[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"i-lucide:chevron-down":3,"i-lucide:type":8,"i-lucide:languages":10,"i-lucide:layers":12,"i-lucide:menu":14,"i-lucide:house":16,"i-lucide:chevron-right":18,"i-lucide:list-ordered":20,"i-lucide:book-open":22,"i-lucide:library-big":24,"i-lucide:book-open-text":26,"i-lucide:graduation-cap":28,"i-lucide:case-sensitive":30,"i-lucide:gamepad-2":32,"i-lucide:presentation":34,"i-simple-icons:mastodon":36,"i-simple-icons:bluesky":38,"i-simple-icons:x":40,"i-simple-icons:linkedin":42,"grammar-spanish-relative-pronouns-advanced":45,"grammar-verbs-spanish-relative-pronouns-advanced":991,"i-lucide:download":992,"i-lucide:folder-down":994},{"left":4,"top":4,"width":5,"height":5,"rotate":4,"vFlip":6,"hFlip":6,"body":7},0,24,false,"\u003Cpath fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" stroke-width=\"2\" d=\"m6 9l6 6l6-6\"\u002F>",{"left":4,"top":4,"width":5,"height":5,"rotate":4,"vFlip":6,"hFlip":6,"body":9},"\u003Cpath fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" stroke-width=\"2\" d=\"M12 4v16M4 7V5a1 1 0 0 1 1-1h14a1 1 0 0 1 1 1v2M9 20h6\"\u002F>",{"left":4,"top":4,"width":5,"height":5,"rotate":4,"vFlip":6,"hFlip":6,"body":11},"\u003Cpath fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" stroke-width=\"2\" d=\"m5 8l6 6m-7 0l6-6l2-3M2 5h12M7 2h1m14 20l-5-10l-5 10m2-4h6\"\u002F>",{"left":4,"top":4,"width":5,"height":5,"rotate":4,"vFlip":6,"hFlip":6,"body":13},"\u003Cg fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" stroke-width=\"2\">\u003Cpath d=\"M12.83 2.18a2 2 0 0 0-1.66 0L2.6 6.08a1 1 0 0 0 0 1.83l8.58 3.91a2 2 0 0 0 1.66 0l8.58-3.9a1 1 0 0 0 0-1.83z\"\u002F>\u003Cpath d=\"M2 12a1 1 0 0 0 .58.91l8.6 3.91a2 2 0 0 0 1.65 0l8.58-3.9A1 1 0 0 0 22 12\"\u002F>\u003Cpath d=\"M2 17a1 1 0 0 0 .58.91l8.6 3.91a2 2 0 0 0 1.65 0l8.58-3.9A1 1 0 0 0 22 17\"\u002F>\u003C\u002Fg>",{"left":4,"top":4,"width":5,"height":5,"rotate":4,"vFlip":6,"hFlip":6,"body":15},"\u003Cpath fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" stroke-width=\"2\" d=\"M4 5h16M4 12h16M4 19h16\"\u002F>",{"left":4,"top":4,"width":5,"height":5,"rotate":4,"vFlip":6,"hFlip":6,"body":17},"\u003Cg fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" stroke-width=\"2\">\u003Cpath d=\"M15 21v-8a1 1 0 0 0-1-1h-4a1 1 0 0 0-1 1v8\"\u002F>\u003Cpath d=\"M3 10a2 2 0 0 1 .709-1.528l7-6a2 2 0 0 1 2.582 0l7 6A2 2 0 0 1 21 10v9a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H5a2 2 0 0 1-2-2z\"\u002F>\u003C\u002Fg>",{"left":4,"top":4,"width":5,"height":5,"rotate":4,"vFlip":6,"hFlip":6,"body":19},"\u003Cpath fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" stroke-width=\"2\" d=\"m9 18l6-6l-6-6\"\u002F>",{"left":4,"top":4,"width":5,"height":5,"rotate":4,"vFlip":6,"hFlip":6,"body":21},"\u003Cpath fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" stroke-width=\"2\" d=\"M11 5h10m-10 7h10m-10 7h10M4 4h1v5M4 9h2m.5 11H3.4c0-1 2.6-1.925 2.6-3.5a1.5 1.5 0 0 0-2.6-1.02\"\u002F>",{"left":4,"top":4,"width":5,"height":5,"rotate":4,"vFlip":6,"hFlip":6,"body":23},"\u003Cpath fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" stroke-width=\"2\" d=\"M12 7v14m-9-3a1 1 0 0 1-1-1V4a1 1 0 0 1 1-1h5a4 4 0 0 1 4 4a4 4 0 0 1 4-4h5a1 1 0 0 1 1 1v13a1 1 0 0 1-1 1h-6a3 3 0 0 0-3 3a3 3 0 0 0-3-3z\"\u002F>",{"left":4,"top":4,"width":5,"height":5,"rotate":4,"vFlip":6,"hFlip":6,"body":25},"\u003Cg fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" stroke-width=\"2\">\u003Crect width=\"8\" height=\"18\" x=\"3\" y=\"3\" rx=\"1\"\u002F>\u003Cpath d=\"M7 3v18m13.4-2.1c.2.5-.1 1.1-.6 1.3l-1.9.7c-.5.2-1.1-.1-1.3-.6L11.1 5.1c-.2-.5.1-1.1.6-1.3l1.9-.7c.5-.2 1.1.1 1.3.6Z\"\u002F>\u003C\u002Fg>",{"left":4,"top":4,"width":5,"height":5,"rotate":4,"vFlip":6,"hFlip":6,"body":27},"\u003Cpath fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" stroke-width=\"2\" d=\"M12 7v14m4-9h2m-2-4h2M3 18a1 1 0 0 1-1-1V4a1 1 0 0 1 1-1h5a4 4 0 0 1 4 4a4 4 0 0 1 4-4h5a1 1 0 0 1 1 1v13a1 1 0 0 1-1 1h-6a3 3 0 0 0-3 3a3 3 0 0 0-3-3zm3-6h2M6 8h2\"\u002F>",{"left":4,"top":4,"width":5,"height":5,"rotate":4,"vFlip":6,"hFlip":6,"body":29},"\u003Cg fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" stroke-width=\"2\">\u003Cpath d=\"M21.42 10.922a1 1 0 0 0-.019-1.838L12.83 5.18a2 2 0 0 0-1.66 0L2.6 9.08a1 1 0 0 0 0 1.832l8.57 3.908a2 2 0 0 0 1.66 0zM22 10v6\"\u002F>\u003Cpath d=\"M6 12.5V16a6 3 0 0 0 12 0v-3.5\"\u002F>\u003C\u002Fg>",{"left":4,"top":4,"width":5,"height":5,"rotate":4,"vFlip":6,"hFlip":6,"body":31},"\u003Cg fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" stroke-width=\"2\">\u003Cpath d=\"m2 16l4.039-9.69a.5.5 0 0 1 .923 0L11 16m11-7v7M3.304 13h6.392\"\u002F>\u003Ccircle cx=\"18.5\" cy=\"12.5\" r=\"3.5\"\u002F>\u003C\u002Fg>",{"left":4,"top":4,"width":5,"height":5,"rotate":4,"vFlip":6,"hFlip":6,"body":33},"\u003Cpath fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" stroke-width=\"2\" d=\"M6 11h4M8 9v4m7-1h.01M18 10h.01m-.69-5H6.68a4 4 0 0 0-3.978 3.59l-.017.152C2.604 9.416 2 14.456 2 16a3 3 0 0 0 3 3c1 0 1.5-.5 2-1l1.414-1.414A2 2 0 0 1 9.828 16h4.344a2 2 0 0 1 1.414.586L17 18c.5.5 1 1 2 1a3 3 0 0 0 3-3c0-1.545-.604-6.584-.685-7.258q-.01-.075-.017-.151A4 4 0 0 0 17.32 5\"\u002F>",{"left":4,"top":4,"width":5,"height":5,"rotate":4,"vFlip":6,"hFlip":6,"body":35},"\u003Cpath fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" stroke-width=\"2\" d=\"M2 3h20m-1 0v11a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H5a2 2 0 0 1-2-2V3m4 18l5-5l5 5\"\u002F>",{"left":4,"top":4,"width":5,"height":5,"rotate":4,"vFlip":6,"hFlip":6,"body":37},"\u003Cpath fill=\"currentColor\" d=\"M23.268 5.313c-.35-2.578-2.617-4.61-5.304-5.004C17.51.242 15.792 0 11.813 0h-.03c-3.98 0-4.835.242-5.288.309C3.882.692 1.496 2.518.917 5.127C.64 6.412.61 7.837.661 9.143c.074 1.874.088 3.745.26 5.611c.118 1.24.325 2.47.62 3.68c.55 2.237 2.777 4.098 4.96 4.857c2.336.792 4.849.923 7.256.38q.398-.092.786-.213c.585-.184 1.27-.39 1.774-.753a.06.06 0 0 0 .023-.043v-1.809a.05.05 0 0 0-.02-.041a.05.05 0 0 0-.046-.01a20.3 20.3 0 0 1-4.709.545c-2.73 0-3.463-1.284-3.674-1.818a5.6 5.6 0 0 1-.319-1.433a.053.053 0 0 1 .066-.054c1.517.363 3.072.546 4.632.546c.376 0 .75 0 1.125-.01c1.57-.044 3.224-.124 4.768-.422q.059-.011.11-.024c2.435-.464 4.753-1.92 4.989-5.604c.008-.145.03-1.52.03-1.67c.002-.512.167-3.63-.024-5.545m-3.748 9.195h-2.561V8.29c0-1.309-.55-1.976-1.67-1.976c-1.23 0-1.846.79-1.846 2.35v3.403h-2.546V8.663c0-1.56-.617-2.35-1.848-2.35c-1.112 0-1.668.668-1.67 1.977v6.218H4.822V8.102q0-1.965 1.011-3.12c.696-.77 1.608-1.164 2.74-1.164c1.311 0 2.302.5 2.962 1.498l.638 1.06l.638-1.06c.66-.999 1.65-1.498 2.96-1.498c1.13 0 2.043.395 2.74 1.164q1.012 1.155 1.012 3.12z\"\u002F>",{"left":4,"top":4,"width":5,"height":5,"rotate":4,"vFlip":6,"hFlip":6,"body":39},"\u003Cpath fill=\"currentColor\" d=\"M5.202 2.857C7.954 4.922 10.913 9.11 12 11.358c1.087-2.247 4.046-6.436 6.798-8.501C20.783 1.366 24 .213 24 3.883c0 .732-.42 6.156-.667 7.037c-.856 3.061-3.978 3.842-6.755 3.37c4.854.826 6.089 3.562 3.422 6.299c-5.065 5.196-7.28-1.304-7.847-2.97c-.104-.305-.152-.448-.153-.327c0-.121-.05.022-.153.327c-.568 1.666-2.782 8.166-7.847 2.97c-2.667-2.737-1.432-5.473 3.422-6.3c-2.777.473-5.899-.308-6.755-3.369C.42 10.04 0 4.615 0 3.883c0-3.67 3.217-2.517 5.202-1.026\"\u002F>",{"left":4,"top":4,"width":5,"height":5,"rotate":4,"vFlip":6,"hFlip":6,"body":41},"\u003Cpath fill=\"currentColor\" d=\"M14.234 10.162L22.977 0h-2.072l-7.591 8.824L7.251 0H.258l9.168 13.343L.258 24H2.33l8.016-9.318L16.749 24h6.993zm-2.837 3.299l-.929-1.329L3.076 1.56h3.182l5.965 8.532l.929 1.329l7.754 11.09h-3.182z\"\u002F>",{"left":4,"top":4,"width":5,"height":5,"rotate":4,"vFlip":6,"hFlip":6,"body":43,"hidden":44},"\u003Cpath fill=\"currentColor\" d=\"M20.447 20.452h-3.554v-5.569c0-1.328-.027-3.037-1.852-3.037c-1.853 0-2.136 1.445-2.136 2.939v5.667H9.351V9h3.414v1.561h.046c.477-.9 1.637-1.85 3.37-1.85c3.601 0 4.267 2.37 4.267 5.455v6.286zM5.337 7.433a2.06 2.06 0 0 1-2.063-2.065a2.064 2.064 0 1 1 2.063 2.065m1.782 13.019H3.555V9h3.564zM22.225 0H1.771C.792 0 0 .774 0 1.729v20.542C0 23.227.792 24 1.771 24h20.451C23.2 24 24 23.227 24 22.271V1.729C24 .774 23.2 0 22.222 