Breakdown of Los países firmaron un pacto, el cual fue ratificado ayer.
ser
to be
un
a, an (masculine)
el país
the country
firmar
to sign
ayer
yesterday
el cual
which / who (masculine singular)
el pacto
the pact
ratificar
to ratify
Questions & Answers about Los países firmaron un pacto, el cual fue ratificado ayer.
Why do we use el cual here instead of just que?
In everyday Spanish, you could absolutely use que to mean "which" here: un pacto, que fue ratificado... However, el cual is a formal relative pronoun. It is often used in journalism, literature, or formal speech (like discussing countries and pacts) to sound more elevated or precise. It functions exactly like "which" does in this English sentence.
Why is it el cual and not la cual or los cuales?
Is the comma before el cual required?
Yes. Just like in English, this clause adds extra, non-essential information (a non-restrictive clause). When el cual is used simply to add this kind of explanatory detail (and not following a preposition like por or para), it must be set off by a comma.
Why does it say fue ratificado instead of just ratificó?
This is the passive voice. The pact didn't ratify something else; it was ratified by someone. In Spanish, the passive voice is built using the verb ser (here in the preterite past tense as fue) plus a past participle (ratificado). Notice that ratificado acts like an adjective here, so it ends in -o to match the masculine, singular pacto.
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