Learn Spanish (Latin America): El adversario, el cual estaba cansado, cometió un error. - The adversary, who was tired, made a mistake.

El adversario, el cual estaba cansado, cometió un error.

The adversary, who was tired, made a mistake.

Breakdown of El adversario, el cual estaba cansado, cometió un error.

a, an (masculine)

estar

to be (location/state)

Questions & Answers about El adversario, el cual estaba cansado, cometió un error.

Why use el cual here instead of just que?

In non-defining relative clauses (clauses between commas that add extra, non-essential information), you can use el cual to mean who or which. It is more formal than que and is mainly used in written Spanish or formal speech. Because El adversario is masculine singular, we use el cual.

Could I use quien instead of el cual since the adversary is a person?

Yes! Since el adversario refers to a person, quien would work perfectly here. In clauses set off by commas, que is the most common and casual, quien is a bit more elevated, and el cual is the most formal.

What happens if I remove the commas around the el cual clause?

If you remove the commas, it becomes a defining clause (specifying exactly which adversary you mean, rather than just adding a side note). In defining clauses, you generally cannot use el cual as the subject; you must use que. So without commas, it would have to be El adversario que estaba cansado cometió un error.

Why is estaba in the imperfect tense while cometió is in the preterite?

estaba cansado describes a continuous background state or condition (being tired). The main event that happened while he was in that state is making a mistake, so cometió uses the preterite to show a single, completed action.