0z\"\u002F>",true,{"id":46,"title":47,"author":48,"body":49,"cefrLevel":970,"date":48,"description":971,"exercises":48,"extension":972,"faqs":973,"gcseTier":983,"intro":984,"language":985,"lastUpdated":48,"meta":986,"navigation":44,"path":987,"seo":988,"stem":989,"verbSlugs":48,"__hash__":990},"pages\u002Fspanish\u002Fgrammar\u002Frelative-pronouns-advanced.md","Advanced Spanish Relative Pronouns: el que, el cual, lo cual and cuyo",null,{"type":50,"value":51,"toc":956},"minimark",[52,57,82,95,100,118,146,167,184,188,212,219,239,246,260,281,285,299,305,325,336,356,380,384,408,428,445,449,474,488,508,518,538,562,566,583,625,644,648,651,680,716,719,723,791,795,807,822,844,867,889,911,915],[53,54,56],"h1",{"id":55},"spanish-relative-pronouns","Spanish Relative Pronouns",[58,59,60,61,65,66,69,70,73,74,77,78,81],"p",{},"A relative pronoun is the hinge that turns two sentences into one. Take ",[62,63,64],"strong",{},"Conozco a un hombre"," and ",[62,67,68],{},"El hombre vino ayer",", and the relative pronoun lets you fold them together: ",[62,71,72],{},"Conozco al hombre que vino ayer"," (I know the man who came yesterday). The ",[62,75,76],{},"que"," points back at ",[62,79,80],{},"el hombre"," and saves you repeating it. Every relative pronoun does this same job - it stands in for a noun already named and links the clause that describes it.",[58,83,84,85,87,88,90,91,94],{},"Spanish gives you a handful of these words, and the entire skill is picking the right one. Most of the time the answer is ",[62,86,76],{},", the workhorse that covers people and things without fuss. The other forms exist for the situations where ",[62,89,76],{}," alone is not enough: a preposition in front of the gap, a comma setting the clause apart, a whole idea rather than a single noun, or the meaning ",[62,92,93],{},"whose",". We will take them one at a time, then boil the choice down to two questions.",[96,97,99],"h2",{"id":98},"que-the-workhorse","que: the workhorse",[58,101,102,105,106,109,110,113,114,117],{},[62,103,104],{},"Que"," is the default relative pronoun, and it is astonishingly broad. It works for ",[62,107,108],{},"people and things",", and it works whether the noun is the ",[62,111,112],{},"subject"," or the ",[62,115,116],{},"object"," of its clause. It never changes form.",[119,120,121,128,134,140],"ul",{},[122,123,124,127],"li",{},[62,125,126],{},"El hombre que vino es mi tío."," (The man who came is my uncle.) - person, subject.",[122,129,130,133],{},[62,131,132],{},"La casa que compré es antigua."," (The house I bought is old.) - thing, object.",[122,135,136,139],{},[62,137,138],{},"Los libros que leo son de la biblioteca."," (The books I read are from the library.) - thing, object.",[122,141,142,145],{},[62,143,144],{},"La mujer que trabaja aquí habla cinco idiomas."," (The woman who works here speaks five languages.) - person, subject.",[58,147,148,149,152,153,155,156,159,160,163,164,166],{},"Notice that English often lets you drop the relative - \"the house I bought\", not \"the house that I bought\" - but Spanish ",[62,150,151],{},"never"," drops ",[62,154,76],{},". You must say ",[62,157,158],{},"la casa que compré","; ",[62,161,162],{},"la casa compré"," is not a sentence. If there is a defining relative clause and no preposition in play, ",[62,165,76],{}," is almost always your answer, and reaching for anything fancier is usually a mistake.",[58,168,169,171,172,175,176,179,180,183],{},[62,170,104],{}," also does light preposition work with things, but then it wants an article in front: ",[62,173,174],{},"el libro del que te hablé"," (the book I told you about), ",[62,177,178],{},"la idea con la que estoy de acuerdo"," (the idea I agree with). That article set is exactly the ",[62,181,182],{},"el que"," family below, so it is worth meeting properly.",[96,185,187],{"id":186},"quien-quienes-people-only","quien \u002F quienes: people only",[58,189,190,193,194,197,198,201,202,205,206,208,209,211],{},[62,191,192],{},"Quien"," (and its plural ",[62,195,196],{},"quienes",") refers ",[62,199,200],{},"only to people",", never to things. It agrees in number - one person ",[62,203,204],{},"quien",", several people ",[62,207,196],{}," - but not in gender. It has two