Lo que, donde: what and where

lo que: what, with no noun

When there is no noun for the clause to describe, Spanish uses lo que, the thing that or what:

• No entiendo lo que dices. - I don't understand what you're saying.
• Lo que me gusta es viajar. - What I like is travelling.
• Eso es lo que quiero. - That's what I want.

With a noun in front, it is plain que. Compare:

Lo que can also sum up a whole sentence:

• Llegó tarde, lo que no me gustó. - He arrived late, which I didn't like.

The lo is the neuter article of lo bueno and lo importante.

donde and cuando

Donde joins a clause to a place. It means the same as en el que or en la que:

• La casa donde vivo es pequeña. - The house where I live is small.
• La casa en la que vivo es pequeña. - The same.

Cuando adds a time in commas:

• En 2010, cuando vivía en Madrid, aprendí a cocinar. - In 2010, when I was living in Madrid, I learnt to cook.

Straight after a time noun, Spanish prefers en que, or in speech plain que, to cuando:

• el día en que llegué - the day (that) I arrived
• el día que llegué - the same, more everyday

With no accent these are relatives; with one, dónde and cuándo ask questions. The accented set is on Spanish question words.

Mistakes English speakers make