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Spanish · Grammar · B1

Relative pronouns: que does most of the work

A relative pronoun joins two sentences that share a noun: “the friend who lives in Madrid”. In Spanish, que covers “who”, “which” and “that” for people and things alike, and it is never left out.

Tengo un amigo. El amigovive en Madrid. Tengo un amigoque vive en Madrid. I have a friend. The friend lives in Madrid.I have a friend who lives in Madrid.TEN-goh oo-nah-MEE-goh keh BEE-beh en mah-DREED

Short answer: use que in almost every case. After a preposition, use quien for people or el que / la que for anything. Use lo que for “what” in the middle of a sentence, cuyo for “whose”, and donde for places.

Que: who, which, that

Every word has its English meaning underneath. English can drop “that” in the second and third examples; Spanish can never drop que.

Person, subject
Lathemujerwomanquewhohablaspeaksesismimyjefa.boss
lah moo-HER keh AH-blah es mee HEH-fah“The woman who’s speaking is my boss.”Why: Que is the subject of habla: the woman is the one speaking.
Thing, object
Elthelibrobookquethatleo(I) readesisbueno.good
el LEE-broh keh LEH-oh es BWEH-noh“The book (that) I’m reading is good.”Why: Que is the object of leo. English can leave “that” out; Spanish cannot.
Person, object
Elthechicoboyquewhomconocí(I) metesissimpático.nice
el CHEE-koh keh koh-noh-THEE es seem-PAH-tee-koh“The boy (whom) I met is nice.”Why: A person as object normally takes a (conocí a Juan), but plain que needs no a.
Thing, subject
ElthetrentrainquewhichsaleleavesahoranowvagoesatoSevilla.Seville
el tren keh SAH-leh ah-OH-rah bah ah seh-BEE-yah“The train that’s leaving now goes to Seville.”Why: The same que as for people: Spanish does not split who and which.

After a preposition: quien and el que

A preposition is a small linking word such as con (with), en (in) or de (of, about). English often leaves it at the end of the sentence (“the friend I live with”). Spanish always moves it to the front, before the relative pronoun. After a preposition, use quien for people, or el que for people and things. El que agrees with the noun: el que, la que, los que, las que. El cual is a more formal equivalent.

ENGLISH the friend I live with SPANISH el amigo con quien vivo The preposition can sit at the end in English.In Spanish it always comes first, then quien or el que.el ah-MEE-goh kon kyen BEE-boh
The preposition belongs to the verb (vivir con, “to live with”), so Spanish keeps it next to the word it governs: con quien, never quien … con.
Eltheamigofriendconwithquienwhomvivo(I) liveesismédico.doctor
el ah-MEE-goh kon kyen BEE-boh es MEH-dee-koh“The friend I live with is a doctor.”

Why: Quien is only for people. No article before médico: Spanish drops it before a job after ser.

Lathecasahouseeninla quewhichvivimos(we) liveesisantigua.old
lah KAH-sah en lah keh bee-BEE-mohs es an-TEE-gwah“The house we live in is old.”

Why: La que agrees with casa: feminine, singular. En la que can also be just en que.

Latherazónreasonporforla quewhichvine(I) came
lah rah-THON por lah keh BEE-neh“The reason I came.”

Why: Por la que, “for which”, goes with razón and motivo (reason).

Lathegentepeopleconwithla quewhichtrabajo(I) workesisamable.nice
lah HEN-teh kon lah keh trah-BAH-hoh es ah-MAH-bleh“The people I work with are nice.”

Why: Gente is a feminine singular noun in Spanish, so la que and es, where English says “are”.

Eltheproblemaproblemdel queabout-whichhablamos(we) talked
el proh-BLEH-mah del keh ah-BLAH-mohs“The problem we talked about.”

Why: The verb is hablar de, “to talk about”; de + el que contracts to del que.

Lo que, cuyo, donde, en que

lo quewhat, whichFor an idea with no noun in front, and to refer back to a whole clause.
Nonotentiendo(I) understandlo quewhatdices.(you) say
noh en-TYEN-doh loh keh DEE-thes“I don’t understand what you’re saying.”
Llegó(he) arrivedtarde,latelo quewhichmememolestó.annoyed
yeh-GOH TAR-deh, loh keh meh moh-les-TOH“He arrived late, which annoyed me.”
cuyowhoseAgrees with the thing owned, not the owner: cuyo, cuya, cuyos, cuyas. Mostly written.
Eltheautorauthorcuyawhosenovelanovelleí…(I) read
el ow-TOR KOO-yah noh-BEH-lah leh-EE“The author whose novel I read…”
Unaaciudadcitycuyoswhosemuseosmuseumssonarefamosos.famous
OO-nah thyoo-DAD KOO-yohs moo-SEH-ohs son fah-MOH-sohs“A city whose museums are famous.”
dondewhereFor places. En el que or en la que are also possible.
Latheciudadcitydondewherenací.(I) was-born
lah thyoo-DAD DON-deh nah-THEE“The city where I was born.”
Elthebarbardondewherenoseach-otherconocimos.(we) met
el bar DON-deh nohs koh-noh-THEE-mohs“The bar where we met.”
en que / comowhen / howAfter a time word, en que (or just que); after a word for manner, como.
Elthedíadayenonquewhichllegaste…(you) arrived
el DEE-ah en keh yeh-GAS-teh“The day (that) you arrived…”
Lathemanerawaycomohowloitdijo…(he) said
lah mah-NEH-rah KOH-moh loh DEE-hoh“The way he said it…”

Que with the subjunctive: a thing you know, or one you are looking for

The verb after que is normally in the indicative, the ordinary form for facts. When the noun is something you have not found, or that may not exist, the verb switches to the subjunctive, the form Spanish uses for things not known to be real. The same sentence changes meaning with one vowel. More in the subjunctive.

A flat you know exists
Busco(I) look-forelthepisoflatquethattienehasterraza.terrace
BOOS-koh el PEE-soh keh TYEH-neh teh-RRAH-thah“I’m looking for the flat that has a terrace.”Why: El piso: a particular flat you have seen. Tiene, indicative, states a fact.
Any flat, if one exists
Busco(I) look-forunapisoflatquethattengahas (subj.)terraza.terrace
BOOS-koh oon PEE-soh keh TEN-gah teh-RRAH-thah“I’m looking for a flat with a terrace.”Why: Un piso: you have not found it yet. Tenga, subjunctive, describes what you want.
Someone who exists
Conozco(I) knowa(to)alguiensomeonequewhohablaspeaksruso.Russian
koh-NOTH-koh ah AL-gyen keh AH-blah ROO-soh“I know someone who speaks Russian.”Why: The person is real, so habla, indicative. The little a marks a person as object.
Nobody at all
Nonotconozco(I) knowa(to)nadienobodyquewhohablespeaks (subj.)ruso.Russian
noh koh-NOTH-koh ah NAH-dyeh keh AH-bleh ROO-soh“I don’t know anyone who speaks Russian.”Why: Nadie: the person does not exist, so hable, subjunctive.

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