La que revisa el informe es mi jefa.

Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Spanish grammar and vocabulary.

Start learning Spanish now

Questions & Answers about La que revisa el informe es mi jefa.

Why does the sentence start with La que? What does it function as?

La que is an article + relative pronoun structure meaning the one who / she who / the person who. It introduces a relative clause (revisa el informe) and acts as the subject of the main verb es.
So the whole chunk La que revisa el informe = The one who checks/reviews the report.


Why is it la (feminine) and not el or lo?

Because it refers to a female person, and later the sentence specifies mi jefa (female boss).

  • La que… = the (female) one who…
  • El que… = the (male) one who…
  • Lo que… usually means what (the thing that…), not a person: Lo que revisa… would sound like you’re talking about a thing, not a person.

Could I use quien instead of la que?

You can often use quien for people, but the structure changes:

  • Quien revisa el informe es mi jefa. = The person who reviews the report is my boss.
    That version is gender-neutral in the relative pronoun.
    La que is more specific because it marks feminine and is very common in Spanish.

Why is it que and not la cual?

La cual (and el cual / los cuales / las cuales) is a more formal/heavier relative option. Here, la que is the normal everyday choice.
You could say:

  • La que revisa el informe es mi jefa. (natural)
  • La cual revisa el informe es mi jefa. (more formal; can sound stiff in speech)

Is La que revisa el informe a full noun phrase? What exactly is the subject?

Yes. La que revisa el informe works like a noun phrase meaning the woman who reviews the report.
That entire phrase is the subject of es:

  • Subject: La que revisa el informe
  • Verb: es
  • Complement: mi jefa

Why is es used here instead of está?

Because this is an identification statement: X is my boss. Spanish uses ser to identify or define what someone is.
Estar would imply a temporary state/location, which doesn’t fit:

  • … es mi jefa = she is my boss (identity/role)
  • … está would not work here unless you changed the meaning (e.g., location).

Does revisa mean “reviews” or “is reviewing”? How do I know?

The Spanish present tense can cover both habitual and current actions depending on context:

  • revisa can mean reviews/checks (as a role/habit) or is reviewing (right now).
    Without extra context, it’s often read as the one who (is in charge of) reviewing/checking the report.

Why is there no word for “who” or “that” besides que?

In Spanish, que is the most common relative word and often covers who/that/which in English. The article (la) supplies gender/number information, and que introduces the relative clause:

  • la que = the one who/that…

Could I also say Mi jefa es la que revisa el informe? Is it the same?

Yes, and it’s very common. The meaning is essentially the same, but the focus changes:

  • La que revisa el informe es mi jefa. Focus on identifying who the reviewer is.
  • Mi jefa es la que revisa el informe. Focus on your boss and what she does (or her responsibility).

Why is it mi jefa and not la mi jefa?

In modern Spanish you normally don’t use an article with a possessive like mi:

  • mi jefa (standard)
    Articles can appear in special cases (e.g., la casa de mi madre is fine, but that’s a different structure). For my + noun, you typically just use mi.

What if my boss were male? How would the sentence change?

You’d change the gendered parts:

  • El que revisa el informe es mi jefe.
    If you keep mi jefe (male boss), then El que matches it.

Is la que always used for people?

Often, but not only. el/la/los/las que can refer to people or things, depending on context.
For “what” (an idea/thing in general), Spanish typically uses lo que:

  • Lo que revisas es importante. = What you’re reviewing is important.
    But for a specific female person, la que fits perfectly.