Spanish Relative Pronouns: Que, Quien, El Que and Lo Que
Learn how Spanish relative pronouns connect clauses and refer back to people, things, ideas or whole statements. This guide explains que, quien, quienes, el que, la que, los que, las que, el cual, la cual and lo que.
Why Spanish relative pronouns matter
Relative pronouns help you combine two ideas into one sentence. Instead of saying two separate sentences, you can add information about a person, object, place or idea: Conozco a una profesora. La profesora vive en Madrid. becomes Conozco a una profesora que vive en Madrid. This is essential for natural Spanish, reading comprehension and more advanced writing.
How to use this page
Use this page after learning basic pronouns and sentence structure. First learn que, then continue with people forms such as quien, article forms such as el que, and neutral forms such as lo que.
The antecedent is the word the relative pronoun refers back to: el libro que leo → libro.
Use que for many people and things, quien for people, and lo que for “what” or “the thing that”.
After prepositions, Spanish often uses forms such as con quien, en el que or de la cual.
The core system: que, quien, el que and lo que
Que
Que is the most common Spanish relative pronoun and can refer to people or things.
El libro que leo. · La persona que llama.
Quien and quienes
Quien and quienes refer to people, often after prepositions or in explanatory clauses.
La mujer con quien hablé. · Mis amigos, quienes viven aquí.
Lo que
Lo que refers to an idea, statement or unknown thing and often means “what”.
No entiendo lo que dices.
Spanish relative pronouns at a glance
Relative pronouns connect a noun or idea with a clause that gives more information about it.
| Relative pronoun | Main use | Example | English meaning | Grammar note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| que | People, things, ideas | El libro que leo. | The book that I read. | Most common relative pronoun. |
| quien | One person | La persona con quien hablé. | The person with whom I spoke. | Often after a preposition. |
| quienes | Several people | Los alumnos, quienes estudian mucho. | The students, who study a lot. | Plural of quien. |
| el que / la que | The one who/that | La que vive aquí es mi amiga. | The one who lives here is my friend. | Agrees in gender and number. |
| los que / las que | The ones who/that | Los que llegaron tarde esperan. | The ones who arrived late are waiting. | Plural forms. |
| el cual / la cual | Which/who, formal or clear reference | La ciudad, la cual conozco bien. | The city, which I know well. | More formal; agrees with antecedent. |
| los cuales / las cuales | Which/who, plural formal | Los temas, los cuales son difíciles. | The topics, which are difficult. | Used for clarity and formal style. |
| lo que | What, the thing that | No sé lo que quiere. | I do not know what he/she wants. | Neutral; refers to an idea or unknown thing. |
Que: the most common relative pronoun
Que is the most frequent Spanish relative pronoun. It can refer to people, animals, things and ideas. It often translates as “that”, “which” or “who”.
El libro que leo es interesante. — The book that I am reading is interesting.
La mujer que vive aquí es profesora. — The woman who lives here is a teacher.
El perro que ves es mío. — The dog that you see is mine.
La idea que propones es buena. — The idea that you propose is good.
Do not confuse relative que with interrogative qué. Que connects clauses. Qué asks “what?”.
Quien and quienes
Quien and quienes refer to people. They are common after prepositions and in non-defining clauses. Quien is singular; quienes is plural.
| Form | Use | Example | English meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| quien | One person | La persona con quien hablé. | The person with whom I spoke. |
| quienes | Several people | Los colegas con quienes trabajo. | The colleagues with whom I work. |
| quien | Non-defining clause | Mi hermana, quien vive en Madrid, viene mañana. | My sister, who lives in Madrid, comes tomorrow. |
| quienes | Plural non-defining clause | Mis amigos, quienes estudian español, viajan mucho. | My friends, who study Spanish, travel a lot. |
In many simple defining clauses, que is more common than quien: La mujer que vive aquí.
El que, la que, los que and las que
El que, la que, los que and las que can mean “the one who”, “the one that”, “the ones who” or “the ones that”. They agree with the noun or person they refer to.
| Form | Gender and number | Example | English meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| el que | Masculine singular | El que llegó tarde es mi hermano. | The one who arrived late is my brother. |
| la que | Feminine singular | La que vive aquí es mi amiga. | The one who lives here is my friend. |
| los que | Masculine plural or mixed group | Los que estudian mucho aprenden más. | The ones who study a lot learn more. |
| las que | Feminine plural | Las que hablan español ayudan. | The ones who speak Spanish help. |
These forms are useful when the noun is not repeated or when Spanish needs clearer reference.
El cual, la cual, los cuales and las cuales
El cual, la cual, los cuales and las cuales are more formal relative pronouns. They can add clarity, especially in longer sentences or after prepositions.
| Form | Gender and number | Example | Use note |
|---|---|---|---|
| el cual | Masculine singular | El proyecto, el cual empezó ayer, es importante. | Formal or clarifying. |
| la cual | Feminine singular | La ciudad, la cual conozco bien, es hermosa. | Formal or written style. |
| los cuales | Masculine plural or mixed group | Los documentos, los cuales faltan, son necesarios. | Clear plural reference. |
| las cuales | Feminine plural | Las reglas, las cuales estudiamos, son útiles. | Clear feminine plural reference. |
In everyday Spanish, que is often simpler. In formal writing, el cual forms can make the reference clearer.
Lo que
Lo que is a neutral relative expression. It often means “what”, “the thing that” or “that which”. It does not refer to a masculine or feminine noun; it refers to an idea, statement, unknown thing or whole situation.
No entiendo lo que dices. — I do not understand what you are saying.
Lo que necesito es tiempo. — What I need is time.
