Relative Clauses with Prepositions

When a relative clause is introduced by a preposition, Spanish usually cannot use bare que on its own. Instead, you must choose a stronger relative pronoun: el que, el cual, or quien. The correct choice depends on the preposition, the antecedent, and the level of formality.

Short Prepositions: A, De, En, Con

After the short common prepositions a, de, en, con, Spanish allows el que and el cual (both agreeing with the antecedent in gender and number). Using just que after these is possible for things in casual speech, but the article form is always safe.

La casa en la que vivo es pequeña.

The house I live in is small.

El libro del que te hablé está agotado.

The book I told you about is sold out.

Notice how English often strands the preposition at the end ("the house I live in"), but Spanish never does. The preposition always stays attached to the relative pronoun.

La persona con la que hablaste es mi tía.

The person you spoke with is my aunt.

Longer Prepositions Require the Article Form

After longer or compound prepositions like por, para, sin, sobre, bajo, durante, entre, or multi-word prepositions like a través de or en lugar de, you must use el que, el cual, or quien. Bare que is not allowed.

El motivo por el cual llamé ya no importa.

The reason for which I called no longer matters.

Esos son los valores por los que luchamos.

Those are the values we fight for.

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A simple rule of thumb: if the preposition is longer than three letters, always use el que or el cual. If it is three letters or fewer (a, de, en, con), you have a little more flexibility, but the article form is still preferred in careful speech.

Quien for People

When the antecedent is a person, you can also use quien (plural quienes) after any preposition. This is especially elegant in writing and is common with short prepositions like con and a.

El amigo con quien hablé ayer me escribió.

The friend I spoke with yesterday wrote to me.

Las personas a quienes invitamos ya llegaron.

The people we invited have already arrived.

Remember that quien only works for people, never things. For objects and concepts, you must use el que or el cual.

Choosing Between El Que and El Cual

El que and el cual are largely interchangeable after prepositions. El cual is slightly more formal and more common in writing; el que is more natural in speech.

PronounAfter short prepsAfter long prepsRegister
quepossible (things only)not allowedcasual
el queyesyesneutral
el cualyesyesformal
quienpeople onlypeople onlyneutral to formal

Agreement

Both el que and el cual agree with the antecedent.

Las razones por las cuales renuncié son personales.

The reasons for which I resigned are personal.

Here the antecedent is las razones (feminine plural), so you need las cuales, not el cual. Getting this agreement wrong is one of the most common errors learners make.

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If the relative clause follows a preposition and you want to sound polished, default to el cual (and its forms) in formal writing and el que in spoken Spanish. For people, quien is a graceful alternative.

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