Kilo Lingo
Spanish grammar Part of Chapter 26

CEFR B1-B2

4 min read

Test yourself (24 questions)

Advanced Spanish Relative Pronouns: el cual, lo cual, cuyo

By Michael McGettrick and Sergio Linares-HernandesUpdated 12 October 2026

Plain covers most relative clauses. This page is for the rest: a preposition in front, a whole idea to point at, or whose:

Quick check

Three quick questions on what you have just read. The full practice is further down.

Spot the mistake

0/3

Each sentence has one mistake. Tap it.

  • . - The reason I came is simple.
  • , . - He/She arrived late, which annoyed me.
  • . - The author whose novels I read is Spanish.

The advanced relatives on one screen

agrees with a masculine nounagrees with a feminine nounneuter lo, a whole ideaWhat do the colours mean?
FormWhenExample
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

agrees with a masculine nounagrees with a feminine nounWhat do the colours mean?

With a preposition in front of it, normally takes the article, and the article agrees with the noun it points back to:

The noun
Preposition
Article + que
The clause
NounSpanishEnglish
.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

agrees with a masculine nounagrees with a feminine nounWhat do the colours mean?

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:

MeaningSpanishEnglish
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

agrees with a masculine nounagrees with a feminine nounWhat do the colours mean?

, , , agree like and mean the same after a preposition. They belong to careful, written Spanish:

  • - everyday
  • - more formal, same meaning

They are preferred after and longer prepositions:

PrepositionSpanishEnglish
.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:

EverydayFormal writing
  1. mi hermano, que vive en Madrid
  2. mi hermano, quien vive en Madrid
  3. mi hermano, el cual vive en Madrid

With no preposition and no comma, is impossible: , never " ".

Lo que and lo cual: a whole idea

neuter lo, a whole ideaagrees with a masculine nounWhat do the colours mean?

When there is no noun to point at, only an idea, Spanish uses the neuter . means "what", the thing that:

UseSpanishEnglish
something said .I don't understand what you said.
a need .What I need is a rest.
a free choice .Do what you like.

After a comma, or comments on the whole clause before it, like English "which":

  • , . - He/She arrived late, which annoyed me.
  • , . - He/She passed the exam, which pleased his/her parents.

The article decides what the clause points at:

Points atSpanishEnglish
the train , .He/She missed the train, which left at eight.
missing it , .He/She missed the train, which was a shame.

Only means "what": , never " ".

Cuyo: whose

masculine, like the thing ownedfeminine, like the thing ownedWhat do the colours mean?

means "whose". It sits right in front of the thing owned and agrees with that thing, never with the owner:

cuyo takes its gender from coche, not from la mujer
OwnerSpanishEnglish
the author whose novels I read
the woman whose car we saw
médicathe boy whose mother is a doctor
the writer whose books I admire

No article follows it: , never " ". is mostly written Spanish. In speech, people often rephrase: .

Mistakes English speakers make

agrees with a masculine nounagrees with a feminine nounneuter lo, a whole ideaWhat do the colours mean?
WrongRightWhy
con the preposition goes in front
the article agrees with
no preposition, no comma:
, ... , ...a whole idea needs
only means what
agrees with the thing owned
is not standard

What to do next

  1. Take five sentences you would end with a preposition in English and put the preposition in front.
  2. Do the sort and the story drill below.
  3. Then the neuter lo, the inside and .

Practise: test yourself

Sort into groups

0/6

Which form of cuyo goes in front of each noun?

Tap a word, then the group it belongs in.

Complete the story

0/4

Choose the relative for each gap.

Ana's new flat

Ana vive en un piso ventanas dan al mar. La calle en está es muy tranquila. Ayer perdió las llaves, fue un problema. Su vecino, tiene otra llave, no estaba en casa.

Gap 1 of 4

Spot the mistake

0/4

Each sentence has one mistake. Tap it.

Pick the right one

0/6

Choose the relative the sentence needs.

  1. La razón por vine es simple.

  2. No sé quieres.

  3. Perdió el tren, salía a las ocho. (the train left at eight)

  4. Llegó tarde, me molestó.

  5. llegaron tarde no entraron. (the ones who)

  6. Las condiciones bajo firmamos han cambiado.

Translation drill

0/4

Translate into English.

  1. La razón por la que vine es simple.

  2. Llegó tarde, lo cual me molestó.

  3. El escritor cuyas novelas leo es español.

  4. No entiendo lo que dijiste.

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Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between and ?
After a preposition they mean the same and agree the same way: , (the reason I came). is the everyday choice; is more formal and is preferred after long prepositions such as : . Only can mean the one who: (the ones who arrived late).
Why does Spanish say ' '?
Because a relative after a preposition normally takes the definite article, and the article agrees with the noun it points back to: , , . Spanish also never leaves the preposition at the end the way English does (the reason I came for): it always goes in front.
When do you use and when ?
Both are neuter: they point at a whole idea, not at a noun with a gender. After a comma, commenting on the clause before, they are interchangeable: , (or ) . Only can mean what, the thing that: . never does that job.
How does work, and what does it agree with?
means whose and sits right in front of the thing owned. It agrees with that thing, not with the owner: ( matches ), ( matches ). It has four forms, , , and , and it is mostly written Spanish.
Can you say ' ' instead of ?
Not in standard Spanish. is heard in speech, but it is treated as a mistake in writing and exams: the standard form is . If feels too formal, rephrase: .