Breakdown of Las reglas, las cuales requieren disciplina, son valiosas ya que protegen el dojo.
ser
to be
las
the (feminine plural)
requerir
to require
la regla
the rule
proteger
to protect
valioso
valuable
la disciplina
the discipline
ya que
since / because (seeing as)
las cuales
which / who (feminine plural)
el dojo
the dojo
Questions & Answers about Las reglas, las cuales requieren disciplina, son valiosas ya que protegen el dojo.
Why do we use las cuales here instead of just que?
In non-defining relative clauses (the ones surrounded by commas that just add extra background info), you can use el cual, la cual, etc., as the subject. You could absolutely use que here instead, which is much more common in everyday speech. Using las cuales just makes the sentence sound more formal or literary.
How do I know whether to use lo cual, los cuales, or las cuales?
These relative pronouns must match the gender and number of the noun they refer back to. Because the pronoun refers back to las reglas, which is feminine and plural, you must use las cuales. You would use lo cual only if you were referring back to an entire previous idea or situation, rather than a specific noun.
Are the commas around las cuales requieren disciplina strictly necessary?
Yes. When using these formal relative pronouns as subjects, they are almost exclusively used in non-defining clauses (clauses that add optional info). In Spanish, these clauses must be set off by commas. If you wanted to specify exactly which rules you meant without commas (a defining clause), you would have to use que instead.
Could I use porque or como instead of ya que to mean since?
You can definitely substitute porque here. Both ya que and porque work perfectly in the middle of a sentence, though ya que perfectly matches the slightly elevated, formal tone of las cuales. However, you cannot use como here. When como means since or because, it is almost always placed at the very beginning of the sentence.
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