The Animated Book
of SpanishGrammar Reference

Spanish Relative Pronouns

Adapted from The Animated Book of Spanish, an interactive Spanish grammar book.

Relative pronouns link two ideas into one sentence, adding information about a noun: the friend who lives in Lima, the book that I read. In Spanish, the one you'll use most by far is que.
  1. Two sentences
    Tengo un amigo. Vive en Lima.

    I have a friend. He lives in Lima.

    One, with que
    Tengo un amigo que vive en Lima.

    I have a friend who lives in Lima.

  2. Two sentences
    Leí un libro. Me encantó.

    I read a book. I loved it.

    One, with que
    Me encantó el libro que leí.

    I loved the book I read.

The Spanish relative pronouns
SpanishEnglishUsed for
quethat, which, whopeople and things, most of the time
quien, quieneswho, whompeople, after a preposition or a comma
el que, la que…which, the one thatafter a preposition
lo quewhat, whichan idea, with no noun before it
cuyo, cuya…whosepossession
dondewhereplaces
On this page

Que: the everyday one

Que works for people and things, and covers English that, which, and who.

  • La mujer que vive al lado es médica.

    The woman who lives next door is a doctor.

  • ¿Dónde está el pan que compré?

    Where’s the bread I bought?

  • Es la película que te recomendé.

    It’s the movie I recommended to you.

Quien: people

Quien (plural quienes) refers only to people. You'll mainly see it after a preposition, or after a comma when you're adding extra information.

  • Es la chica con quien hablé ayer.

    She’s the girl I talked to yesterday.

  • Los amigos a quienes invité no vinieron.

    The friends I invited didn’t come.

  • Mi abuela, quien tiene noventa años, vive sola.

    My grandmother, who is ninety, lives alone.

El que, la que: after prepositions

After a preposition, use el que, la que, los que, or las que, matching the noun with the preposition always comes first. Spanish never ends a sentence with one, the way English does in the house I live in.

  • Esta es la casa en la que vivo.

    This is the house I live in.

  • El amigo con el que viajé es de Chile.

    The friend I traveled with is from Chile.

  • Son los temas de los que hablamos.

    Those are the topics we talked about.

On its own, without a noun, el que means the one that or whoever:

  • Me gusta más la que compraste tú.

    I like the one you bought better.

  • El que llegue primero, gana.

    Whoever gets there first wins.

Lo que: what

Lo que means what or the thing that, when there's no noun for it to refer back to.

  • Lo que necesito es dormir.

    What I need is sleep.

  • No entiendo lo que dices.

    I don’t understand what you’re saying.

  • Haz lo que quieras.

    Do whatever you want.

After a comma, lo que can also refer to a whole idea, like English which:

  • Llegó tarde otra vez, lo que me molestó mucho.

    He was late again, which really bothered me.

Que or lo que?

Look right before it. If there's a noun, use que. If there isn't, and you mean what or the thing that, use lo que.

  1. A noun before it: que
    Es el regalo que quiero.

    It’s the present I want.

    No noun: lo que
    Es lo que quiero.

    It’s what I want.

  2. A noun before it: que
    Me gusta la casa que elegiste.

    I like the house you chose.

    No noun: lo que
    Me gusta lo que elegiste.

    I like what you chose.

  3. A noun before it: que
    Repite la frase que dijiste.

    Repeat the sentence you said.

    No noun: lo que
    Repite lo que dijiste.

    Repeat what you said.

Cuyo: whose

Cuyo means whose. It matches the thing that's owned, not the owner: cuyo, cuya, cuyos, cuyas. It's a bit formal, and more common in writing.

  • Es la chica cuyo padre es médico.

    She’s the girl whose father is a doctor.

  • Es un autor cuyas novelas me encantan.

    He’s an author whose novels I love.

Donde: where

For places, donde works like English where, and it's an easy alternative to en el que. As a relative, it has no accent: dónde is only for questions.

  • Esta es la ciudad donde nací.

    This is the city where I was born.

  • Vamos al restaurante donde nos conocimos.

    Let’s go to the restaurant where we met.

Common mistakes English speakers make

  1. Leaving out que

    Incorrect:El libro leí es muy bueno.
    Correct:El libro que leí es muy bueno.

    Spanish never drops que.

  2. Using quien without a preposition or comma

    Incorrect:La chica quien vi era mi prima.
    Correct:La chica que vi era mi prima.

    In a plain relative clause, use que, even for people.

  3. Using qué for “what” in a statement

    Incorrect:Qué necesito es dormir.
    Correct:Lo que necesito es dormir.

    Qué is for questions. In a statement, what is lo que.

  4. Using que with no noun

    Incorrect:No entiendo que dices.
    Correct:No entiendo lo que dices.

    With no noun before it, what is lo que.

  5. Ending with a preposition

    Incorrect:La casa que vivo en.
    Correct:La casa en la que vivo.

    The preposition always comes first.

  6. Matching cuyo to the owner

    Incorrect:La chica cuya padre es médico.
    Correct:La chica cuyo padre es médico.

    Cuyo matches the thing owned: padre is masculine.

Questions about relative pronouns

What are the relative pronouns in Spanish?

Que (that, which, who), quien and quienes (who, whom), el que / la que / los que / las que (which, the one that), lo que (what, which), cuyo (whose), and donde (where).

What is the difference between que and lo que?

Que refers back to a noun: el libro que quiero ("the book that I want"). Lo que has no noun before it and means "what" or "the thing that": Es lo que quiero ("It's what I want").

Can you leave out que in Spanish?

No. English can drop "that" (the book I read), but Spanish always keeps que: el libro que leí.

When do you use quien instead of que?

For people after a preposition (la chica con quien hablé) or after a comma (Mi hermano, quien vive en Lima, …). Otherwise, even for people, use que: la chica que vi.

What does cuyo mean?

"Whose," in a statement. It matches the thing owned: la chica cuyo padre es médico, el autor cuyas novelas leí. In a question, "whose" is ¿de quién?

How do you say "the house I live in" in Spanish?

The preposition moves in front: la casa en la que vivo (or la casa donde vivo). Spanish never ends a sentence with a preposition.

Next upThe gerundThe ‑ando / ‑iendo form: irregulars, uses, and when not to use it.

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