- Master relative pronouns to connect clauses and avoid repetition
- Use que (that, which, who) correctly - the most common relative pronoun
- Distinguish between que and quien/quienes (who/whom) with people
- Apply cuyo/cuya/cuyos/cuyas (whose) to show possession
- Understand when to use el que, el cual, and their variations
- Use donde (where) as a relative adverb
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Relative Pronouns: que, quien, cuyo...
What You'll Learn
Overview / Usage
Relative pronouns connect clauses together, allowing you to provide additional information about a noun without repeating it. Instead of saying "I saw a man. The man was tall", you can say "I saw a man who was tall". In Spanish, the most common relative pronoun is que, but there are several others with specific uses.
🎯 Quick Overview
Most Common
El libro que leo
The book that I read
For People (after prep.)
La persona con quien hablo
The person with whom I speak
Possessive
El hombre cuyo coche
The man whose car
The key to mastering relative pronouns is understanding que (the workhorse that covers most situations), knowing when to use quien instead (mainly after prepositions with people), and learning the special possessive form cuyo (whose).
Structure & Formation
✓ Part 1: QUE - The Essential Relative Pronoun
Que is the most common relative pronoun in Spanish. It means "that", "which", or "who" and can refer to people or things. It never changes form.
📋 Uses of QUE
With Things
El libro que leo es interesante
The book that I read is interesting
La casa que vimos era grande
The house that we saw was big
Los coches que están ahí son nuevos
The cars that are there are new
With People
La mujer que trabaja aquí
The woman who works here
El hombre que viste ayer
The man who you saw yesterday
Los estudiantes que estudian español
The students who study Spanish
💡 Key Point: Use que for both people and things as the default choice. It works in most situations and never changes form (no gender/number agreement).
🗣️ Part 2: QUIEN/QUIENES - Who/Whom (For People)
Quien (singular) and quienes (plural) mean "who" or "whom" and refer only to people. They're mainly used after prepositions or to introduce non-restrictive clauses.
After Prepositions
After prepositions (con, para, de, a, sin, etc.), use quien/quienes for people:
La persona con quien hablo
The person with whom I speak
Los amigos para quienes trabajo
The friends for whom I work
El profesor de quien te hablé
The teacher about whom I told you
Las chicas a quienes vi
The girls whom I saw
💡 Important: After prepositions, you must use quien/quienes for people (not que). For things, use que or el que/el cual.
📦 Part 3: EL QUE / EL CUAL - Which (More Specific)
These forms provide more specificity and clarity. They agree in gender and number with the noun they refer to.
📋 Forms
el que / el cual
which (masc. sing.)
la que / la cual
which (fem. sing.)
lo que / lo cual
which (neuter - refers to ideas)
los que / los cuales
which (masc. pl.)
las que / las cuales
which (fem. pl.)
Examples
El coche con el que viajé
The car with which I travelled
La casa en la cual vivo
The house in which I live
Los libros de los que te hablé
The books about which I told you
No vino, lo cual me sorprendió
He didn't come, which surprised me
👑 Part 4: CUYO/CUYA/CUYOS/CUYAS - Whose (Possessive)
Cuyo means "whose" and shows possession. Unlike other relative pronouns, it agrees in gender and number with the thing possessed (not the possessor).
📋 Agreement Forms
cuyo
cuyo libro
whose book (masc. sing.)
cuya
cuya casa
whose house (fem. sing.)
cuyos
cuyos amigos
whose friends (masc. pl.)
cuyas
cuyas ideas
whose ideas (fem. pl.)
Examples
El hombre cuyo coche es rojo
The man whose car is red
La mujer cuya hija estudia aquí
The woman whose daughter studies here
Los estudiantes cuyos padres vinieron
The students whose parents came
La empresa cuyas oficinas visité
The company whose offices I visited
⚠️ Critical Rule: Cuyo agrees with the thing possessed, not the possessor! "The man whose car" = El hombre cuyo coche (agrees with "coche", not "hombre").
