Table of Contents

• The MVP: `Que` (That, Which, Who)
  • `Que` with Prepositions
• The People Person: `Quien / Quienes` (Who, Whom)
  • 1. After a Preposition
  • 2. In Non-Restrictive Clauses (The "Comma Clause")
• The Possessive Pro: `Cuyo / Cuya / Cuyos / Cuyas` (Whose)
• Quick-Reference Chart
• Common Mistakes & How to Avoid Them
  • Mistake 1: Using `que` for a person after a preposition.
  • Mistake 2: Confusing `cuyo` (whose) with `de quién` (whose?).
  • Mistake 3: Incorrect agreement with `cuyo`.
• Let's Practice!
• You've Got This!

Spanish Relative Pronouns: Que, Quien, and Cuyo Explained

Ever feel like your Spanish sentences are a bit... clunky? Like you're stringing together short, choppy ideas instead of creating smooth, flowing thoughts?

Tengo un amigo. El amigo vive en Colombia. El amigo es fotógrafo.

It works, but it doesn't sound very natural, does it?

This is where relative pronouns swoop in to save the day. Think of them as the super-connectors of Spanish. They link clauses together, making your sentences more sophisticated and your ideas clearer. At the B2 level, mastering them is a game-changer for sounding more like a native speaker.

In this guide, we'll dive deep into the three most important Spanish pronombres relativosrelative pronouns: que, quien, and cuyo. Let's turn those clunky sentences into elegant expressions!

Relative pronouns help connect your Spanish thoughts, making your language flow smoothly.

The MVP: Que (That, Which, Who)

If you only remember one relative pronoun, make it que. It's the most common, versatile, and useful one of the bunch. It's the Swiss Army knife in your grammatical toolkit.

Que can refer to both people and things.

Referring to Things:

• El libro que estoy leyendo es fascinante. (The book that I'm reading is fascinating.)
• ¿Dónde está la llavekey que abre la puerta principal? (Where is the key that opens the main door?)

Referring to People:

• La mujer que trabaja en la recepción es muy amable. (The woman who works at the reception is very kind.)
• Conozco al chico que ganó la competencia. (I know the boy who won the competition.)

So far, so simple. But here's where the B2-level details come in.

Que with Prepositions

When you're referring to a thing and need to use a preposition (like en, de, con, a), you'll often use que, but you need to include a definite article (el, la, los, las) that matches the noun it's replacing.

The structure is: preposition + definite article + que

• La casa en la que crecí ya no existe. (The house in which I grew up no longer exists.)
  • la matches casa (feminine, singular)
• Los temas de los que hablamos fueron muy interesantes. (The topics about which we spoke were very interesting.)
  • los matches temas (masculine, plural)
• Esta es la razón por la que llegué tarde. (This is the reason for which I arrived late.)
  • la matches razón (feminine, singular)

The People Person: Quien / Quienes (Who, Whom)

Meet quien, the specialist. Unlike the multi-talented que, quien has one job and one job only: it refers exclusively to people. It has a plural form, quienes, which you must use when referring to more than one person.

There are two main situations where you'll use quien(es).

1. After a Preposition

This is the most common and important use of quien. If you have a preposition (a, con, de, para, por, en) and you're referring to a person, quien is your go-to.

• La amiga con quien fui al cine es de Argentina. (The friend with whom I went to the movies is from Argentina.)
• Los profesores a quienes les hice preguntas fueron muy serviciales. (The teachers to whom I asked questions were very helpful.)
• ¿Es ella la chica de quien me hablaste? (Is she the girl about whom you told me?)

2. In Non-Restrictive Clauses (The "Comma Clause")

This sounds technical, but it's pretty simple. When you add extra, non-essential information about a person in a clause set off by commas, you can use quien(es). It often sounds a bit more formal or literary than using que.

• Mi jefe, quien tiene mucha experiencia, me dio un buen consejo. (My boss, who has a lot of experience, gave me good advice.)
• Los atletas, quienes entrenaron por meses, están listos para la competencia. (The athletes, who trained for months, are ready for the competition.)

