Formal relative pronouns
In formal written Spanish, you will often need to link ideas using prepositions followed by "which" (like "the annex in which"). For this, use the formal relative pronouns el cual, la cual, los cuales, and las cuales.
They must match the gender and number of the noun they refer back to (their antecedent).
| Number | Masculine | Feminine |
|---|---|---|
| Singular | el cual | la cual |
| Plural | los cuales | las cuales |
Masculine agreement
If the noun you are referring back to is masculine, use el cual (singular) or los cuales (plural).
| We send the annex in which we set the conditions. | Enviamos el anexo en el cual fijamos las condiciones. |
| They bought the resources without which the support cannot function. | Compraron los recursos sin los cuales el soporte no puede funcionar. |
Feminine agreement
When referring back to a feminine noun, use la cual or las cuales. These pronouns frequently appear in business and legal contexts alongside formal prepositions like según (according to) and mediante (through / by means of).
| We accept the clause through which we set the price. | Aceptamos la cláusula mediante la cual fijamos el precio. |
| The company published the regulations according to which the premises are closed. | La empresa publicó la normativa según la cual el recinto está cerrado. |
Contractions
If you use a preposition that ends in de (such as dentro de, meaning "inside of"), remember that de + el cual must combine into the contraction del cual.
| This is the drawer inside which I hid the ring. | Este es el cajón dentro del cual escondí el anillo. |
