Relative pronouns and relative clauses

What you'll learn

Relative pronouns and relative clauses allow you to combine sentences and add descriptive information in Spanish. This topic appears across all CIE IGCSE Spanish papers, particularly in Reading and Writing tasks where you must demonstrate sophisticated sentence structures to access higher mark bands. Understanding when to use que, quien, cuyo and other relative pronouns is essential for achieving top grades.

Key terms and definitions

Relative pronoun — A word that links a subordinate clause to a noun or pronoun in the main clause (e.g., que, quien, el cual).

Relative clause — A subordinate clause that describes or gives more information about a noun, introduced by a relative pronoun.

Antecedent — The noun or pronoun that the relative pronoun refers back to.

Restrictive clause — A relative clause that provides essential information to identify the noun (no commas used).

Non-restrictive clause — A relative clause that adds extra, non-essential information (set off by commas).

Preposition + relative pronoun — Constructions where a preposition precedes the relative pronoun (e.g., con quien, para el que).

Cuyo/a/os/as — A possessive relative pronoun meaning "whose" that agrees in gender and number with the thing possessed, not the possessor.

Core concepts

The relative pronoun "que"

Que is the most common relative pronoun in Spanish and appears frequently in CIE IGCSE exam papers. It translates as "that", "which", "who" or "whom" and can refer to people or things.

Usage rules:

• Used for both subject and direct object of the relative clause
• Never changes form regardless of gender or number
• Can follow prepositions in simple constructions
• Required in Spanish even when "that" is optional in English

Examples:

• El chico que vive aquí es mi primo. (The boy who lives here is my cousin.)
• La película que vimos ayer fue aburrida. (The film that we saw yesterday was boring.)
• Los libros que compré son interesantes. (The books that I bought are interesting.)

In exam Writing tasks, using que to combine simple sentences demonstrates higher-level language skills. Instead of writing "Tengo un amigo. Mi amigo vive en Madrid", you would write "Tengo un amigo que vive en Madrid."

The relative pronoun "quien/quienes"

Quien (singular) and quienes (plural) refer only to people, never to things or animals. These pronouns appear in specific contexts that are tested in CIE IGCSE papers.

When to use quien/quienes:

1. After prepositions (a, de, con, para, sin, etc.):

   • La chica con quien hablo es española. (The girl with whom I speak is Spanish.)
   • Las personas para quienes trabajo son simpáticas. (The people for whom I work are friendly.)

2. In non-restrictive clauses (with commas) to refer to people:

   • Mi hermano, quien estudia medicina, vive en Barcelona. (My brother, who studies medicine, lives in Barcelona.)

3. As the equivalent of "he/she who" or "those who":

   • Quien trabaja duro tiene éxito. (He who works hard succeeds.)

Important exam distinction: After short prepositions (a, de, con, en), you can use either "preposition + quien" or "preposition + el/la que". Both are correct, but quien is more formal and preferred in written exam answers.

El que, la que, los que, las que

These compound relative pronouns agree in gender and number with their antecedent. They are particularly useful and award-worthy in CIE IGCSE Writing tasks.

Uses in exam contexts:

1. After all prepositions (especially longer ones):

   • El edificio delante del cual esperaba es el museo. (The building in front of which I was waiting is the museum.)
   • Las razones por las que estudió español son personales. (The reasons for which he studied Spanish are personal.)

2. To add clarity when the antecedent is ambiguous:

   • El hijo de mi vecina, el que tiene veinte años, es estudiante. (My neighbour's son, the one who is twenty, is a student.)

3. To mean "the one(s) who/which":

   • Los que llegaron tarde perdieron el tren. (Those who arrived late missed the train.)
   • Prefiero esta camisa a la que compraste. (I prefer this shirt to the one you bought.)

El cual, la cual, los cuales, las cuales

El cual and its variants are formal alternatives to el que. While less common in everyday speech, they demonstrate sophisticated language use valued in CIE IGCSE assessment.

Exam applications:

• Used after prepositions, particularly prepositions of two or more syllables (delante de, detrás de, mediante, durante)
• Preferred in formal writing to avoid ambiguity
• Shows advanced grammatical range in Writing Paper responses

Example in exam context:

• Visitamos el castillo, detrás del cual hay un jardín hermoso. (We visited the castle, behind which there is a beautiful garden.)

Cuyo, cuya, cuyos, cuyas (whose)

Cuyo is a possessive relative pronoun that causes difficulties for IGCSE candidates but is highly valued by examiners when used correctly.

Critical rules:

• Means "whose" or "of which"
• Agrees in gender and number with the thing possessed, NOT the possessor
• Acts as an adjective modifying the noun that follows
• Cannot be used as a question word (use "de quién" for questions)

Examples demonstrating agreement:

• El profesor cuya hija estudia aquí es muy estricto. (The teacher whose daughter studies here is very strict.)

  • Cuya agrees with hija (feminine singular), not profesor

• Los estudiantes cuyos padres trabajan llegan tarde. (The students whose parents work arrive late.)

  • Cuyos agrees with padres (masculine plural), not estudiantes

Exam tip: Using cuyo correctly in a Writing task immediately signals advanced grammatical competence. However, if uncertain, use an alternative construction rather than risking an error: "El profesor tiene una hija que estudia aquí."

Lo que (what/that which)

Lo que is a neuter relative pronoun referring to an idea, situation, or undefined concept rather than a specific noun. This construction appears regularly in CIE IGCSE reading texts and is valuable in writing tasks.

Common exam contexts:

• Lo que necesito es descansar. (What I need is to rest.)
• No entiendo lo que dices. (I don't understand what you're saying.)
• Lo que más me gusta es viajar. (What I like most is travelling.)

