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To give more emphasis or clarity, use “el que” or “la que” in the singular, and “los que” or “las que” in the plural. These are used to avoid ambiguity and are more specific. They can also be preceded by a preposition. For example:
- No entendí el libro del que me hablaste (I didn't understand the book you told me about)
- Los niños, los que estaban en el parque, son mis primos (The children who were in the park are my cousins)
- Esa es la chica con la que hablé el otro día (That's the girl I spoke to the other day)
Finally, “el cual” and “los cuales” are used for general ideas or concepts. In Spanish, these relative pronouns are used when you are talking about something that is not specific or a complete idea.
Examples:
- El documento, el cual fue enviado ayer, ya fue aprobado (The document, which was sent yesterday, has already been approved)
- La conferencia trató varios temas, los cuales fueron discutidos en profundidad (The conference covered several topics, which were discussed in depth)
- Mi maleta, la cual pesa mucho, no cabe en el compartimiento superior (My suitcase, which weighs a lot, doesn't fit in the overhead compartment)
In addition to these, you may find that “donde” and “cuanto” can also be used as Spanish relative pronouns in some contexts. Thus, “donde” can refer to a place mentioned earlier, while “cuanto” is used in more literary or emphatic registers and refers to the quantity or totality of something already mentioned.
Examples:
- Esa es la casa donde nací (you could also say: “Esa es la casa en la que nací”) (That is the house where I was born)
- Aprovechó cuantos recursos tenía (you could also say: “Aprovechó todos los recursos que tenía”) (He took advantage of all the resources he had)
Exercises with relative pronouns in Spanish
Now that you know what relative pronouns in Spanish are, do you think you can identify them in these sentences? We'll give you the answers at the end of the exercise.
- Conocí a una chica que habla cinco idiomas (I met a girl who speaks five languages)
- El profesor, quien es muy simpático, nos ayudó mucho (The teacher, who is very nice, helped us a lot)
- La casa cuya puerta está rota es antigua (The house whose door is broken is old)
- Ese es el amigo con el que viajé a México (That is the friend with whom I traveled to Mexico)
- No entendí lo que dijiste (I didn't understand what you said)
- Vi a los estudiantes cuyos exámenes fueron corregidos (I saw the students whose exams were corrected)
- La película que vimos anoche ganó varios premios (The movie we saw last night won several awards)
- El coche en el que viajamos era muy cómodo (The car in which we traveled was very comfortable)
- Mis amigos, los cuales viven en otra ciudad, vendrán mañana (My friends, who live in another city, are coming tomorrow)
- La niña a quien le diste el regalo está feliz (The girl to whom you gave the gift is happy)