Breakdown of El geólogo lleva cinco años estudiando el glaciar, lo cual es fascinante.
ser
to be
estudiar
to study
el año
the year
cinco
five
Questions & Answers about El geólogo lleva cinco años estudiando el glaciar, lo cual es fascinante.
Why do we use lo cual here instead of el cual or que?
Lo cual translates to 'which' and is used to refer back to a complete idea or clause that was just mentioned, rather than a specific noun. Here, it refers to the entire situation (the fact that he has been studying the glacier for five years). If you used el cual right after el glaciar, it would mean the glacier itself is fascinating, rather than the ongoing study of it.
Could I use lo que instead of lo cual in this sentence?
Yes, you can use lo que here. When referring back to an idea previously stated in the same sentence, lo que and lo cual are essentially interchangeable. However, lo cual is slightly more formal and strict: it can only refer back to something just mentioned and can never be used to start a sentence, whereas lo que can.
Why does the sentence use lleva... estudiando instead of the present perfect continuous ha estado estudiando?
The structure llevar + [time period] + [gerund, like estudiando] is the most natural and typical way in Spanish to say you have been doing something for a certain amount of time. While ha estado estudiando is grammatically correct, lleva cinco años estudiando is much more idiomatic and widely used in Spain.
Why is fascinante in the singular form when the sentence mentions five years (cinco años)?