Relative clauses in Japanese

Japanese puts the whole describing clause before its noun, without a word corresponding to “who,” “which” or “that”; the noun’s role inside that clause is understood from context. Use plain verb forms inside the description even in a polite sentence, and leave out subjects that are clear; a stated subject inside the clause can take が or, in suitable constructions, の, as in 母の働いている場所. English “whose” also needs no separate relative word: a clause about a car or family member can describe the person connected to them, while と一緒に expresses “together with” in the example about coworkers. The examples marked formal use polite endings such as です and ます, suitable with unfamiliar people, while the informal examples use plain endings and conversational よ with people you know well.