Que and Other Relative Pronouns of Spanish

Relative pronouns are pronouns that are used to introduce a clause that provides more information about a noun. Thus in the phrase the man who is singing, the relative pronoun is who; the clause who is singing provides further information about the noun man. In the Spanish equivalent, el hombre que canta, the relative pronoun is que. Que Tops List of Spanish Relative Pronouns Common relative pronouns in English include that, which, who, whom and whose (although these words also have other uses). In Spanish, by far the most common relative pronoun is que. As can be seen in the following sentences, it usually means that, which or who. Los libros que son importantes en nuestra vida son todos aquellos que nos hacen ser mejores, que nos enseà ±an a superarnos.  (The books that are important in our lives are all those that make us be better, which teach us to improve ourselves.)Comprà © el coche en que à ­bamos. (I bought the car in which we rode.)El politeà ­0smo es la creencia de que hay muchos dioses. (Polytheism is the belief that there are many gods.Mi hermano es el hombre que salià ³. (My brother is the man who left.) In some cases, que isnt translated as a relative pronoun in English because the two languages structure the sentence differently: Necesitamos la firma de la persona que ayuda al paciente. (We need the name of the person helping the patient.)No conozco a la nià ±a que duerme en la cama. (I dont know the girl sleeping in the bed.) Other Relative Pronouns If youre a beginning Spanish student, you likely wont need to use the other relative pronouns of Spanish, but you certainly will come across them in writing and speech. Here they are with examples of their usage: quien, quienes — who, whom — A common mistake by English speakers is to use quien when que should be used. Quien is most commonly used following a preposition, as in the first example below. It can also be used in what grammarians call a nonrestrictive clause, one separated by commas from the noun it describes, as in the second example. In that second example, que also could be used instead of quien. Es el mà ©dico de quien le dije. (He is the doctor whom I told you about.)Conozco a Sofà ­a, quien tiene dos coches. (I know Sophia, who has two cars.) el cual, la cual, lo cual, los cuales, las cuales — which, who, whom — This pronoun phrase must match the noun it refers to in both number and gender. It is used in formal writing more often than in speech. Rebeca es la mujer con la cual vas a viajar. (Rebeca is the woman with whom you are going to travel.)Conozca los principales riesgos a los cuales se enfrentan las organizaciones en la era digital. (Know the main risks which organizations are facing in the digital age.) el que, la que, lo que, los que, las que — which, who, whom — This pronoun phrase must match the noun it refers to in both number and gender. It is often interchangeable with el cual but is somewhat more informal in usage. Rebeca es la mujer con la que vas a viajar. (Rebeca is the woman with whom you are going to travel.)Hay un restaurante en los que los meseros son robots. (There is a restaurant in which the waiters are robots.) cuyo, cuya, cuyos, cuyas — whose — This pronoun functions something like an adjective and must match the noun it modifies in both number and gender. It is used more in writing than in speech. It normally isnt used in questions, where de quià ©n is used instead, as in  ¿De quià ©n es esta computadora? for Whose computer is this? Es la profesora cuyo hijo tiene el coche. (She is the teacher whose son has the car.)El virus se autodistribuye a los contactos del usuario cuya computadora ha sido infectada. (The virus spreads itself to the contacts of the user whose computer has been infected.) donde — where — The Spanish and English words as relative pronouns are used in much the same way. Voy al mercado donde se venden manzanas. (Im going to the market where apples are sold.)En la ciudad donde nosotros vivimos existen muchas iglesias. (There are many churches in the city where we live.)