📍 Part 5: DONDE - Where
Donde is a relative adverb meaning "where". It refers to places and can often replace "en el que", "en la que", etc.
La ciudad donde vivo
The city where I live
El restaurante donde comimos
The restaurant where we ate
El lugar donde nos conocimos
The place where we met
La casa donde nací
The house where I was born
Examples
💬 Real-Life Examples
Daily Conversations
Este es el libro que te recomendé
This is the book that I recommended to you
La película que vimos fue genial
The film that we saw was great
El chico que conocí ayer es simpático
The boy whom I met yesterday is nice
Descriptions
Es un país cuya cultura me encanta
It's a country whose culture I love
La mujer con quien trabajo es francesa
The woman with whom I work is French
El hotel en el que nos alojamos era lujoso
The hotel in which we stayed was luxurious
Complex Sentences
Lo que me dijiste no es verdad
What you told me is not true
Llegó tarde, lo cual me molestó
He arrived late, which annoyed me
La razón por la que llamé es importante
The reason for which I called is important
🔄 Quick Reference Chart
| Pronoun | Meaning | When to Use | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| que | that, which, who | Most situations (default) | el libro que leo |
| quien(es) | who, whom | People after prepositions | la persona con quien hablo |
| el que, etc. | which, the one(s) | After prepositions (clarity) | el coche con el que viajé |
| el cual, etc. | which | Formal, after prepositions | la casa en la cual vivo |
| cuyo/a/os/as | whose | Possession (agrees with possessed) | el hombre cuyo coche |
| donde | where | Places | la ciudad donde vivo |
Gotchas / Common Mistakes
⚠️ Don't Confuse QUE and QUIEN!
After prepositions with people, use quien/quienes (not que):
✗ Wrong:
La persona con que trabajo
✓ Correct:
La persona con quien trabajo
The person with whom I work
🔄 CUYO Agreement is Tricky!
Cuyo agrees with the thing possessed, NOT the possessor:
El hombre cuya casa visité
The man whose house I visited (agrees with "casa", not "hombre")
La mujer cuyos hijos conocí
The woman whose children I met (agrees with "hijos", not "mujer")
💡 Don't Use QUÉ Instead of QUE!
Relative "que" (that/which) has NO accent. Interrogative "qué" (what?) has an accent:
El libro que leo
The book that I read (relative - no accent)
¿Qué lees?
What do you read? (question - accent)
📝 LO QUE vs. QUE
Use "lo que" when referring to an entire idea or clause (not a specific noun):
Lo que dijiste es interesante
What you said is interesting (refers to entire statement)
El libro que me diste
The book that you gave me (refers to specific noun)
🔍 DONDE Can Replace EN EL QUE
Both forms are correct for places:
Option 1: La ciudad donde vivo
Option 2: La ciudad en la que vivo
Option 2: La ciudad en la que vivo
The city where I live (both are correct)
⚡ Commas Matter!
Commas change meaning with relative clauses:
Los estudiantes que estudian pasan
The students who study pass (only those who study)
Los estudiantes, que estudian, pasan
The students, who study, pass (all students study and pass)
Quick Test / Mini Quiz
📝 Interactive Relative Pronouns Quiz
Test your knowledge of Spanish relative pronouns!
1
Complete: El libro _____ leo es interesante (The book that I read is interesting)
2
Complete: La persona con _____ hablo es mi jefe (The person with whom I speak is my boss)
3
Complete: El hombre _____ coche es rojo (The man whose car is red)
4
Complete: La ciudad _____ vivo es grande (The city where I live is big)
5
Which means 'What you said is interesting'?
6
Complete: La mujer _____ hijos estudian aquí (The woman whose children study here)
7
Complete: Los amigos para _____ trabajo (The friends for whom I work)
8
Which is correct? 'The book that I gave you'
Useful Resources
Coming soon...