Apuntes 13-16 de diciembreLos pronombres relativos (Relative pronouns)

Relative pronouns are used to combine two sentences.

Aquí está el sofá. Here’s the sofa.Mis padres me compraron el sofá. My parents bought me the sofa.

Aquí está el sofá que mis padres me compraron.Here’s the sofa that my parents bought me.

Maite y Álex viven en Ecuador. Maite and Alex live in Ecuador.

Maite y Alex son muy buenos amigos míos. Maite and Alex are very good friends of mine.

Maite y Álex, quienes viven en Ecuador, son muy buenos amigos míos.Maite and Alex, who live in Ecuador, are very good friends of mine.

Spanish uses the following relative pronouns:

que = that, which, who

quien(es) = who, whom, that

lo que = what, the thing that, that which

Notice that relative pronouns do not carry a written accent. The question words (qué, quién(es)) always carry a written accent.

Que is the most common relative pronoun. It can be used to refer to people or things.

¿Dónde está la tostadora que te di?Where’s the toaster that I gave you?

La persona que corta el césped es mi hermano.The person who mows the lawn is my brother.

Quien(es) can only refer to people. It is used in independent clauses, which require the use of commas.

Pablo, quien habla bien español, va a México con nosotros.Pablo, who speaks Spanish well, is going to Mexico with us.

When using a dependent clause (dependent clauses don’t use commas), que must be used to refer to people unless quien(es) is accompanied by a preposition.

Mi madre es la persona que cocina en nuestra casa.My mother is the person who cooks at our house.

Mi madre es la persona con quien cocino.My mother is the person with whom I cook.

Repaso de las preposiciones:

a = tocon = withde = of, from, aboutpara = forpor = for

Lo que refers to ideas or situations. It means what, the thing that or that which.

Todo lo que means everything that.

Lo que me gusta es su sentido de humor.What I like is his sense of humor.

Tengo todo lo que necesito.I have everything that I need.