proper homes, and outside them ",[62,210,76],{}," is preferred.",[58,213,214,215,218],{},"The first home is ",[62,216,217],{},"after a preposition",", pointing at a person:",[119,220,221,227,233],{},[122,222,223,226],{},[62,224,225],{},"La mujer con quien hablo es mi jefa."," (The woman I am speaking with is my boss.)",[122,228,229,232],{},[62,230,231],{},"El amigo a quien escribí no ha respondido."," (The friend I wrote to has not replied.)",[122,234,235,238],{},[62,236,237],{},"Las personas para quienes trabajo son exigentes."," (The people I work for are demanding.)",[58,240,241,242,245],{},"The second home is the ",[62,243,244],{},"non-defining clause"," - the kind fenced off by commas, adding a detail rather than identifying:",[119,247,248,254],{},[122,249,250,253],{},[62,251,252],{},"Mi hermano, quien vive en Madrid, es médico."," (My brother, who lives in Madrid, is a doctor.)",[122,255,256,259],{},[62,257,258],{},"El director, quien acaba de llegar, quiere hablar contigo."," (The director, who has just arrived, wants to speak with you.)",[58,261,262,263,265,266,269,270,273,274,277,278,280],{},"What ",[62,264,204],{}," should ",[62,267,268],{},"not"," do is stand in an ordinary defining clause with no preposition. English \"the boy who I met\" tempts you toward ",[62,271,272],{},"el chico quien conocí",", but Spanish wants ",[62,275,276],{},"el chico que conocí",". Keep ",[62,279,204],{}," for prepositions and commas.",[96,282,284],{"id":283},"el-que-la-que-los-que-las-que-the-article-set","el que \u002F la que \u002F los que \u002F las que: the article set",[58,286,287,288,290,291,294,295,298],{},"This is ",[62,289,76],{}," with a definite article bolted on the front, and the article makes it ",[62,292,293],{},"agree in gender and number"," with the noun it stands for: ",[62,296,297],{},"el que, la que, los que, las que",". It does two jobs.",[58,300,301,302,304],{},"First, it gives you a clear, weighty relative ",[62,303,217],{},", especially where you want to pin down exactly which noun is meant:",[119,306,307,313,319],{},[122,308,309,312],{},[62,310,311],{},"La razón por la que vine es simple."," (The reason I came is simple.)",[122,314,315,318],{},[62,316,317],{},"El motivo por el que lo hice no importa."," (The reason I did it does not matter.)",[122,320,321,324],{},[62,322,323],{},"La ventana desde la que miraba estaba rota."," (The window I was looking from was broken.)",[58,326,327,328,331,332,335],{},"Second, on its own it means ",[62,329,330],{},"the one that"," or ",[62,333,334],{},"the one who",", packaging an article and a relative into one phrase:",[119,337,338,344,350],{},[122,339,340,343],{},[62,341,342],{},"Los que llegaron tarde no entraron."," (The ones who arrived late did not get in.)",[122,345,346,349],{},[62,347,348],{},"La que está en la esquina es mi casa."," (The one on the corner is my house.)",[122,351,352,355],{},[62,353,354],{},"Este no me gusta; prefiero el que vimos antes."," (I do not like this one; I prefer the one we saw before.)",[58,357,358,359,362,363,366,367,362,370,372,373,331,376,379],{},"The agreement is the thing to watch: it tracks the noun it replaces, so ",[62,360,361],{},"la razón"," takes ",[62,364,365],{},"la que",", ",[62,368,369],{},"el motivo",[62,371,182],{},", and a plural antecedent takes ",[62,374,375],{},"los que",[62,377,378],{},"las que",".",[96,381,383],{"id":382},"el-cual-la-cual-los-cuales-las-cuales-the-formal-variant","el cual \u002F la cual \u002F los cuales \u002F las cuales: the formal variant",[58,385,386,389,390,393,394,396,397,400,401,404,405,407],{},[62,387,388],{},"El cual"," and its family are the more ",[62,391,392],{},"formal, written"," cousins of ",[62,395,182],{},". They agree the same way - ",[62,398,399],{},"el cual, la cual, los cuales, las cuales"," - and they mean the same thing, but they belong to careful prose and lean speech rarely reaches for them. Where they genuinely earn their keep is ",[62,402,403],{},"after longer prepositions and prepositional phrases",", where they read more smoothly than ",[62,406,182],{},":",[119,409,410,416,422],{},[122,411,412,415],{},[62,413,414],{},"Una