11 Relative pronouns
There is a fair amount of flexibility in the choice of relatives in Spanish, and preferences
rather than rules often govern this choice.
11.1Que
Que is invariable. It is the most ‘neutral’ of the relatives, and is used freely as a
subject and object relative pronoun, as well as often being used with the ‘short’
prepositions a, con, de and en, especially when the pronoun refers to something
inanimate:
el chico que me saludó
the boy who greeted me
el chico que vi ayer
the boy I saw yesterday
el acuerdo a que llegaron
the agreement they came to
la escopeta con que le amenacé
the shotgun I threatened him with
el libro de que te hablaba
the book I was talking to you about
la ciudad en que vives
the town you live in
11.2El que/el cual, etc.
Singular Plural
Masculine el que los que
Feminine la que las que
Singular Plural
Masculine el cual los cuales
Feminine la cual las cuales