Eso es lo que pienso. — That is what I think.
Lo que pasó ayer fue extraño. — What happened yesterday was strange.
Use lo que when there is no specific noun before it or when the reference is a whole idea.
Relative pronouns after prepositions
After prepositions, Spanish often uses quien, el que forms or el cual forms. The choice depends on whether the reference is a person, thing, formal style or need for clarity.
| Pattern | Example | English meaning | Use note |
|---|---|---|---|
| con quien | La mujer con quien hablé. | The woman with whom I spoke. | Person after preposition. |
| con la que | La mujer con la que hablé. | The woman that I spoke with. | Common alternative. |
| en el que | El país en el que vivo. | The country in which I live. | Thing or place with gender/number. |
| de la cual | La idea de la cual hablamos. | The idea about which we spoke. | More formal or clarifying. |
Learner rule: after a preposition, check whether que alone is enough. Often, Spanish uses a fuller form: con quien, con el que, en la que, de los cuales.
Defining and non-defining relative clauses
A defining relative clause identifies which person or thing you mean. A non-defining relative clause adds extra information and is usually separated by commas in writing.
| Clause type | Spanish example | English meaning | Grammar note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Defining | El estudiante que llegó tarde perdió la clase. | The student who arrived late missed the class. | Identifies which student. |
| Non-defining | Mi hermano, que vive en Madrid, viene mañana. | My brother, who lives in Madrid, is coming tomorrow. | Adds extra information. |
| Non-defining with quien | Mi profesora, quien conoce el tema, explicó todo. | My teacher, who knows the topic, explained everything. | Often people and explanatory style. |
| Formal non-defining | El informe, el cual revisamos ayer, está listo. | The report, which we reviewed yesterday, is ready. | Formal or clarifying. |
What about cuyo?
Cuyo, cuya, cuyos and cuyas are often taught near relative pronouns, but they work as relative determiners because they introduce a noun and agree with the thing possessed.
El autor cuyo libro leí vive en Chile. — The author whose book I read lives in Chile.
La profesora cuya clase tomé es excelente. — The teacher whose class I took is excellent.
Los estudiantes cuyos exámenes corregí aprobaron. — The students whose exams I corrected passed.
Learn this system separately here: Spanish Relative Determiners.
Que vs qué
Que without an accent can be a relative pronoun that connects clauses. Qué with an accent is interrogative or exclamatory and usually means “what?”.
| Form | Function | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| que | Relative pronoun | El libro que leo. | The book that I read. |
| qué | Question word | ¿Qué lees? | What are you reading? |
| que | Connector | La persona que llama. | The person who is calling. |
| qué | Exclamation | ¡Qué interesante! | How interesting! |
Learn question forms here: Spanish Interrogative Pronouns.
When to use Spanish relative pronouns
Use que
Use que to connect a noun with more information about it.
El curso que hago es útil.
Use quien or quienes
Use these for people, especially after prepositions.
La persona con quien hablé.
Use lo que
Use lo que for “what”, “the thing that” or a whole idea.
No sé lo que pasó.
Related grammar topics
Spanish Pronouns
Learn how Spanish pronouns replace, refer to or connect people, things and ideas.
Relative Determiners
Study cuyo, cuya, cuyos and cuyas as possession-based relative words.
Interrogative Pronouns
Compare relative que with interrogative qué, quién and cuál.
Sentence Structures
Use relative clauses to build longer, clearer Spanish sentences.
Spanish Verbs
Relative clauses contain conjugated verbs: que vive, que estudian, lo que dices.
Spanish Nouns
Relative pronouns often refer back to nouns, called antecedents.
Typical mistakes with Spanish relative pronouns
- Confusing que and qué: que connects clauses; qué asks “what?”.
- Using quien for things: quien refers to people, not objects.
- Forgetting plural quienes: use quienes when referring to several people in this pattern.
- Using cuyo like a normal pronoun: cuyo is a relative determiner and agrees with the possessed noun.
- Overusing formal el cual forms: in many everyday sentences, que is more natural.
- Forgetting the preposition: say la persona con quien hablé, not only la persona quien hablé.
Where to go next
After relative pronouns, continue with relative determiners, interrogative pronouns and sentence structures. These topics explain how Spanish connects clauses, asks questions and builds longer sentences.
Want personal guidance?
If Spanish relative pronouns feel confusing, individual guidance can help you practise que, quien, el que, el cual, lo que, prepositions and relative clauses in real sentences.
FAQ: Spanish relative pronouns
What are Spanish relative pronouns?
Spanish relative pronouns connect a noun, person, thing or idea with a clause that gives more information. Examples include que, quien, quienes, el que, el cual and lo que.
What is the most common Spanish relative pronoun?
Que is the most common Spanish relative pronoun. It can mean “that”, “which” or “who” depending on context.
What is the difference between que and quien?
Que can refer to people or things. Quien refers to people and is especially common after prepositions or in explanatory clauses.
What does lo que mean in Spanish?
Lo que means “what”, “the thing that” or “that which”. It refers to an idea, unknown thing, statement or whole situation.
What is the difference between que and qué?
Que without an accent can introduce a relative clause: el libro que leo. Qué with an accent is used in questions and exclamations: ¿Qué lees?
Is cuyo a relative pronoun?
Cuyo, cuya, cuyos and cuyas are better treated as relative determiners because they introduce a noun and agree with the possessed noun.
MundoDele – Spanish learning for education, work and intercultural understanding
MundoDele connects online Spanish courses, DELE preparation, Business Spanish and cultural context into a personal Spanish learning platform.
Grammar pages are designed to explain Spanish clearly, with practical examples, real sentence logic and connected learning paths.