Spanish · Chapter 12 · Lesson 16 · Grammar primer
Relative pronouns: que, quien, lo que
How to glue clauses together. The defaults, the contrasts, and when each one is required.
The short version
Spanish never drops the que
English drops the relative pronoun without a thought: 'the book I read'. Spanish never does, so el libro leí ayer is not a sentence. And do not upgrade to quien in an ordinary defining clause either: la mujer quien vive aquí is wrong. Keep quien for after a preposition or inside a comma-fenced clause.
El libro que leí ayer es interesante.
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