Breakdown of La calefacción usa más electricidad de la que indica el termostato.
de
from / of
usar
to use / to wear
que
that / than
más
more
Questions & Answers about La calefacción usa más electricidad de la que indica el termostato.
Why do we use de la que here instead of just que for "than"?
When comparing a noun (like electricidad) to a new clause that has a conjugated verb (like indica), Spanish doesn't just use que. Instead, it uses de followed by an article and que. If you were just comparing two nouns, you would use que, like in usa más electricidad que gas (uses more electricity than gas).
Why is it de la que and not de lo que?
The article needs to match the noun you are comparing. Because electricidad is a feminine singular noun, we use la, making it de la que. If we were talking about a masculine noun like gas, it would be del que. You would only use the neutral de lo que if you were comparing an adjective, an adverb, or an abstract concept rather than a specific noun.
Why is el termostato at the very end instead of before indica?
Could I use gasta instead of here?