Ch 26 路 Lesson 16Spanish 路 Chapter 26 路 Lesson 16 路 Grammar primer
Advanced relatives: el que and el cual after a preposition
After a preposition takes an article that agrees: . alone means the one who, and is the formal twin.
The short version
After a preposition,
.
Why?Hide
Spanish never leaves a preposition at the end of a clause. It goes in front, and then normally takes an article that agrees with the noun: , , . does the same job in more formal Spanish.
The advanced relatives on one screen
| Form | When | Example |
|---|---|---|
| no preposition | | |
| a person, after a preposition | | |
| , | after a preposition | |
| , | the one who, the one that | |
| , | , after a preposition | |
| what, the thing that | | |
| , | which, after a comma, an idea | , |
| , | whose, agrees with the thing | |
Blue is masculine, rose is feminine and green is the neuter . If , and are still new, start with Spanish relative pronouns.
After a preposition: el que, la que
With a preposition in front of it, normally takes the article, and the article agrees with the noun it points back to:
| Noun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
. | The reason I came is simple. | |
. | Why I did it doesn't matter. | |
. | The things we talked about. | |
. | The company I work for. |
For a person, works too: and both mean "the friend I travel with". After , bare is common as well: (the house I live in).
El que on its own: the one who
With no noun in front, means "the one who" or "the one that". The article agrees with the person or thing you have in mind:
| Meaning | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| the ones who | . | The ones who arrived late didn't get in. |
| the one that | . | I prefer the one we saw before. |
| the one (f) | . | The one on the corner is mine. |
cannot do this job: only means "the one who".
El cual: the formal twin
, , , agree like and mean the same after a preposition. They belong to careful, written Spanish:
They are preferred after and longer prepositions:
| Preposition | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
. | A law according to which everyone pays. | |
. | The bridge we slept under. | |
. | The conditions under which we signed. |
In a clause between commas, the choice is one of register:
- mi hermano, que vive en Madrid
- mi hermano, quien vive en Madrid
- mi hermano, el cual vive en Madrid
With no preposition and no comma, is impossible: , never " ".
Going further: Lo que and lo cual: a whole idea and the rest of the guide, when you want them. This lesson does not need them.
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