Ch 37 · Lesson 17Spanish · Chapter 37 · Lesson 17 · Grammar primer
Cleft sentences: fue Pedro quien, lo que quiero es
Pedro (it was Pedro who did it), (what I want is to rest), and or for the one who.
The short version
In a cleft, the relative matches the spotlight
Madrid .
Why?Hide
Pedro puts the spotlight on Pedro. The relative word matches what you spotlight: or for a person, for a place, for a time, for a manner. agrees with a plural: .
saves the point for last
.
Why?Hide
The pseudo-cleft builds up with a clause and lands the answer after : (what I want is to rest). For a person or a specific thing, use or instead: .
Cleft sentences at a glance
The whole page on one screen.
| Frame | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| + | Pedro . | It was Pedro who did it. |
| + | Madrid . | It was in Madrid that I met her. |
| + | . | It's tomorrow that they arrive. |
| ... | . | What I want is to rest. |
| ... | Juan. | The one who was late was Juan. |
| fronting | . | The car, I fixed it yesterday. |
| emphatic | . | I did do it. |
Spanish word order is free enough to shift the weight a little. A cleft goes all the way:
- Pedro lo hizo.Pedro did it
- Lo hizo Pedro.Pedro is the news
- Fue Pedro quien lo hizo.Pedro, and nobody else
Fue Pedro quien: the ser cleft
The frame is + the spotlight + a relative clause for the rest:
The relative word matches what you are spotlighting:
| Spotlight | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| person: | María . | It was María who told me. |
| place: | . | It was on the beach that we met. |
| time: | . | It was yesterday that I saw him. |
| manner: | . | That's how I managed it. |
| reason | . | That's why I left. |
agrees with a plural spotlight and usually matches the tense of the clause:
.- It was them who won.Pedro .- It's Pedro who does it.
Lo que quiero es: the pseudo-cleft
The pseudo-cleft turns the cleft round. A clause builds up the question, and the answer lands last, after :
| Use | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| a wish | . | What I want is to rest. |
| a need | . | What I need is a coffee. |
| an excuse | . | The thing is, I haven't got time. |
| a puzzle | . | What I don't understand is why he/she left. |
is the everyday one: a speaker uses it to explain, or to excuse. The is the neuter one from lo neuter: it means "the thing that".
El que, la que: the one who
For a person or a specific thing, becomes , , or , agreeing with it:
| Who | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| a man | Juan. | The one who was late was Juan. |
| a woman | . | The one who helped me was your sister. |
| people | . | The ones who arrived first won. |
The article is the whole difference between a thing and an idea:
.- The one I need is this one..- What I need is to sleep.
Going further: Fronting: el coche lo arreglé and the rest of the guide, when you want them. This lesson does not need them.
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