Relative Pronouns In Depth

Introduction

Relative pronouns connect two ideas into one sentence: "The man who called" or "The book that I read." Spanish has several relative pronouns, each with specific rules. Mastering them is key to sounding articulate.

Que — The Universal Connector

Que is by far the most common relative pronoun. It means "that," "which," "who," or "whom":

• El libro que leí es interesante. — The book (that) I read is interesting.
• La persona que llamó era mi jefe. — The person who called was my boss.
• La película que vimos fue aburrida. — The movie (that) we watched was boring.
• Los estudiantes que aprobaron están contentos. — The students who passed are happy.

Unlike English, que can NEVER be omitted. English can say "the book I read" (dropping "that"), but Spanish must always include que: el libro que leí.

Que After Prepositions

With short prepositions and things (not people), use que:

• La casa en que vivo. — The house (that) I live in.
• El tema del que hablamos. — The topic (that) we talked about.
• La silla en que estás sentado. — The chair (that) you're sitting in.

Quien(es) — For People

Quien (singular) / quienes (plural) refers only to people. Used mainly:

After prepositions (for people)

• La persona con quien hablé. — The person with whom I spoke.
• El amigo a quien llamé. — The friend whom I called.
• Los colegas con quienes trabajo. — The colleagues with whom I work.

In non-restrictive clauses (extra information)

• Mi hermano, quien vive en Madrid, viene mañana. — My brother, who lives in Madrid, is coming tomorrow.

In everyday speech, que often replaces quien: La persona con la que hablé is more common than con quien hablé.

El que / El cual — The Formal Options

El que (la que, los que, las que) and el cual (la cual, los cuales, las cuales) are used:

After longer prepositions

• La razón por la cual se fue. — The reason for which he left.
• El edificio detrás del cual hay un parque. — The building behind which there's a park.
• Los problemas a causa de los cuales fracasó. — The problems because of which he failed.

To clarify which noun is being referenced

• La madre de Juan, la cual es doctora… — Juan's mother, who (the mother) is a doctor…

(Using la cual makes it clear we mean the mother, not Juan.)

El que as "the one who"

• El que llegue primero gana. — The one who arrives first wins.
• Los que quieran pueden irse. — Those who want to can leave.
• No es lo mismo que el que dijo ayer. — It's not the same as what he said yesterday.

Lo que — What / The thing that

Lo que refers to an idea, concept, or unspecified thing (not a specific noun):

• Lo que dices es verdad. — What you say is true.
• No entiendo lo que quieres. — I don't understand what you want.
• Lo que más me gusta es viajar. — What I like most is traveling.
• Haz lo que quieras. — Do whatever you want.
• Eso es lo que pensé. — That's what I thought.

Lo que ≠ qué. Lo que = "what" in statements/relative clauses. Qué = "what" in questions. No sé lo que pasó. vs. ¿Qué pasó?

Donde — Where

Donde replaces "where" in relative clauses:

• La ciudad donde nací. — The city where I was born.
• El restaurante donde comimos. — The restaurant where we ate.
• No conozco el lugar donde vive. — I don't know the place where she lives.

With prepositions: La dirección hacia donde iban. — The direction (where) they were heading.

Cuyo/a/os/as — Whose

Cuyo means "whose" and agrees with the thing possessed (not the possessor):

• El autor cuyo libro leí. — The author whose book I read.
• La mujer cuya hija es médica. — The woman whose daughter is a doctor.
• El país cuyos habitantes son amables. — The country whose inhabitants are friendly.

Cuyo agrees with what follows it, not what precedes it: El hombre cuya casa… (cuya agrees with casa, feminine).

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