Spanish Relative Pronouns: que, quien, lo que, donde

A relative pronoun joins a noun to a clause that describes it. Spanish uses que for nearly everything, and never leaves it out:

• el libro que leí - the book (that) I read
• la mujer que vive aquí - the woman who lives here

The relative pronouns on one screen

Que does most of the work. Everything below is about the few places where it needs help.

que: the default

Que refers back to people and to things, singular or plural, and it never changes form:

English switches between who for people and that or which for things. Spanish does not care: one que for both.

Even for a person, a clause with no comma and no preposition takes que, never quien:

• La mujer que vive aquí es mi tía. - The woman who lives here is my aunt.

Spanish never drops que

English leaves the relative out whenever it is the object: the book I read, the man you met. Spanish always keeps it:

• El libro que leí ayer es interesante. - The book I read yesterday is interesting.
• El hombre que conociste es mi tío. - The man you met is my uncle.

After a preposition: con quien, en la que

When a preposition (con, de, a, para) comes before the relative, a person takes quien, or quienes for more than one:

Notice where the preposition goes. English leaves it at the end (the woman I talk to); Spanish puts it in front of the relative.

For a thing, the everyday choice is el que, la que, los que or las que, agreeing with the noun:

After en, plain que also works for a thing: la casa en que vivo. A person can take the article form too: la mujer con la que hablo means the same as con quien. What Spanish avoids is bare que for a person after a preposition.

Commas: que or quien

A clause in commas adds an extra fact about someone already identified. Here que and quien are both correct for a person, and the difference is register:

• Mi padre, que vive en Madrid, viene mañana. - My father, who lives in Madrid, is coming tomorrow.
• Mi padre, quien vive en Madrid, viene mañana. - The same, a touch more formal.

The formal cousins el cual and la cual are on advanced Spanish relative pronouns.

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

What to do next

1. Put que into every "the X I ..." you translate.
2. Do the story and spot-the-mistake drills below.
3. Then advanced Spanish relative pronouns for el cual, lo cual and cuyo (whose).