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Spanish (Spain)

### 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).

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### 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).

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### 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**.

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Formal relative pronouns after prepositions (el cual, la cual)

adjective

adverb

conjunction

contraction

determiner

interjection

noun

numeral

preposition

pronoun

sentence

verb

Singular subjects and 'ser' (yo soy, esto es)

Plural nouns and definite articles (los, las)

Plural pronouns and 'ser' (somos, sois, son)

Adjective agreement (-o, -a, -os, -as)

Indefinite articles (un, una, unos, unas)

Simple negation (no)

Yes/no questions

Regular '-ar' verbs (-o, -as, -a...)

Regular '-er' verbs (-o, -es, -e...)

Regular '-ir' verbs (-o, -es, -e...)

Locative adverbs (aquí, allí)

Question words (quién, cómo)

The verb estar (estoy, estás)

The preposition en (en)

Ser vs. estar

The verb tener (tengo, tienes)

Possessive determiners (mi, tu, su)

Origin and possession (de, del)

The verb ir (voy, vas)

Destination (a, al)

The personal 'a' (a)

Stem-changing verbs: e to ie

Stem-changing verbs: o to ue

Irregular first-person verbs

Reflexive verbs (me, te, se)

Numbers 1 to 10 (uno, dos, tres)

Numbers 11 to 20 (once, doce, trece)

Counting by tens to 100 (treinta, cuarenta, cien)

Compound numbers up to 99 (veintiuno, treinta y uno)

Days of the week (el lunes, el martes)

The family and the personal 'a' (a mi tío, a mi prima)

Months of the year

Telling time (es la, son las)

Verbs of liking (me gusta)

Plural agreement with verbs of liking (gustan)

Degree modifiers (muy, mucho)

Formal address (usted, ustedes)

Direct object pronouns (lo, la, los, las)

The near future (ir a)

Obligation (tener que)

Present continuous (-ando, -iendo)

Affirmative commands (tú, vosotros)

Basic Food and Drink

The Human Body: Head and Arms

The Human Body: Legs and Health

Wardrobe Essentials

Fresh Produce

Meals and Proteins

Public Transport

Hello and goodbye (hola, ¿qué tal?)

Thank you, sorry, OK (gracias, vale)

There is, there are (hay)

My building (la escalera, el ascensor)

Describing people (moreno, rubio, tímido)

Land and sea (el mar, el río, el norte)

Sightseeing (la plaza, la catedral)

Asking the way (cerca, a la derecha, todo recto)

In class (¿puedes repetir?)

Verb + infinitive (quiero comer, sé leer)

What's your name? (me llamo, encantado)

Phone, computer and email

Hundreds and thousands (doscientos, mil)

What do you do? (¿a qué te dedicas?)

Personal details (la edad, la fecha de nacimiento)

Me neither (también, tampoco, ni)

How much is it? (el precio, la vuelta)

What's the weather like? (hace sol, nieva)

Free time (el concierto, el tenis)

At the bar (¿qué vas a tomar?)

The Natural World

Demonstratives (este, ese, aquel)

Prepositions of place (encima de, debajo de)

Prepositional pronouns (para mí, contigo)

Ordinal numbers 1st to 10th (primero to décimo)

Adverbs of frequency (a veces, nunca)

Exclamations (¡qué...!)

Indefinite pronouns (algo, alguien)

Indefinite determiners (algún, ningún)

Indirect object pronouns (le, les)

Double object pronouns (me lo, te la)

Double object pronouns (se lo, se la)

Verbs of preference (encantar, interesar)

Impersonal obligation (hay que)

Starting and finishing actions (empezar a, terminar de)

Adjective comparatives (más que, menos que)

Comparatives of equality (tan como)

Noun comparatives (tanto como)

Question	Answer
the annex	el anexo
which / who (formal)	el cual
to set	fijar
We send the annex in which we set the conditions.	Enviamos el anexo en el cual fijamos las condiciones.
the clause	la cláusula
through / by means of	mediante
We accept the clause through which we set the price.	Aceptamos la cláusula mediante la cual fijamos el precio.
the procedure (method, process)	el procedimiento
The manager was explaining the procedure through which we analyze the data.	El gerente estaba explicando el procedimiento mediante el cual analizamos los datos.
the regulations	la normativa
the premises / the enclosure	el recinto
The company published the regulations according to which the premises are closed.	La empresa publicó la normativa según la cual el recinto está cerrado.
the resource	el recurso
the support	el soporte
They bought the resources without which the support cannot function.	Compraron los recursos sin los cuales el soporte no puede funcionar.
We read the annex for which we need the support.	Leímos el anexo para el cual necesitamos el soporte.
We read the clause according to which this procedure is the best.	Leímos la cláusula según la cual este procedimiento es el mejor.
The more we analyze the project for which we work, the more we learn.	Cuanto más analizamos el proyecto por el cual trabajamos, más aprendemos.
The boss asks where they keep the document through which we negotiate the agreement.	La jefa pregunta dónde guardan el documento mediante el cual negociamos el acuerdo.
This is the drawer inside which I hid the ring.	Este es el cajón dentro del cual escondí el anillo.
The less we sleep, the more tired we are.	Cuanto menos dormimos, más cansados estamos.
The director respects the regulation according to which we open the venue.	El director respeta la normativa según la cual abrimos el recinto.
The doctor uses the resource with which we cure the disease.	La médica usa el recurso con el cual curamos la enfermedad.

Contributors