Breakdown of Leímos el nuevo decreto, según el cual hay que pagar.
leer
to read
nuevo
new
pagar
to pay
hay que
(with que) one has to / must
según
according to
el cual
which / who (masculine singular)
el decreto
the decree
Questions & Answers about Leímos el nuevo decreto, según el cual hay que pagar.
Why do we use el cual in this sentence instead of just que?
In Spanish, when a relative pronoun comes after certain prepositions—especially longer ones like según (according to)—you generally cannot use just que. You must use a compound pronoun like el que or el cual. Because this sentence is talking about a formal legal document (el decreto), the formal pronoun el cual is the most natural fit.
How do I know to use el cual and not la cual or los cuales here?
These formal relative pronouns always have to match the gender and number of the noun they refer back to. Here, "which" refers back to el decreto, which is a masculine, singular noun. Therefore, you must use the masculine, singular form: el cual.
Could I use el que instead of el cual in this sentence?
The translation says "we must pay," but I don't see a conjugated verb for "we". Where does that come from?
That comes from the phrase hay que + infinitive, which means "one must" or "it is necessary to". It is an impersonal phrase, meaning it doesn't actually specify who has to do the action. The English translation uses "we must" simply because it sounds more natural in the context of "We read the new decree," but strictly speaking, the Spanish phrase just says "one must pay."
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