ley según la cual todos deben pagar impuestos."," (A law according to which everyone must pay taxes.)",[122,417,418,421],{},[62,419,420],{},"El puente debajo del cual dormimos era antiguo."," (The bridge under which we slept was old.)",[122,423,424,427],{},[62,425,426],{},"Las condiciones bajo las cuales firmamos han cambiado."," (The conditions under which we signed have changed.)",[58,429,430,431,434,435,438,439,441,442,444],{},"You will also meet ",[62,432,433],{},"el cual"," in non-defining clauses in formal writing, where it adds weight and clarity: ",[62,436,437],{},"El informe, el cual fue publicado ayer, es alarmante"," (The report, which was published yesterday, is alarming). In everyday Spanish you would more likely say ",[62,440,76],{}," there. Treat ",[62,443,433],{}," as the register dial turned up: correct, precise, and a touch literary.",[96,446,448],{"id":447},"lo-que-lo-cual-the-neuter-relative","lo que \u002F lo cual: the neuter relative",[58,450,451,452,455,456,459,460,463,464,467,468,65,471,379],{},"The forms above all replace a named noun with a gender. But sometimes what you are pointing at has ",[62,453,454],{},"no gender"," because it is not a single noun at all - it is a ",[62,457,458],{},"whole idea, a situation, or an unnamed thing",". For that Spanish uses the ",[62,461,462],{},"neuter"," article ",[62,465,466],{},"lo",": ",[62,469,470],{},"lo que",[62,472,473],{},"lo cual",[58,475,476,479,480,483,484,487],{},[62,477,478],{},"Lo que"," means ",[62,481,482],{},"what"," in the sense of ",[62,485,486],{},"the thing that",", referring forward or back to something unspecified:",[119,489,490,496,502],{},[122,491,492,495],{},[62,493,494],{},"No entiendo lo que dijiste."," (I do not understand what you said.)",[122,497,498,501],{},[62,499,500],{},"Lo que necesito es un descanso."," (What I need is a rest.)",[122,503,504,507],{},[62,505,506],{},"Haz lo que quieras."," (Do what you want.)",[58,509,510,513,514,517],{},[62,511,512],{},"Lo cual"," does the same neuter job but refers back to a ",[62,515,516],{},"whole preceding clause"," - an entire idea just stated - and only appears in non-defining position, after a comma:",[119,519,520,526,532],{},[122,521,522,525],{},[62,523,524],{},"Llegó tarde, lo cual me molestó."," (He arrived late, which annoyed me.)",[122,527,528,531],{},[62,529,530],{},"No dijo nada, lo cual era extraño."," (He said nothing, which was strange.)",[122,533,534,537],{},[62,535,536],{},"Aprobó el examen, lo que alegró a sus padres."," (She passed the exam, which delighted her parents.)",[58,539,540,541,543,544,331,546,548,549,331,551,553,554,557,558,331,560,379],{},"The rule of thumb: use ",[62,542,470],{}," when there is no specific noun to point at, and ",[62,545,470],{},[62,547,473],{}," interchangeably when you are commenting on the whole idea in the clause before. What you must not do is use ",[62,550,76],{},[62,552,182],{}," for a genderless idea; ",[62,555,556],{},"llegó tarde, que me molestó"," is wrong, and it wants ",[62,559,473],{},[62,561,470],{},[96,563,565],{"id":564},"cuyo-cuya-cuyos-cuyas-the-possessive-whose","cuyo \u002F cuya \u002F cuyos \u002F cuyas: the possessive whose",[58,567,568,571,572,574,575,578,579,582],{},[62,569,570],{},"Cuyo"," is the relative that means ",[62,573,93],{},". It sits ",[62,576,577],{},"directly in front of the thing possessed",", and here is the trap that catches everyone: ",[62,580,581],{},"cuyo agrees with the thing owned, not with the owner",". It has four forms to match the possessed noun in gender and number.",[119,584,585,599,613,619],{},[122,586,587,590,591,594,595,598],{},[62,588,589],{},"El autor cuyas novelas leo es español."," (The author whose novels I read is Spanish.) - ",[62,592,593],{},"cuyas"," is feminine plural because ",[62,596,597],{},"novelas"," is, even though the author is a man.",[122,600,601,604,605,608,609,612],{},[62,602,603],{},"La mujer cuyo coche vimos es famosa."," (The woman whose car we saw is famous.) - ",[62,606,607],{},"cuyo"," is masculine singular to match ",[62,610,611],{},"coche",", not the