Relative Pronouns with Prepositions
Start first lessonRELEVANT LESSON:
Explanation
Relative pronouns (pronombres relativos) connect sentences or phrases by referring back to a noun, pronoun, or phrase that was talked about previously. If the relative pronoun is used with a preposition, the preposition must precede the relative pronoun.
Let's take a look at some relative pronouns that are commonly used with prepositions.
El Que
Queon its own cannot be preceded by a preposition. However, when que is preceded by a definite article, it can be used with a preposition. El queand its related forms la que, los que, las queare used when the antecedent (the part of a sentence that is later replaced by a pronoun) refers to a person or a thing. Prepositions used with el que are generally just one-syllable prepositions, such as conand de.
Use this formula to form a sentence that uses the relative pronoun el que in combination with a preposition.
preposition + definite article + que
Check out the following examples.
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El Cual
El cualand its related forms la cual, los cuales, las cualesare used in the same way as the relative pronoun el que and its related forms. When using a prepositional phrase or multi-syllable preposition, el cual is preferred to el que. El cual is also considered to be more formal.
Let’s take a look at some examples.
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Quien
If there is a preposition before quien(or its plural form quienes, it can be used instead of el que or el cual when the antecedent refers to a person. Quien and quienes are commonly used after prepositions like de, para, and con.
Here are some examples.
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Lo Que and Lo Cual
The neuter relative pronouns lo queand lo cualare used to refer to an abstract situation or concept that is not specifically masculine or feminine. Both lo que and lo cual can be used after prepositions.
Take a look at these examples.
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