In these "comma clauses," both que and quien are often correct, but using quien adds a touch of sophistication. However, after a preposition, quien is strongly preferred for people.

Quien is the specialist pronoun, used exclusively when linking people and ideas.

The Possessive Pro: Cuyo / Cuya / Cuyos / Cuyas (Whose)

And now for cuyo, the one that often trips learners up. Cuyo is the Spanish equivalent of "whose," and it indicates possession. It connects a person or thing (the owner) to something they possess.

The golden rule for cuyo is what makes it tricky:

Let's break it down with examples:

• Es un autor cuyo libro ganó un premio. (He's an author whose book won an award.)

  • cuyo is masculine singular because <VocabHighlight translation="book">libro</VocabHighlight> is masculine singular. It doesn't matter that the author is male.

• La artista, cuya obra es famosa, vive en Barcelona. (The artist, whose work is famous, lives in Barcelona.)

  • cuya is feminine singular because <VocabHighlight translation="work">obra</VocabHighlight> is feminine singular.

• El chef, cuyos restaurantes tienen estrellas Michelin, es francés. (The chef, whose restaurants have Michelin stars, is French.)

  • cuyos is masculine plural because restaurantes is masculine plural.

• La directora, cuyas películas me encantan, va a estrenar una nueva. (The director, whose movies I love, is going to release a new one.)

  • cuyas is feminine plural because <VocabHighlight translation="movies">películas</VocabHighlight> is feminine plural.

Cuyo is more common in written and formal Spanish. In everyday conversation, people often rephrase the sentence to avoid it. For example, instead of “Conocí a un hombre cuyo perro es enorme,” someone might say, “Conocí a un hombre que tiene un perro enorme.” Still, you need to understand cuyo for reading and formal situations.

Cuyo, the possessive pronoun, is most commonly found in formal writing and literature.

Quick-Reference Chart

Pronoun	Refers to...	Key Usage Rule	Example
Que	People and Things	The general, all-purpose relative pronoun.	El coche que compré es rojo.
El/La/Los/Las que	Things	Used after a preposition for things.	La caja en la que guardo las fotos es vieja.
Quien(es)	People only	Used after a preposition or in "comma clauses."	Mi tía, quien es enfermera, vive cerca.
Cuyo(s)/Cuya(s)	People and Things	Indicates possession ("whose"). Agrees with the possessed item.	El pintor cuyas obras son famosas.

Common Mistakes & How to Avoid Them

Let's tackle some common pitfalls so you can use these pronouns with confidence.

Mistake 1: Using que for a person after a preposition.

While it's sometimes heard in casual speech, in proper Spanish, you should use quien.

How to avoid it: See a preposition (con, de, a, etc.)? Is it followed by a person? Use quien or quienes. Simple as that.

Mistake 2: Confusing cuyo (whose) with de quién (whose?).

Cuyo is a connector inside a sentence. ¿De quién? is a question.

• Cuyo: Este es el escritor cuyo libro estoy leyendo. (This is the writer whose book I'm reading.)
• De quién: ¿De quién es este libro? (Whose book is this?)

Mistake 3: Incorrect agreement with cuyo.

Remember the golden rule! Cuyo agrees with what's owned, not the owner.

How to avoid it: When you write cuyo, immediately look at the noun that follows it. Make them match in gender and number. novelas is feminine plural, so you need cuyas.

Let's Practice!

Time to test your skills. Choose the best option for each sentence.

You've Got This!

Relative pronouns might seem intimidating, but they are simply tools to make your Spanish more connected and fluid.

• Que is your versatile workhorse for people and things.
• Quien is your specialist for people, especially after prepositions.
• Cuyo is your formal tool for showing possession.

The more you read and listen to Spanish, the more you'll see these in action. Pay attention to how native speakers connect their ideas, and soon, you'll be doing it too. ¡Buena suerte