woman.",[122,614,615,618],{},[62,616,617],{},"El país cuyas fronteras cerraron es vecino nuestro."," (The country whose borders they closed is our neighbour.)",[122,620,621,624],{},[62,622,623],{},"Un escritor cuyos libros admiro."," (A writer whose books I admire.)",[58,626,627,628,630,631,634,635,637,638,640,641,643],{},"Say it out loud and the logic clears up: ",[62,629,607],{}," behaves like a possessive adjective, so it matches the noun it precedes exactly as ",[62,632,633],{},"mi, tu, su"," would. The owner's own gender is irrelevant. ",[62,636,570],{}," is a formal, written word; in casual speech people often dodge it by rephrasing with ",[62,639,76],{}," and a possessive. In writing, ",[62,642,607],{}," is the clean, correct choice, and getting its agreement right marks you out.",[96,645,647],{"id":646},"the-two-decisions-that-drive-the-choice","The two decisions that drive the choice",[58,649,650],{},"Step back from the six forms and the whole system runs on two questions.",[58,652,653,656,657,659,660,662,663,666,667,670,671,366,674,366,677,379],{},[62,654,655],{},"First: is there a preposition in front of the gap?"," If not, and the clause is defining, use plain ",[62,658,76],{}," - for people and things alike. If there is a preposition, bare ",[62,661,76],{}," usually will not do: reach for ",[62,664,665],{},"quien\u002Fquienes"," for a person, or ",[62,668,669],{},"el que \u002F el cual"," (agreeing with the noun) for a thing or for extra clarity. ",[62,672,673],{},"La mujer con quien hablo",[62,675,676],{},"la razón por la que vine",[62,678,679],{},"la ley según la cual pagamos",[58,681,682,685,686,689,690,467,693,696,697,700,701,467,704,707,708,710,711,713,714,379],{},[62,683,684],{},"Second: is the clause defining or non-defining?"," A ",[62,687,688],{},"defining"," clause identifies which one you mean and takes ",[62,691,692],{},"no commas",[62,694,695],{},"el hombre que vino"," picks out a specific man. A ",[62,698,699],{},"non-defining"," clause adds a detail you could drop, and it is ",[62,702,703],{},"fenced off by commas",[62,705,706],{},"mi hermano, quien vive en Madrid, es médico",". Defining clauses lean on ",[62,709,76],{},"; non-defining clauses about people open the door to ",[62,712,204],{},", and non-defining comments on a whole idea call for ",[62,715,473],{},[58,717,718],{},"Run every relative through those two questions - preposition or not, comma or not - and the correct form is almost always forced.",[96,720,722],{"id":721},"worked-examples","Worked examples",[119,724,725,733,742,754,762,770,778],{},[122,726,727,730,731,379],{},[62,728,729],{},"El profesor que nos enseña es muy paciente."," (The teacher who teaches us is very patient.) - defining, no preposition, so ",[62,732,76],{},[122,734,735,738,739,379],{},[62,736,737],{},"La chica a quien di el regalo sonrió."," (The girl I gave the gift to smiled.) - preposition plus person, so ",[62,740,741],{},"a quien",[122,743,744,747,748,750,751,379],{},[62,745,746],{},"La empresa para la que trabajo está en Madrid."," (The company I work for is in Madrid.) - preposition plus thing, so ",[62,749,365],{}," agreeing with ",[62,752,753],{},"empresa",[122,755,756,759,760,379],{},[62,757,758],{},"El acuerdo según el cual actuamos ya no existe."," (The agreement under which we acted no longer exists.) - formal, heavier preposition, so ",[62,761,433],{},[122,763,764,767,768,379],{},[62,765,766],{},"No sé lo que quieres."," (I do not know what you want.) - no named noun, so ",[62,769,470],{},[122,771,772,775,776,379],{},[62,773,774],{},"Perdió el tren, lo cual arruinó el día."," (He missed the train, which ruined the day.) - comment on the whole idea, so ",[62,777,473],{},[122,779,780,783,784,787,788,379],{},[62,781,782],{},"La artista cuyos cuadros compramos vive aquí."," (The artist whose paintings we bought lives here.) - possessive, agreeing with ",[62,785,786],{},"cuadros",", so ",[62,789,790],{},"cuyos",[96,792,794],{"id":793},"common-mistakes-english-speakers-make","Common mistakes English speakers make",[58,796,797,800,801,803,804,806],{},[62,798,799],{},"Dropping que."," English happily