The neuter article lo is used because the pronoun refers to a general concept, not a masculine or feminine noun.

Relative clauses with prepositions

Many exam questions test the ability to use prepositions with relative pronouns correctly. The preposition must appear before the relative pronoun in Spanish (unlike English, where it can appear at the end).

Structure pattern: Preposition + article + que/cual (or preposition + quien for people)

Correct vs incorrect:

• ✓ El hotel en el que nos alojamos era caro. (The hotel in which we stayed was expensive.)
• ✗ El hotel que nos alojamos en era caro. (English structure—incorrect in Spanish)

Common prepositions tested:

• a: La ciudad a la que fui...
• de: El tema del que hablamos...
• con: Las personas con las que trabajo...
• por: La razón por la que estudié...
• para: El proyecto para el que necesito ayuda...

Worked examples

Example 1: Sentence combination (Writing task)

Question: Combine these sentences using relative pronouns:

• Conozco a una chica.
• La chica habla cinco idiomas.
• Trabajo con la chica en una oficina.

Model answer: Conozco a una chica que habla cinco idiomas y con quien trabajo en una oficina.

Mark scheme notes: This answer demonstrates:

• Correct use of que for the restrictive clause
• Correct use of con quien after the preposition
• Natural sentence flow avoiding repetition

Alternative (higher level): Conozco a una chica con la que trabajo en una oficina, la cual habla cinco idiomas. (Uses con la que and la cual for variety, showing sophisticated range)

Example 2: Translation into Spanish (Writing/Translation paper)

Question: Translate: "The students whose homework was excellent received prizes."

Model answer: Los estudiantes cuyo trabajo era excelente recibieron premios.

Mark scheme analysis:

• Cuyo correctly agrees with trabajo (masculine singular), not estudiantes
• Verb era in imperfect tense (appropriate for description in past)
• Alternative acceptable: "Los estudiantes cuyos deberes eran excelentes recibieron premios" (using plural deberes and cuyos)

Example 3: Reading comprehension application

Text extract: "Madrid, la cual es la capital de España, tiene más de tres millones de habitantes. Lo que más atrae a los turistas son sus museos famosos."

Questions:

1. What does "la cual" refer to?
2. Translate "Lo que más atrae a los turistas"

Answers:

1. "La cual" refers to Madrid (feminine singular).
2. "What most attracts tourists" or "What attracts tourists most."

Examiner note: Recognizing that la cual provides additional information about Madrid (non-restrictive clause) and that lo que introduces a concept rather than a specific noun shows strong comprehension.

Common mistakes and how to avoid them

• Mistake: Omitting the relative pronoun because it's optional in English.

• ✗ "El libro compré es interesante."
• ✓ "El libro que compré es interesante."
• Correction: Always include the relative pronoun in Spanish—it's never optional.

• Mistake: Using quien when referring to things or animals.

• ✗ "El perro quien vive aquí es grande."
• ✓ "El perro que vive aquí es grande."
• Correction: Use quien/quienes only for people; use que for things and animals.

• Mistake: Making cuyo agree with the possessor instead of the thing possessed.

• ✗ "La mujer cuyo marido es profesor..." (if mujer is the antecedent)
• ✓ "La mujer cuyo marido es profesor..."
• Correction: Cuyo must agree with marido (masculine), not mujer (feminine).

• Mistake: Placing prepositions at the end of relative clauses (English structure).

• ✗ "La persona que hablo con es simpática."
• ✓ "La persona con quien hablo es simpática." or "La persona con la que hablo es simpática."
• Correction: Prepositions must come before the relative pronoun in Spanish.

• Mistake: Confusing que and qué (with accent) in relative clauses.

• ✗ "El chico qué vive aquí..." (accent makes it interrogative)
• ✓ "El chico que vive aquí..."
• Correction: Relative pronoun que never carries an accent; only interrogative qué does.

• Mistake: Using cuyo as a question word.

• ✗ "¿Cuyo libro es este?"
• ✓ "¿De quién es este libro?"
• Correction: To ask "whose?", use de quién, never cuyo. Cuyo only appears in statements, not questions.

Exam technique for relative pronouns and relative clauses

• Recognize mark scheme expectations: In Writing tasks, using a variety of relative pronouns (que, quien, el que, cuyo) demonstrates grammatical range and can lift your response into higher mark bands. Examiners specifically look for complex sentence structures that include subordinate clauses.

• Reading Paper strategy: When encountering relative pronouns in texts, identify the antecedent immediately. Draw an arrow back to the noun the pronoun refers to—this prevents comprehension errors, especially with longer sentences containing multiple clauses.

• Translation accuracy: For Translation tasks, determine whether the English "that" or "which" is introducing a relative clause or serving another function. If it's a relative clause, remember that Spanish requires the pronoun even when English omits it. For "who/whom" after prepositions, choose between con quien or con el/la que based on formality.

• Writing Paper planning: Before writing complex sentences, sketch out which nouns you're connecting and which relative pronoun is appropriate. For descriptive writing about people and places (common CIE topics), prepare set phrases using relative clauses: "un lugar que visité", "una persona con quien me llevo bien", "mi profesor, quien es muy simpático."

Quick revision summary

Relative pronouns link clauses to nouns. Que (most common) works for people and things as subject or object. Quien/quienes (people only) follows prepositions and appears in non-restrictive clauses. El que/la que/los que/las que agree with antecedent and follow prepositions. Cuyo/a/os/as means "whose" and agrees with the possessed noun, not the possessor. Lo que refers to general concepts. Always place prepositions before relative pronouns. Using varied relative pronouns demonstrates grammatical sophistication valued in CIE IGCSE assessment.