Relative Pronouns Flashcards
What is an antecedent
The noun which a pronoun refers to
that, which, who, or whom
Que
Who or whom
Quien o quienes
General rule of relative pronoun placement:
The further away the pronoun is from its antecedent, the longer the pronoun itself is (more letters it has)
When do you use ‘que’ as a pronoun? (2)
- When the relative pronoun comes immediately after the antecedent.
- When almost nothing separates the relative pronoun from the antecedent: not even a comma.
When can ‘que’ be used after a separation?
After a very short separation from the antecedent (e.g. en, de, con) when referring to places or things (not people).
e.g.
Ésta es la casa en que crecí.
This is the house in which I grew up
When is ‘que’ not used and why? (2)
- after the prepositions
sin, por, or para
(Because could be confused with the adverbial conjunctions sin que (without), porque, and para que)
- If anything separates it from the antecedent (unless it’s a thing or place, and there’s only a v. short separation)
The book you borrowed is mine
El libro que prestaste es mío
The woman that/who lives there is my aunt.
La mujer que vive allí es mi tía.
This is the house in which I grew up.
Ésta es la casa en que crecí.
very short separation from antecedent regarding a place or thing
Have you been to the café I was talking about?
¿Has ido al café del que hablaba?
She isn’t the woman I talked to.
No es la mujer con quien hablé.
short separation from antecedent, but use quien for person
The café you like is over there.
El café que te gusta está allá.
When do you use ‘quien’ as a pronoun? (3+note)
- When antecedent refers to a person
- Is separated from the antecedent (usually by a comma or preposition)
- It’s commonly used after prepositions like para and con
- doesn’t take a definite article
Where are the children I told the story to?
¿Dónde están los niños a quienes les conté el cuento?
My aunt, who is a doctor, is going to visit me today.
Mi tía, quien es doctora, me va a visitar hoy.
Has anyone seen Maria, who Samuel is in love with?
¿Alguien ha visto a María, de quien está enamorado Samuel?
When is el que & related (la que, los que, las que) used? (3)
- When there is more distance between antecedent and the relative pronoun such as a comma or a one-word preposition
- with the prepositions sin, por, and para instead of ‘que’ to help avoid confusion with sin que, porque, and para que
- as the best relative pronoun with which to start a sentence
e.g. La que cantaba es Shakira
The one who sang is Shakira
Bananas, those which are ripe, are delicious.
Los plátanos, los que son maduros, son deliciosos.
Do you remember the beaches that we were talking about yesterday?
¿Recuerdas las playas de las que hablamos ayer?
When is el cual & related (la cual, los cuales, las cuales) used?
- When there is even more distance between the antecedent and the relative pronoun, such as when a compound preposition is used
- mostly in written Spanish
e.g. Cerré la puerta, detrás de la cual la fiesta continuaba.
I shut the door, behind which the party continued.
I shut the door, behind which the party continued.
Cerré la puerta, detrás de la cual la fiesta continuaba.
My brother is setting the table, on top of which is a vase of flowers.
Mi hermano está poniendo la mesa, por encima de la cual hay un florero.
We walked through the park near which there is a good café.
Caminamos por el parque cerca del cual está un café muy bueno.
‘el cual’ used when there is more distance between the antecedent and the relative pronoun, such as when a compound preposition is used, i.e. “cerca de”
