In this lesson, we will learn how to ask to whom something belongs. We will also learn some more nouns for objects around the house as well as a few verbs for household chores.
To ask who owns an object, you use 'de quien' with the verb 'ser'.
For example: De quién es el libro? Who does the book belong to? Literally, this translates into "of who is the book?"
Notice that the verb 'ser' has to match the object. Since "el libro" is singular, we use the singular form of "ser". De quien ES el libro?
For the next example, De quién son los libros? Who do the books belong to?
As you can see, the "ser" verb matches "los libros", so it uses the "son" form. To make this less confusing, you could reorganize the same question to say: Los libros son de quién?
The original form sounds a lot more natural, but the second form can help you to figure out which noun the verb needs to match with.
Note that if there is more than one owner, then you use 'de quiénes' with the verb 'ser'
De quiénes es la casa? Who does the house belong to? Es de los Simpson. It belongs to the Simpsons.
De quiénes son los escritorios? Who do the desks belong to? Son de los estudiantes. They are the students' desks.