says \"the house I bought\", but Spanish never omits the relative. It is ",[62,802,158],{},", always, with the ",[62,805,76],{}," in place. If your clause has a subject and verb describing a noun, it needs a relative word.",[58,808,809,812,813,816,817,277,819,821],{},[62,810,811],{},"Using quien in a plain defining clause."," \"The man who came\" tempts you toward ",[62,814,815],{},"el hombre quien vino",", but with no preposition and no comma the answer is ",[62,818,695],{},[62,820,204],{}," for after prepositions and for non-defining, comma-fenced clauses.",[58,823,824,827,828,830,831,834,835,837,838,840,841,843],{},[62,825,826],{},"Making cuyo agree with the owner."," The single biggest ",[62,829,607],{}," error. ",[62,832,833],{},"El autor cuyo novelas"," is wrong because ",[62,836,597],{}," is feminine plural - it must be ",[62,839,593],{},". ",[62,842,570],{}," matches the thing possessed, never the person who owns it.",[58,845,846,849,850,65,852,854,855,858,859,862,863,331,865,379],{},[62,847,848],{},"Using que for a whole idea."," When you are commenting on an entire situation rather than a named noun, ",[62,851,76],{},[62,853,182],{}," will not carry it. ",[62,856,857],{},"Llegó tarde, que me molestó"," should be ",[62,860,861],{},"llegó tarde, lo cual me molestó",". The genderless idea needs the neuter ",[62,864,470],{},[62,866,473],{},[58,868,869,872,873,875,876,878,879,881,882,884,885,888],{},[62,870,871],{},"Forcing el cual into casual speech."," ",[62,874,388],{}," is correct but formal. In everyday conversation ",[62,877,182],{}," or plain ",[62,880,76],{}," sounds far more natural: say ",[62,883,676],{},", not ",[62,886,887],{},"la razón por la cual vine",", unless you are writing something deliberately formal.",[58,890,891,892,894,895,897,898,65,900,902,903,65,905,907,908,910],{},"Sort the two questions first - preposition or not, comma or not - and the rest is matching. ",[62,893,104],{}," for the ordinary case, ",[62,896,204],{}," for people after a preposition or a comma, ",[62,899,182],{},[62,901,433],{}," when a preposition needs an article, ",[62,904,470],{},[62,906,473],{}," for a whole idea, and ",[62,909,607],{}," for whose, agreeing with the thing owned. That is the entire system.",[96,912,914],{"id":913},"see-also","See also",[119,916,917,934,948],{},[122,918,919,924,925,65,927,930,931,933],{},[920,921,923],"a",{"href":922},"\u002Fspanish\u002Fgrammar\u002Fpersonal-a","The personal a"," - why ",[62,926,741],{},[62,928,929],{},"al que"," carry that ",[62,932,920],{}," when the person is a direct object, and when it appears.",[122,935,936,940,941,65,944,947],{},[920,937,939],{"href":938},"\u002Fspanish\u002Fgrammar\u002Fpor-vs-para","Por and para"," - the prepositions behind ",[62,942,943],{},"por la que",[62,945,946],{},"para quien",", and how to pick between them.",[122,949,950,951,955],{},"The ",[920,952,954],{"href":953},"\u002Fspanish\u002Fgrammar","Spanish grammar cheatsheet"," has the relative pronouns and the two-question test on one card.",{"title":957,"searchDepth":958,"depth":958,"links":959},"",2,[960,961,962,963,964,965,966,967,968,969],{"id":98,"depth":958,"text":99},{"id":186,"depth":958,"text":187},{"id":283,"depth":958,"text":284},{"id":382,"depth":958,"text":383},{"id":447,"depth":958,"text":448},{"id":564,"depth":958,"text":565},{"id":646,"depth":958,"text":647},{"id":721,"depth":958,"text":722},{"id":793,"depth":958,"text":794},{"id":913,"depth":958,"text":914},"B2","The advanced Spanish relatives beyond bare que: el que and el cual after prepositions and in formal writing (la razon por la que vine, una ley segun la cual), lo que and lo cual for a whole idea (lo que dijiste, llego tarde lo cual me molesto), quien after prepositions, and cuyo for possessive 'whose' (el autor cuyas novelas leo). The defining vs non-defining comma test and when a preposition forces you off que.","md",[974,977,980],{"q":975,"a":976},"When do you use que versus quien in Spanish?","que is the default for both people and things, as subject or object, in a defining clause with no preposition: el hombre que vino (the man who came), la