Learn Spanish (Latin America): Se me rompió el primer ejemplar, lo que es terrible. - I accidentally tore the first copy, which is terrible.

Se me rompió el primer ejemplar, lo que es terrible.

I accidentally tore the first copy, which is terrible.

Breakdown of Se me rompió el primer ejemplar, lo que es terrible.

to me / me (direct object)

primero

first

Questions & Answers about Se me rompió el primer ejemplar, lo que es terrible.

Why use lo que here instead of just que?

In this sentence, the relative pronoun refers to the entire previous idea (the fact that the copy got torn), not just a specific noun. When referring back to a whole situation or clause, you need the neuter relative pronoun lo que (or lo cual). If you just used que, it would incorrectly refer to the immediately preceding noun, ejemplar, which would mean the copy itself is a terrible copy.

Could I use lo cual instead of lo que in this sentence?

Yes, lo cual works perfectly here and means the exact same thing. Because there is a comma separating the two clauses, both lo que and lo cual are correct for referring back to the previous statement. lo que is generally more common in everyday speech, while lo cual can sound slightly more formal.

Why does the sentence say se me rompió instead of yo rompí?

Using se me rompió is the accidental se construction, which shifts the blame away from the speaker. It translates literally as 'the copy broke on me.' Using yo rompí would imply you intentionally destroyed the copy. By using se plus the indirect object pronoun me, you emphasize that the tearing was an accident.

Does ejemplar mean 'example' in this context?