Breakdown of Mi madre tiene una tarjeta de crédito con la que acumula puntos para viajar.
Questions & Answers about Mi madre tiene una tarjeta de crédito con la que acumula puntos para viajar.
In Spanish:
- tener = to have / to own
- haber (as hay) = there is / there are (to say something exists somewhere)
Here, we’re talking about what my mother has, so we need tener:
- Mi madre tiene una tarjeta de crédito… = My mother has a credit card…
If you used hay, it would sound like:
- Hay una tarjeta de crédito de mi madre = There is a credit card of my mother’s
That’s a different structure and not the natural way to say that she has a credit card.
Both are possible, but they’re not used in exactly the same way.
Mi madre tiene una tarjeta de crédito…
Neutral: she has a credit card (one, not specified).Mi madre tiene tarjeta de crédito.
This is more like: My mother has a credit card (in general, she has that payment method).
It sounds a bit more generic, and you usually wouldn’t add the relative clause con la que acumula puntos… after that form.
In your sentence, you’re talking about a specific card which has a particular feature (accumulating points), so una tarjeta de crédito is the most natural choice.
Con la que is a relative construction:
- con = with
- la = agrees with tarjeta (feminine, singular)
- que = which/that
Literally: with which.
The structure is:
- una tarjeta de crédito
con la que
(ella) acumula puntos…
So it means: a credit card with which she accumulates points…
You cannot just say con que here in standard Spanish; you need the article la because you’re referring back to a specific feminine noun (tarjeta). And if you use only que (no con), the meaning changes:
- …una tarjeta de crédito que acumula puntos…
This sounds like the card itself accumulates points by itself, which is not what you want (see another question below).
The relative pronoun has to agree in gender and number with the noun it refers to:
- Noun: la tarjeta (de crédito) → feminine, singular
So:
- la que (feminine, singular) is correct.
The others would be wrong here:
- el que → masculine, singular
- lo que → neuter, used for ideas or whole clauses, not for a specific feminine noun
- quien → used for people (who/whom), and even then, in Spain it’s more formal and mostly after prepositions (e.g. la persona con quien hablé)
Since tarjeta is a thing and feminine, la que is the correct choice.
In Spanish, subject pronouns (yo, tú, él, ella, etc.) are often dropped because the verb ending already shows who the subject is.
- acumula = 3rd person singular (he/she/it accumulates, or you-formal)
From context, the subject is clearly mi madre. So:
- (Ella) acumula puntos = She accumulates points
Spanish normally omits that ella when it’s obvious:
- Mi madre tiene una tarjeta de crédito con la que acumula puntos…
Literally: My mother has a credit card with which accumulates points…
but in good English we supply the pronoun: …with which she accumulates points…
You can say it, but the meaning changes.
- una tarjeta de crédito que acumula puntos para viajar
Grammatically, this makes la tarjeta the subject of acumula. It sounds like the card itself is doing the accumulating, which is odd logically (even if people might understand what you mean).
With con la que, the subject remains mi madre:
- Mi madre tiene una tarjeta de crédito con la que (ella) acumula puntos…
= She uses that card to accumulate points.
So if what you mean is that your mother accumulates points by paying with that card, con la que is the natural, precise option.
In Spanish, when you talk about something in a general/indefinite way (points in general, not specific ones), you often omit the definite article.
Compare:
Acumula puntos para viajar.
She accumulates points (in general) to travel.Acumula los puntos para viajar.
This sounds like you’re talking about some specific set of points already known to both speakers. It’s much less likely here.
Because loyalty points are not specified or previously known, puntos without article is the normal, idiomatic form.
Para + infinitive usually expresses purpose: in order to…
- para viajar = in order to travel / so that she can travel
In Spanish, when you express purpose with the same subject, you normally use para + infinitive:
- Acumula puntos para viajar.
She accumulates points in order to travel.
If the subject changed, you would use a complete clause with para que + subjunctive, for example:
- Acumula puntos para que sus hijos puedan viajar.
She accumulates points so that her children can travel.
Yes, there is a nuance:
para viajar
Neutral: to travel / in order to travel.para poder viajar
Emphasises being able to: so that she is able to travel / so that she can travel.
Both are correct here. Para viajar is a bit shorter and more neutral; para poder viajar highlights the idea that the points make travel possible.
Yes, Spanish word order is quite flexible. All of these are possible and natural:
- Mi madre tiene una tarjeta de crédito con la que acumula puntos para viajar.
- Mi madre tiene una tarjeta de crédito para viajar con la que acumula puntos. (less common, a bit clunky)
- Para viajar, mi madre tiene una tarjeta de crédito con la que acumula puntos. (stylistic, emphasizes the goal of travelling)
The original order is the most natural and clear in everyday speech.
You could say:
- Mi madre tiene una tarjeta de crédito con la que está acumulando puntos para viajar.
But it changes the focus:
acumula puntos (simple present)
Describes a habitual, general action: she regularly earns points with that card.está acumulando puntos (present progressive)
Emphasizes an action in progress right now or over a current period: she is (currently) accumulating points.
Since loyalty schemes are usually ongoing habits, the plain present acumula puntos is the most natural choice in Spanish.
All three can appear, but they sound slightly different:
acumular puntos
Focuses on gradually building up a quantity over time. Very natural for loyalty programs.ganar puntos
Literally to win/earn points. Often used per action:
Con cada compra ganas puntos. = With each purchase you earn points.conseguir puntos
To get/obtain points, a bit more general and less specific in tone than ganar.
In Spain, acumular puntos is very typical in marketing language about cards and loyalty schemes:
Con esta tarjeta acumulas puntos que luego puedes canjear.
Yes, this is a very natural sentence in Spain.
You might also hear:
- Mi madre tiene una tarjeta de crédito con la que acumula puntos para sus viajes.
- Mi madre tiene una tarjeta de crédito con la que acumula puntos para volar más barato.
- Mi madre tiene una tarjeta de crédito con puntos para viajar. (more compressed, but very common)
In everyday speech, people may shorten it further if the context is clear:
- Mi madre tiene una tarjeta con la que acumula puntos para viajar.
(omitting de crédito if it’s obvious you’re talking about a payment card)
Approximate pronunciation (Castilian Spanish, as in most of Spain):
tarjeta → [tar‑HEH‑ta]
- j = strong h sound from the throat
- stress on the second syllable: tar‑JE‑ta
crédito → [KREH‑di‑to]
- cr as in credit
- stress on cré: CRÉ‑di‑to
acumula → [a‑ku‑MU‑la]
- c before u is like English k
- stress on mu: a‑cu‑MU‑la
In Spain, tarjeta de crédito as a phrase is typically stressed on tarJEta and CRÉdito:
tarJEta de CRÉdito.