Purpose
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to correctly use the main Spanish relative pronouns to combine sentences and add descriptive clauses.
Lesson Explanation
Relative pronouns connect a clause back to a noun already mentioned. Que (that/which/who) is by far the most common, and — genuinely simpler than English — is used for both people and things, and is never optional the way English “that” sometimes is:
El libro que leí es interesante. — The book that I read is interesting. La mujer que vino es mi hermana. — The woman who came is my sister.
Quien/quienes (who/whom) is used only for people, and only after a preposition or a comma (a non-restrictive clause) — never directly replacing que in a basic restrictive clause:
La mujer con quien hablé es doctora. — The woman with whom I spoke is a doctor. Mi hermana, quien vive en Madrid, viene mañana. — My sister, who lives in Madrid, is coming tomorrow.
Lo que (what/that which) refers to an entire idea or an unnamed, unspecified thing, rather than a specific named noun — genuinely closer to English “what” in “I don’t understand what you said”:
No entiendo lo que dices. — I don't understand what you're saying. Lo que me gusta es viajar. — What I like is traveling.
A genuinely important error to avoid: unlike English, Spanish que can never be dropped — “the book I read” must still include que: el libro que leí, never “el libro leí.”
Practice Questions
1. Which relative pronoun is by far the most common, used for both people and things?
View Answer
Que.
2. Can “que” ever be dropped the way English “that” sometimes can?
View Answer
No, it is never optional.
3. Write “The book that I read is interesting.”
View Answer
El libro que leí es interesante.
4. Which relative pronoun is used only for people, and only after a preposition or comma?
View Answer
Quien/quienes.
5. Write “The woman with whom I spoke is a doctor.”
View Answer
La mujer con quien hablé es doctora.
6. What does “lo que” refer to, in contrast to “que”?
View Answer
An entire idea or an unnamed, unspecified thing.
7. Write “I don’t understand what you’re saying,” using “lo que.”
View Answer
No entiendo lo que dices.
8. Write “What I like is traveling.”
View Answer
Lo que me gusta es viajar.
9. Can “quien” directly replace “que” in a basic restrictive clause like “the book that I read”?
View Answer
No.
10. Write “My sister, who lives in Madrid, is coming tomorrow,” using a comma-set-off “quien” clause.
View Answer
Mi hermana, quien vive en Madrid, viene mañana.
11. Is it correct to say “el libro leí” (dropping “que”)?
View Answer
No, this is incorrect — “que” must be included.
12. Write “The woman who came is my sister,” using “que.”
View Answer
La mujer que vino es mi hermana.