B1 Spanish grammar
Spanish Relative Pronouns: Que, Quien, El Que, and Donde
Relative pronouns connect a noun to information that identifies or describes it. Que is most general; quien, el que, and donde appear in more specific structures.
Spanish relative pronouns: Use que for people and things
Que can act as subject or object in a relative clause and does not change for gender or number.
La mujer que vive aquí es médica.Quick check
The book that I bought:
Use quien after prepositions or for parenthetical people
Quien and quienes refer only to people and commonly follow a preposition or appear in non-defining clauses.
Ana, con quien trabajo, vive cerca.Use article relatives and donde
El que and its forms clarify gender or follow prepositions; donde links a place to an event.
La casa en la que vivo está cerca del lugar donde trabajo.Common mistakes
La mujer quien vive aquí es médica.
La mujer que vive aquí es médica.
Without a preposition or commas, que is the natural general relative.
El proyecto con quien trabajo
El proyecto en el que trabajo
Quien cannot refer to a thing.
La casa quien vivo
La casa en la que vivo
The relationship requires en plus a thing-relative form.
Ready to practise Spanish relative pronouns?
Complete an eight-question round and save skill-level progress for future review.
Relative pronouns FAQ
What does relative pronouns cover?
Relative pronouns connect a noun to information that identifies or describes it. Que is most general; quien, el que, and donde appear in more specific structures.
What is the first rule to remember?
Que can act as subject or object in a relative clause and does not change for gender or number.
What is another important B1 pattern?
Quien and quienes refer only to people and commonly follow a preposition or appear in non-defining clauses.
How can I practise Spanish relative pronouns?
Complete the focused round, review each correction, and repeat the lesson when its skills become due again.