The unaccented que is the most common word in Spanish full stop — and a large fraction of its frequency comes from its role as a relative pronoun. Que introduces a clause that gives more information about a noun: el libro que leí (the book that I read), la chica que vive aquí (the girl who lives here). Unlike English, which lets you use "that," "which," "who," or no word at all depending on context, Spanish uses que almost everywhere — and crucially, you can never omit it. This page covers the core uses, the restrictive/non-restrictive distinction, when que is the right choice vs. when you need a longer form, and the cardinal English-speaker error of leaving que out.
What relative pronouns do
A relative pronoun connects a noun (the antecedent) to a subordinate clause that describes or identifies it. The clause is called a relative clause.
El libro que leí ayer era de mi abuela.
The book (that) I read yesterday was my grandmother's.
In this sentence, el libro is the antecedent; que leí ayer is the relative clause; que is the relative pronoun linking them. The clause restricts the meaning of libro — it tells us which book.
Spanish has several relative pronouns (que, quien, el que, el cual, donde, cuyo, lo que), but que is by far the most frequent and the most versatile.
The four uses of que as relative
1. Referring to a thing — restrictive clause
La película que vimos anoche era buenísima.
The movie (that) we saw last night was really good.
El piso que alquilamos tiene una terraza enorme.
The apartment (that) we rented has a huge terrace.
No me gusta el vino que sirvieron en la boda.
I don't like the wine they served at the wedding.
In all three, English allows dropping the relative pronoun ("the movie we saw," "the apartment we rented"). Spanish does not.
2. Referring to a person — restrictive clause
When the antecedent is a person and the relative clause is restrictive (it identifies which person we're talking about, with no commas), Spanish uses que just as it does for things. Quien exists for humans, but in restrictive clauses que is the unmarked choice and is far more frequent.
La chica que vive en el quinto es de Sevilla.
The girl who lives on the fifth floor is from Seville.
El médico que me atendió fue muy amable.
The doctor who treated me was very kind.
Los amigos que invité ya han llegado.
The friends (who) I invited have already arrived.
Many grammars (especially older ones) suggest quien for human antecedents, but in modern peninsular Spanish que is overwhelmingly preferred in restrictive clauses for people. Quien in this position sounds slightly formal or literary. (See relative-quien.)
3. Subject of the relative clause
When que is the subject of the verb inside the relative clause, the verb agrees with the antecedent.
Los amigos que vienen a cenar son muy majos.
The friends who are coming to dinner are really nice.
La señora que llamó preguntaba por ti.
The lady who called was asking about you.
In los amigos que vienen, the verb vienen is third-person plural because the subject of the relative clause is que = los amigos.
4. Direct object of the relative clause
When que is the direct object of the verb in the relative clause, the verb takes a different subject (often expressed as a pronoun or already implied by ending).
El coche que conduzco es de mi padre.
The car (that) I drive is my father's.
La canción que escuchamos esta mañana se me ha pegado.
The song we listened to this morning has stuck in my head.
A subtle point worth noting: when the relative clause has its own subject, that subject usually goes after the verb in Spanish, even though English puts it before.
El libro que me regaló mi madre.
The book my mother gave me. (lit. The book that gave-to-me my mother)
El piso que compraron mis vecinos.
The apartment my neighbors bought.
Putting the subject before the verb (el libro que mi madre me regaló) is grammatical but slightly less natural. Spanish has a strong preference for verb-subject order inside relative clauses when the subject is full noun phrase rather than a pronoun.
Restrictive vs. non-restrictive
The English distinction between restrictive ("the book that I read" — identifying which book) and non-restrictive ("my new book, which I haven't read yet" — extra information) is also reflected in Spanish, mainly through commas and intonation.
Restrictive: que, no commas
Los estudiantes que llegaron tarde no pudieron entrar.
The students who arrived late couldn't get in. (only the late ones)
This means only the late students were locked out — que llegaron tarde identifies which students.
Non-restrictive: commas, often que still
Los estudiantes, que llegaron tarde, no pudieron entrar.
The students, who arrived late, couldn't get in. (all the students were late and were locked out)
This means all the students were late and locked out — the clause adds extra information.
In Spanish, non-restrictive relatives use commas just like English, and que still works for most cases. However, for humans in non-restrictive clauses, quien is preferred in slightly more formal style:
Mi hermana, que vive en Sevilla, viene mañana.
My sister, who lives in Seville, is coming tomorrow. (que — neutral)
Mi hermana, quien vive en Sevilla, viene mañana.
My sister, who lives in Seville, is coming tomorrow. (quien — slightly more formal)
Both are fine; que is more common in speech, quien slightly more in formal writing.
When que is NOT enough
There are situations where que alone cannot do the job and a longer form is required.
