Relative Words Used Between Clauses

Elizabeth Navedo ArbeláezS00069808Contrastive Analysis of English and SpanishENGL 360Professor: Dr. Evelyn Lugo Morales

Functions of the Connectors

Both Spanish and English have words that work between clauses as connectors, linking one clause to another.

Sometimes the connector or relator work as a coordinator, which means, that it unites two clauses which otherwise would function as independent clauses

Example: I know that you see me

Yo sé que me ves. On other occasions the connector works as a relative pronoun; it

has an antecedent (a word to which it refers) in the main clause

of the sentence.

Example: She is the girl who(m) I saw

Ella es la muchacha que vi.

Subordinating Conjunctions

In English the subordinating conjunction that is used to connect two clauses.

Without the subordinating conjunction, both clauses will work totally independent, as two separate sentences.

Example: I hope that you will come

I hope

you will come In Spanish the subordinating conjunction que is never

left out however, in English in can be omitted.

Subordinating Conjunction THAT

Relator Expressed

I know that you see me. He thinks that we live here. They believe that I know you. She said that she could do it. Please remember that I need it.

Relator Suppressed

I know you see me. He thinks we live here. They believe I know you. She said she could do it. Please remember I need it.

Relative Pronouns

English

which, that, who, whom who, whom which, that, who, whom the one(s) who/which/that what, which whose

Spanish

que quien, quienes el/la cual, los/las cuales el/la que, los/las que lo que, lo cual cuyo, cuya, cuyos/as

Relative Pronouns in Spanish

Que is the most used relative pronoun in Spanish. It can have as its antecedent both people and things of

either gender and number.

Example: Ella es la persona que vi.

She is the person (who[m]) I saw. Quien and quienes refer only to people. They

substitute for que only when they are preceded by a preposition.

Example: Ellos son los jóvenes con quienes hablé.

They are the youn men with whom I spoke.

Relative Pronouns in Spanish

El cual, la cual, los cuales, las cuales are used to make their antecedents absolutely clear.

They also occur after a compound preposition (encima de), or after the prepositions por and sin.

Example: El esposo de Elena, el cual estaba presente…

Elena’s husband, who was present …. El que, la que, los que, las que are used when the articles

el, la, los, and las are the only antecedent expressed. These relative pronouns are used to suppress a noun

between the article and the relator que.

Example: La que (la chica que) lo dijo …

The one who said it …

Relative Pronouns in Spanish

Lo que or lo cual can be used to refer a previous mentioned ides or to a genderless abstraction.

Lo que is equivalent to the relative pronoun what.

Example: Ya sé lo que quieres.

I already know what you want. Cuyo, cuya, cuyos, cuyas are the equivalent in English whose

(relative possessive pronoun).

Example: Los niños, cuyas manos están cubiertas de tierra …

The children, whose hands are covered with dirt …

Relative Pronouns in English

… is non-personal when the relative is the subject of its own clause:

Example: This is the letter that/which came in the mail. … is non-personal when the relative is the object of its own clause:

Example: This is the letter (that/which) you wanted to read. … is personal when the relative is the subject of its own clause.

Example: You are the woman who/that screamed at me. … is personal when the relative is the object of its own clause:

Example: You are the woman (who[m]/that) they attacked. … is non-personal when the relative is the object of a preposition.

Example: This is the table under which I found it.

This is the table (which/that) I found it under. … is personal when the relative is the object of a preposition.

Example: This is the man about whom I spoke.

This is the man (who[m]/that) I spoke about.

The relative’s antecedent

Relative Pronouns in English

The English relatives the one(s) who, the one(s) that, the one(s) which, and their suppressions, represent nominalizations as their Spanish equivalents el que, la que, los que, las que,.

They can be used with all the structures and their variations.

Practice Exercise

I want to see the person who owns that car.

Does she want to buy the book my father wrote?

We went to the bank which opened yesterday.

Let’s say something nice to that Puerto Rican girl.

Are they going to read the letter my mother spoke about?

Translate the English sentences into Spanish.Note that Spanish does not allow the great variety of versions that English permits, nor does it allow any suppression of the relative words.

Practice Exercise

I don’t know the woman who he gave the money to.

Where is the building under which they discovered it?

I’m trying to find the gold watch which I lost at their party.

Do you see the children that are on that bus?

Do you know the students about whom the professor spoke?

Translate the English sentences into Spanish.Note that Spanish does not allow the great variety of versions that English permits, nor does it allow any suppression of the relative words.

Reference Hill, S. & Bradford, W. (2000). Bilingual grammar of

English and Spanish (Revised Ed. Landham, MD: University of America Press.