Breakdown of Emitieron un decreto durante la asamblea, la cual terminó ayer.
un
a, an (masculine)
terminar
to finish / to end
ayer
yesterday
durante
during
la asamblea
the assembly
la cual
which / who (feminine singular)
emitir
to issue
el decreto
the decree
Questions & Answers about Emitieron un decreto durante la asamblea, la cual terminó ayer.
Why use la cual here instead of just que?
While you can often use que to mean "which", la cual is used here to add a slightly more formal or written tone. It's often used in non-restrictive clauses (extra information set off by a comma). You could still simply say , que terminó ayer, but , la cual perfectly fits the formal context of an assembly issuing a decree.
How do we know to use la cual instead of el cual?
These formal relative pronouns must match the gender and number of the noun they refer back to. Here, "which" refers to la asamblea (feminine, singular), so we use la cual. If the sentence were describing the masculine noun un decreto, it would be el cual. This matching is especially helpful for avoiding confusion when there are two different nouns in the first half of the sentence.
The sentence just starts with emitieron. Who exactly is "they"?
It could refer to a specific group of people mentioned previously, but Spanish often uses the third-person plural (emitieron) as an "impersonal they." This is very similar to the passive voice in English. So, while it translates directly to "They issued a decree," the intended meaning in this context is often closer to "A decree was issued."
Why is terminó in the preterite tense here?
Because the ending of the assembly is a completed action that happened at a specific time in the past (ayer). The preterite tense (terminó) is used to report this finished event. If you were instead describing an ongoing background action, like what they were doing during the assembly, you would use the imperfect tense.
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