか？
– Who wants to participate in the competition?
誰がそのコンテストに参加したいですか？
これらの文では、「Who」は動作をする人を指しています。例えば、「Who wrote this letter?」では、「Who」が手紙を書くという動作を行っています。
平叙文での「Who」の例
– The woman who lives next door is a doctor.
隣に住んでいる女性は医師です。
– I know the boy who won the race.
私はそのレースで優勝した少年を知っています。
– She is the teacher who helped me.
彼女は私を助けてくれた先生です。
– The man who repaired my car was very friendly.
私の車を修理してくれた男性は、とても親切でした。
これらの例では、「who」が人について追加の情報を説明する節を導いています。
3. 「Whom」の使い方
「Whom」も疑問代名詞や関係代名詞ですが、動詞の目的語や前置詞の目的語となる人を指すときに使います。
つまり、その人自身が主な動作をするのではなく、動作を受けたり、前置詞によって示される関係の対象になったりする場合に使います。
質問文での「Whom」の例
– Whom did you invite to the party?
あなたは誰をパーティーに招待しましたか？
– Whom did the teacher praise?
先生は誰を褒めましたか？
– Whom are you waiting for?
あなたは誰を待っていますか？
– Whom did she meet yesterday?
彼女は昨日、誰に会いましたか？
– To whom did you give the book?
あなたは誰にその本を渡しましたか？
例えば、「Whom did you invite to the party?」という文を考えてみましょう。
主語は「you（あなた）」で、動詞は「invite（招待する）」です。招待される人は動詞の目的語です。そのため、伝統的な文法では「whom」が正しいとされます。
ただし、日常会話では「Who did you invite to the party?」と言う人も多く、この表現も現代英語では広く受け入れられています。
平叙文での「Whom」の例
– The man whom I met yesterday is my uncle.
私が昨日会った男性は私のおじです。
– The student whom the principal praised received an award.
校長先生に褒められた生徒は賞を受け取りました。
– She is the person whom we invited.
彼女は私たちが招待した人です。
– The author whom I admire has published a new book.
私が尊敬している作家は新しい本を出版しました。
これらの文では、「whom」は動詞の動作を受ける人を指しています。
4. 「Who」と「Whom」を簡単に見分ける方法
覚えやすい方法は、「who」や「whom」を「he（彼は）」または「him（彼を・彼に）」に置き換えてみることです。
- 「he」が当てはまる場合は「who」
- 「him」が当てはまる場合は「whom」
この方法は、「she（彼女は）」と「her（彼女を・彼女に）」、または「they（彼らは）」と「them（彼らを・彼らに）」にも使えます。
例1
Question: Who/whom called you?
意味：誰があなたに電話しましたか？
答えを考えます。
「He called me.（彼が私に電話しました）」と言えます。
「he」が当てはまるので、正しいのは who です。
例2
Question: Who/whom did you call?
意味：あなたは誰に電話しましたか？
「I called him.（私は彼に電話しました）」と言えます。
「him」が当てはまるので、伝統的な文法では whom が正しい選択です。
さらに例を見てみましょう。
– Who broke the window?
誰が窓を割りましたか？（He broke the window.）
– Whom did you see?
あなたは誰に会いましたか？（I saw him.）
– Who is coming with us?
誰が私たちと一緒に来ますか？（She is coming with us.）
– Whom did they select?
彼らは誰を選びましたか？（They selected her.）
この置き換えの方法は、2つの代名詞を区別するための非常に効果的な方法の1つです。
5. 前置詞の後に使う「Who」と「Whom」
前置詞とは、「to（〜へ・〜に）」「for（〜のために）」「with（〜と一緒に）」「from（〜から）」「about（〜について）」などの語です。
フォーマルな英語では、人を指す代名詞が前置詞の後に置かれる場合、一般的に「whom」を使います。
例：
– To whom should I address this letter?
この手紙は誰宛てにすればよいですか？
– With whom are you travelling?
あなたは誰と旅行していますか？
– For whom did you buy this gift?
あなたは誰のためにこのプレゼントを買いましたか？
– From whom did you receive this message?
あなたは誰からこのメッセージを受け取りましたか？
– About whom were they talking?
彼らは誰について話していましたか？
一方、日常会話では、前置詞を文末に置き、「who」を使うこともよくあります。
例えば、次の2つの文です。
- フォーマル：With whom are you going?
- カジュアル：Who are you going with?
どちらも意味は通じます。前者はよりフォーマルで、後者は日常会話で自然な表現です。
6. よくある間違い
次の表は、よくある誤りと、伝統的な文法に基づく正しい表現を示しています。
| 誤り、またはよりカジュアルな表現 | フォーマル、または伝統的に推奨される表現 |
|---|---|
| Whom is calling me? | Who is calling me? |
| Who did you invite? | Whom did you invite? |
| Who did she give the book to? | To whom did she give the book? |
| Whom wants to answer? | Who wants to answer? |
ただし、左側の表現がすべて現代英語で間違いというわけではありません。
特に「Who did you invite?」は、日常会話で完全に自然であり、広く使われています。「Whom did you invite?」は、伝統的な文法上の区別をより明確に示すフォーマルな表現です。
7. 関係節における「Who」と「Whom」
関係節とは、人について追加の情報を説明する節のことです。
関係節の中で、代名詞が主語として使われる場合は「who」を使います。一方、目的語として使われる場合は、伝統的な文法では「whom」を使います。
例：
– The girl who sings beautifully is my sister.
美しい声で歌う少女は私の妹です。
– The girl whom I taught is my sister.
私が教えた少女は私の妹です。
– The manager who interviewed me was polite.
私を面接したマネージャーは礼儀正しい人でした。
– The manager whom I interviewed was polite.
私が面接したマネージャーは礼儀正しい人でした。
最後の2つの文の違いに注目してください。
3つ目の文では、マネージャーが面接をする側です。一方、4つ目の文では、私が面接をする側で、マネージャーは面接を受ける側です。
日常英語では、特に前置詞の直後ではない目的語の位置で、「whom」の代わりに「who」が使われることもよくあります。
8. まとめ
「Who」と「whom」の違いは、主語と目的語の役割を理解すれば、簡単に覚えられます。
- Who：動作をする人を指す。
- Whom：動作を受ける人、またはフォーマルな文法で前置詞の目的語となる人を指す。
日常会話では「who」が両方の役割で使われることが増えています。しかし、「whom」の正しい使い方を学ぶことで、フォーマルな英語への理解が深まり、学術的な文章、文法試験、ビジネス文書などにも役立ちます。
最も重要なルールは、次のとおりです。
Who ＝ he / she / they（彼は・彼女は・彼らは）
Whom ＝ him / her / them（彼を・彼に・彼女を・彼女に・彼らを・彼らに）