After a preposition (humans)
When a preposition would precede the relative pronoun, and the antecedent is human, Spanish prefers preposition + quien, not preposition + que.
El amigo con quien estudio se llama Pablo.
The friend I study with is called Pablo.
La persona a quien le di el dinero ya no contesta.
The person I gave the money to no longer answers.
You will see preposition + el que / la que as an alternative, especially in writing. Preposition + que without an article is acceptable only in very limited cases and sounds awkward to modern peninsular ears.
After a preposition (things)
For things, after a preposition Spanish uses preposition + el que / la que / los que / las que or the more formal el cual / la cual / los cuales / las cuales (see relative-el-que-el-cual).
La mesa en la que escribo es de roble.
The table I write on is made of oak.
El motivo por el que te llamo es importante.
The reason I'm calling you is important.
The short preposition + que without an article is allowed only with a very small set of prepositions (en, de, a, con) and only when the antecedent is non-human and immediately precedes:
La casa en que vivo es muy vieja.
The house I live in is very old. (slightly literary; more common: 'en la que vivo')
In everyday peninsular Spanish, the form with the article (en la que, por el que, con el que) is preferred in both speech and writing.
Que with no explicit antecedent
A useful pattern: que can introduce a clause that further specifies an indefinite or general phrase.
Hay algo que no me cuadra de toda esta historia.
There's something that doesn't add up about this whole story.
No hay nadie que sepa la respuesta.
There's no one who knows the answer. (note: subjunctive — see relative + subjunctive)
When the antecedent is indefinite or negated, the verb in the relative clause often goes into the subjunctive (see verbs/subjunctive/in-relative-clauses).
Common mistakes
❌ El libro leí ayer era buenísimo.
Incorrect — que cannot be dropped in Spanish even when English drops it
✅ El libro que leí ayer era buenísimo.
The book I read yesterday was really good.
❌ La casa donde vivimos en es vieja.
Incorrect — preposition cannot strand at the end
✅ La casa en la que vivimos es vieja.
The house we live in is old.
❌ Mi hermana que vive en Sevilla viene mañana.
Misleading — without commas, this implies you have more than one sister and are specifying which one
✅ Mi hermana, que vive en Sevilla, viene mañana.
My sister, who lives in Seville, is coming tomorrow. (commas for the non-restrictive reading)
❌ El amigo con que estudio es Pablo.
Sounds wrong in modern Spain — use con quien or con el que
✅ El amigo con quien estudio es Pablo.
The friend I study with is Pablo.
❌ Qué dijiste me sorprendió.
Incorrect — the relative que has no accent; this looks like an interrogative
✅ Lo que dijiste me sorprendió.
What you said surprised me. (use lo que for a generalized 'what'; see relative-lo-que)
Key takeaways
- Que is the workhorse relative pronoun — used for things, people, restrictive and non-restrictive clauses alike.
- Que can never be omitted, even where English drops "that" or "which."
- In restrictive clauses about people, que is preferred over quien in modern peninsular Spanish.
- In non-restrictive clauses (with commas), both que and quien (humans only) are correct; quien is slightly more formal.
- After a preposition, switch to preposition + quien (humans) or preposition + el que / la que (things).
- Que has no written accent in relative use — the accented qué is the interrogative.
- Inside relative clauses, when there is a noun subject, Spanish prefers verb-subject order (el libro que me regaló mi madre).
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- Pronombre relativo 'quien/quienes'B1 — Quien is the human-only relative pronoun. It is restricted to people, mostly appears after prepositions or in non-restrictive clauses, and gives the sentence a slightly more elevated register than the all-purpose que.
- Pronombres relativos: el que, el cualB1 — The compound relative pronouns el que / la que / los que / las que and the formal el cual / la cual / los cuales / las cuales — when Spanish requires more than plain que and how the two series differ in register.
- Pronombre relativo 'lo que'B1 — The neuter relative lo que — how to use it to mean 'what' or 'that which' when the antecedent is a whole idea, action, or situation rather than a specific noun, and how it differs from interrogative qué.
- ¿Qué? vs ¿cuál?: pronombres interrogativosA2 — Spanish splits English 'what?' and 'which?' along a different line than English does. Qué asks for a definition; cuál asks you to pick from a set. Get this distinction wrong and you'll sound off in almost every sentence.
- Cláusulas relativas restrictivasB1 — Restrictive relative clauses identify which specific noun is meant. Spanish uses 'que' as the default with no commas, with 'quien/donde/cuyo' and 'el que' covering specific cases.
- Subjuntivo en cláusulas relativasB2 — Spanish relative clauses pick indicative when the antecedent is real and known, and subjunctive when it's hypothetical, sought, or denied — a contrast that carries genuine semantic weight.