el que, la que, lo que, quien
Say 'what', 'the one who', and 'the company I work for' the Spanish way.
Part of the free B1 Spanish course. Press the speaker next to an example to hear it.
In Relative que and donde you joined sentences with que and donde. This lesson adds three tools: lo que (what, the thing that), el que / la que / los que / las que (the one who, the ones that, and after prepositions) and quien / quienes (for people).
Lo que: what, the thing that
Lo que refers to an idea or thing that has no noun. It is how Spanish says what when it isn't a question.
- No entiendo lo que dices.I don't understand what you're saying.
- Lo que necesito ahora es un café.What I need now is a coffee.
- Te he contado todo lo que sé.I've told you everything I know.
Lo que can also refer back to a whole sentence: Llegó tarde, lo que me molestó = He arrived late, which annoyed me. (Lo cual does the same in more formal style: Relatives with prepositions: en el que, con quien, cuyo, lo cual.)
Question words keep their accent: ¿Qué dices? But lo que has no accent: No entiendo lo que dices.
El que, la que, los que, las que: the one(s) who, that
The article agrees with the noun it replaces:
| Refers to | Form |
|---|---|
| a masculine singular noun | el que |
| a feminine singular noun | la que |
| a masculine plural noun | los que |
| a feminine plural noun | las que |
| an idea, no noun | lo que |
- La que está al lado de la puerta es mi bici.The one next to the door is my bike.
- Los que viven en el centro no necesitan coche.Those who live in the centre don't need a car.
After a preposition
English often puts the preposition at the end: the company I work for. Spanish never* does. The preposition goes first, followed by el que / la que…*:
- Esta es la empresa para la que trabajo.This is the company I work for.
- El chico con el que sale mi hermana es muy simpático.The guy my sister is going out with is very nice.
Quien and quienes: only for people
Quien (singular) and quienes (plural) refer only to people. Use them:
- after a preposition, as an alternative to el que / la que;
- between commas, in a slightly more formal style;
- in "it was … who" sentences.
- La persona con quien hablé fue muy amable.The person I spoke to was very kind.
- Mis amigos, con quienes viajé a Perú, viven en Bilbao.My friends, who I travelled to Peru with, live in Bilbao.
- Fue mi padre quien me enseñó a nadar.It was my father who taught me to swim.
In a defining clause without commas, the subject is que, not quien: la chica que vive arriba.
Common mistakes
El piso que vivimos en: never leave the preposition at the end. El piso en el que vivimos.Que necesito es dormir: "what" without a noun is lo que.La mujer quien trabaja aquí: in a clause without commas, use que as the subject.el quefor things after a feminine noun: la empresa para la que trabajo. The article agrees.No sé lo qué quieres: no accent in lo que. (No sé qué quieres, without lo, is an indirect question and does take the accent.)
Practice
- No me gusta _____ estás haciendo.Options: lo que · que · el que · qué
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lo que — 'What' with no noun = lo que.
- _____ me preocupa es el precio del alquiler.
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lo que
- Esa es la profesora _____ aprendí más.Options: de la que · que · la que · de que
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de la que — Aprender de: the preposition goes first, then la que (or de quien).
- El sofá en _____ estás sentado era de mi abuela.
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el que — En el que is the usual choice; en que is also correct with things.