casa que compre (the house I bought). quien is only ever for people, and it earns its place in two situations. After a preposition referring to a person: la mujer con quien hablo (the woman I speak with), el amigo a quien escribi (the friend I wrote to). And in a non-defining clause - the kind set off by commas - about a person: mi hermano, quien vive en Madrid, es medico (my brother, who lives in Madrid, is a doctor). In everyday defining clauses with no preposition, use que even for people: el chico que conoci, not el chico quien conoci.",{"q":978,"a":979},"What is the difference between el que and el cual?","Both are article-plus-relative sets that agree in gender and number - el que, la que, los que, las que and el cual, la cual, los cuales, las cuales - and both are used after prepositions to point clearly back at a noun. The difference is register. el que is the everyday choice and also means the one that or the one who: la razon por la que vine (the reason I came), los que llegaron tarde (the ones who arrived late). el cual is the more formal, literary variant, and it comes into its own after longer or heavier prepositions and prepositional phrases: una ley segun la cual todos pagan (a law according to which everyone pays), el puente debajo del cual dormimos (the bridge under which we slept). In speech you will hear el que far more; el cual belongs to careful writing.",{"q":981,"a":982},"How does cuyo work, and what does it agree with?","cuyo is the relative possessive, meaning whose, and it sits directly in front of the thing possessed. The catch that trips everyone up is agreement: cuyo agrees in gender and number with the thing owned, not with the owner. So el autor cuyas novelas leo (the author whose novels I read) - cuyas is feminine plural because novelas is feminine plural, even though the author might be a man. Likewise la mujer cuyo coche vimos (the woman whose car we saw) - cuyo is masculine singular to match coche, not the woman. It has four forms, cuyo, cuya, cuyos, cuyas, and it is a written and formal word; in casual speech people often rephrase with que and a possessive instead.","higher","A relative pronoun is the little word that stitches two sentences into one by pointing back at a noun you have already named. English has who, whom, which, that, what and whose; Spanish has a slightly larger toolkit, and the whole difficulty is choosing the right tool. The good news is that one word, que, covers most of the ground - people and things, subjects and objects, el hombre que vino and la casa que compre alike. The rest of the system is about the cases where bare que will not do: when only a person is meant and a preposition or a comma is in play (quien), when a preposition needs an article to lean on (el que, el cual), when you are pointing at a whole idea rather than a named noun (lo que, lo cual), and when you mean whose (cuyo). This page sorts them out one at a time, and then gives you the two decisions that actually drive the choice: is the clause defining or non-defining, and is there a preposition in front of the gap. Get those two questions into your head and the six forms fall into place.","spanish",{},"\u002Fspanish\u002Fgrammar\u002Frelative-pronouns-advanced",{"title":47,"description":971},"spanish\u002Fgrammar\u002Frelative-pronouns-advanced","CpSU7A4XsCiWkp_kCDD_Z39ZIpzacPE517IYdlZhAvI",[],{"left":4,"top":4,"width":5,"height":5,"rotate":4,"vFlip":6,"hFlip":6,"body":993},"\u003Cg fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" stroke-width=\"2\">\u003Cpath d=\"M12 15V3m9 12v4a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H5a2 2 0 0 1-2-2v-4\"\u002F>\u003Cpath d=\"m7 10l5 5l5-5\"\u002F>\u003C\u002Fg>",{"left":4,"top":4,"width":5,"height":5,"rotate":4,"vFlip":6,"hFlip":6,"body":995},"\u003Cg fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" stroke-width=\"2\">\u003Cpath d=\"M20 20a2 2 0 0 0 2-2V8a2 2 0 0 0-2-2h-7.9a2 2 0 0 1-1.69-.9L9.6 3.9A2 2 0 0 0 7.93 3H4a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v13a2 2 0 0 0 2 2Zm-8-10v6\"\u002F>\u003Cpath d=\"m15 13l-3 3l-3-3\"\u002F>\u003C\u002Fg>"]