Breakdown of Dame el certificado, sin el cual no puedes viajar.
no
no, not
viajar
to travel
poder
to be able to / can
dar
to give
me
to me / me (direct object)
sin
without
el cual
which / who (masculine singular)
el certificado
the certificate
Questions & Answers about Dame el certificado, sin el cual no puedes viajar.
Why do we use el cual here instead of just que?
El cual is a formal relative pronoun meaning 'which' in this context. After prepositions like sin, you usually cannot use just que. You need a pronoun that includes an article, like el que or el cual. El cual is slightly more formal and is very commonly used after prepositions in written or careful Spanish.
Why is it el cual and not la cual or lo cual?
The pronoun must match the gender and number of the noun it replaces. Here, it refers back to el certificado, which is a masculine singular noun, so we use el cual. If you were talking about a visa (la visa), you would use la cual. You only use the neutral lo cual when referring back to a whole idea or situation rather than a specific noun.
Can I put sin at the end of the sentence, like in the English 'which you cannot travel without'?
No, Spanish never leaves a preposition dangling at the end of a sentence. A preposition like sin must always come right before the relative pronoun it relates to. That is why the Spanish structure strictly matches the formal English 'without which', giving us sin el cual.
Is dame a command, and is it formal or informal?
Yes, dame is an informal command for tú. It combines the affirmative command form of the verb dar (which is da) and the indirect object pronoun me (to me). In Spanish, object pronouns must be attached directly to the end of affirmative commands to form a single word.
Learn Dame el certificado, sin el cual no puedes viajar and more in Spanish
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free