1. AP #11
Relative Pronouns

2. They usually are used to express
They introduce the subordinate clause – the part of the sentence that can not be alone.
They usually are used to express
That
Which
Who(m)

3. En español son:
The most common is que and is used to refer to people and things in either the subject or the object position.
It is the equivalent of the English:
Who
Whom
Which
That
Sometimes we omit the relative pronoun in English, not the case in Spanish.

4. La señora _____ es anciana compró la casa.
cual
cuya
que
lo que
The woman that is old bought the house.
Person is subject

5. quien used to refer only to people
This has the plural quienes, but does not change with masculine and feminine.
Que or quien maybe be used when it is refering to the direct object pronoun (whom? or what?)
If the relative pronoun occurs after a preposition you must use quien.

6. La señorita de _____ estoy pensando no está aquí.
que
la que
quien
cuya
The young lady of whom I am thinking is not here.

7. La casa en ____ estoy pensando está en Oregon.
quien
cuyo
la que
que
The house that I am thinking about is in Oregon.

8. The one These are used to talk about “the one” or “the ones” El que
La que
Los que
Las que

9. Mi tía, _____ es profesora es joven.
la que
las que
lo que
los que
My aunt, the one that is a professor is young.

10. Mi tío ____es cocinero, llegará pronto.
la quien
lo quien
el que
la que
My uncle, the one who is a cook, will arrive soon.

11. Whose Your Spanish teacher? Cuyo Cuya Cuyos Cuyas
These are used to refer to people, not to ask questions, and they must agree in gender and number.

12. Mi tía, ______ amiga es profesora, viene a visitarme hoy día.
cuyo
cuya
cuyas
cuyos
My aunt, whose friend is a professor, is coming to visit me today.

13. Las gemelas, ____ madre era de España, tienen noventa años.
cuyo
cuya
cuyas
cuyos
The twins, whose mother was from Spain, are ninety years old.

14. ¿_______ es la tarea?
Cuyo
De quién
De quién is used when who is an interrogative and is followed by a verb.

15. The Neuter Pronouns Lo que – that which, what Lo que dije es verdad. –
What I said is true.

16. Final thoughts:
It must be emphasized that the previous comments on the relative pronouns are intended as general guidelines only.
In actual use, one will encounter exceptions to what has been said, especially with regard to the the use of el cual and el que, with the latter form tending to encroach more and more on the terrain of the former, particularly on the colloquial level, but also in written Spanish.