Kilo Lingo
Part of Chapter 12

CEFR B1

4 min read

Test yourself (25 questions)

Spanish Relative Pronouns

A relative pronoun connects a noun to a clause that modifies it. The Spanish set is small.

que: the default

is the workhorse relative pronoun. It covers both people and things, in both restrictive and non-restrictive clauses, and it's invariable.

  • . (The book that I read yesterday is interesting.)
  • médica. (The woman who lives here is a doctor.)
  • Madrid son . (The friends I have in Madrid are great.)
  • . (The car that I bought is new.)

Note: English often drops the relative pronoun ("the book I read"), but Spanish never does. is ungrammatical; you must include .

Que works with prepositions for things and concepts:

  • . (The book I told you about.)
  • idea con . (The idea I agree with.)

After most prepositions, needs an article: , con , , a .

quien / quienes: people in non-restrictive clauses

(singular) and (plural) refer to people in two specific contexts:

1. Non-restrictive clauses (the ones in commas, adding extra information):

  • , Madrid, . (My father, who lives in Madrid, is coming tomorrow.)
  • María, médica, hospital. (Maria, who is a doctor, works at the hospital.)

In restrictive clauses (no commas), is the default even for people: , not "el hombre quien vive aquí".

2. After a preposition referring to a person:

  • con . (The woman I spoke with is my teacher.)
  • . (The friends I bought the gifts for.)
  • . (The man I told you about.)

After a preposition, is preferred for people, where would need the article (con , ).

lo que: "what" / "that which"

is the neuter relative pronoun for situations where there's no specific noun antecedent - the thing being referred back to is an idea, an action, a situation.

  • No . (I don't understand what you're saying.)
  • me . (What I like is travelling.)
  • . (Do what you want.)
  • No . (I don't know what's happening.)

When there's a specific noun in mind, use with the article instead:

  • No . (I don't know the book you prefer. - specific noun, libro)
  • No . (I don't know what you prefer. - abstract)

donde and cuando as relatives

(where) and (when) can function as relative adverbs, linking a clause to a noun of place or time. No written accent in this use.

  • . (The house where I live is small.)
  • . (The restaurant where we ate yesterday.)
  • me casé. (The year I got married.)
  • Madrid. (In those times when I lived in Madrid.)

These often interchange with / / :

  • =
  • me casé = me casé

Donde and cuando are simpler and more conversational; the + article + forms are slightly more formal.

Worked examples

  • . (The book I'm reading is very good.)
  • . (The woman I met yesterday is very nice.)
  • , París, a . (My brother, who lives in Paris, is coming to see me.)
  • No . (I didn't know what you meant.)
  • . (The city where I was born is very small.)
  • llegué a Madrid . (The day I arrived in Madrid, it was raining.)
  • con . (The teacher I study with is very good.)

Common mistakes English speakers make

Dropping the relative pronoun the way English does: is wrong, it's . Spanish never drops the relative pronoun. Defaulting to quien for all people, including in restrictive clauses: is wrong, it's . And using instead of when there's no specific noun antecedent: no would mean "I don't understand that you're saying" (a different sentence); no is the right form.

See also

Practise: test yourself

Fill in the blank

0/9

Fill the gap with the relative pronoun Spanish requires: que, quien, quienes or lo que.

  1. El libro leí ayer es interesante. (default for things, restrictive clause)

  2. La mujer vive aquí es médica. (default for people, restrictive clause)

  3. Mi padre, vive en Madrid, viene mañana. (person, non-restrictive clause)

  4. No entiendo dices. (no specific noun antecedent)

  5. Los amigos para compré los regalos. (plural people after a preposition)

  6. El coche compré es nuevo. (default for things, restrictive clause)

  7. No sé quieres decir. (no specific noun antecedent)

  8. La mujer conocí ayer es médica. (default for people, restrictive clause)

  9. El profesor con hablo es muy bueno. (person after a preposition)

Pick the right one

0/8

Choose que or quien for the gap.

  1. El hombre vive aquí es mi amigo.

  2. La mujer con hablé es mi profesora.

  3. María, es médica, trabaja en el hospital.

  4. El coche compré es nuevo.

  5. El libro leí es interesante.

  6. Los amigos con vivo son geniales.

  7. La ciudad conozco es muy bonita.

  8. Mi padre, trabaja aquí, llega tarde.

Translation drill

0/8

Translate into Spanish, picking the right relative pronoun.

  1. The book I read yesterday is interesting.

  2. My brother, who lives in Paris, is coming to see me.

  3. I don't understand what you're saying.

  4. The house where I live is small.

  5. The car that I bought is new.

  6. The woman who lives here is a doctor.

  7. What I like is travelling.

  8. The teacher I work with is very good.

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Frequently asked questions

When do you use que vs quien in Spanish?
Que is the default for both people and things in restrictive clauses (clauses that identify which one you mean): el hombre que vive aquí (the man who lives here), el libro que leí (the book that I read). Quien is reserved for people in non-restrictive clauses (the ones in commas adding extra information): mi padre, quien vive en Madrid, viene mañana (my father, who lives in Madrid, is coming tomorrow). After a preposition referring to a person, quien is also standard: la mujer con quien hablé (the woman I spoke with). For everyday use, que covers about 80% of cases.
What does lo que mean in Spanish?
Lo que means 'what' or 'that which' when there's no specific noun to refer back to - the antecedent is an idea, a situation, or something unidentified. No entiendo lo que dices (I don't understand what you're saying). Lo que me importa es la verdad (what matters to me is the truth). Use lo que when the thing being referred to is abstract or unidentified; use que or el que / la que when there's a specific noun in mind.