Relative pronouns: el que, quien, cuyo

Overview: What are these relative pronouns for?

• El que / la que / los que / las que, quien(es), cuyo/a/os/as all introduce extra information about a noun.
• In the book, they always appear between commas. So you are working with non‑defining relative clauses (extra information, not essential to identify the person/thing).
• They always refer back to something already known in the sentence.

Step 1 – “El que / la que / los que / las que” for people and things

Use these when you want to say “the one who / the one that / the ones who / the ones that”.

• They agree in gender and number with the word they refer to.
• You can use them for people and for things.

• Think of them as a more explicit way to say que. They sound a bit more formal or careful.
• In your level and in this unit, you mainly use them after a comma as in the examples.

Self-check: Can you identify the noun and underline it, then check if el/la/los/las que matches its gender and number?

Step 2 – “Quien / quienes” only for people

Use quien / quienes when the relative pronoun refers to a person or people, often in a slightly formal tone.

• quien = who (singular person)
• quienes = who (plural people)

• Only for people. Do not use it for things.
• In this unit, you see it mainly between commas giving extra information.
• It is more formal than just using que.

Important rule: Quien / quienes never take an article.

• el quien, la quien are incorrect.
• Correct: El cuidador, quien supervisa a los voluntarios…

Self-check: If your relative pronoun refers to a person and you wrote an article (el quien), remove it.

Step 3 – “Cuyo / cuya / cuyos / cuyas” to express possession

Cuyo/a/os/as means something like “whose / of which”. It always expresses possession.

• It connects two nouns: the owner and the thing owned.
• It agrees with the thing owned, not with the owner.

• Structure to visualise: [OWNER], cuyo/a/os/as + [THING OWNED] + …
• You cannot use a possessive here: la familia, su ayuda económica… (not a relative clause).

Important rule: Cuyo, cuya, cuyos, cuyas never take an article.

• la cuya ayuda → incorrect.
• Correct: la familia, cuya ayuda fue aprobada…

Self-check: Find the “thing owned”. Is cuyo/cuya/cuyos/cuyas matching its gender and number? Is there any article before cuyo? If yes, remove it.

Step 4 – Choosing between “el que / la que…” and “quien(es)”

Both can refer to people. In this unit, both are valid in many contexts, but the tone changes a bit.

• El que / la que / los que / las que
  • Neutral or slightly formal.
  • Emphasises the noun again: la cuidadora, la que atiende…
  • Works for people and things.
• Quien / quienes
  • Only people.
  • Slightly more formal or “written”. Common in reports, articles, formal speech.
  • No article: just quien / quienes.

Quick choice guide:

• Referring to a thing → use el/la/los/las que (not quien).
• Referring to a person in a formal or written style → quien / quienes works very well.
• If you are unsure → el que / la que / los que / las que is usually safe.

Step 5 – Very common mistakes to avoid

• Using articles with “quien” or “cuyo”
  • el quien, la quien, los quienes → wrong.
  • la cuyo casa, el cuyo coche → wrong.
  • Correct: El médico, quien visita al paciente…
  • Correct: El vecino cuyo coche ocupa dos plazas…
• Using “quien(es)” for things
  • La ayuda económica, quien es temporal… → incorrect.
  • Correct: La ayuda económica, la que es temporal…
• Wrong agreement with “cuyo”
  • un anciano, cuya nietos… → nietos is masc. plural → must be cuyos.
  • Correct: un anciano, cuyos nietos viven lejos…

Step 6 – Step-by-step method to build the sentence

1. Identify the two sentences you want to connect.
   • Example: Trabajo con una cuidadora. La cuidadora atiende a mi madre por las noches.
2. Decide what repeats in both sentences.
   • “La cuidadora” appears in both.
3. Choose the relative pronoun according to what you want to express:
   • Extra information about the same person/thing → el/la/los/las que or quien(es).
   • Relationship of possession → cuyo/a/os/as.
4. Check gender and number.
   • la cuidadora → feminine singular → la que or quien.
   • parents, cars, houses in plural → cuyos / cuyas.
5. Write one sentence with commas:
   • Trabajo con una cuidadora, la que atiende a mi madre por las noches.
   • or: Trabajo con una cuidadora, quien atiende a mi madre por las noches.

Self-check for your final sentence:

• Is the relative clause between commas (extra information)?
• Does the relative pronoun clearly refer to one noun before it?
• Is the gender/number agreement correct?
• Did you avoid articles before quien(es) and cuyo/a/os/as?

What you should now be able to do

• Explain in English when to use el que / la que / los que / las que, quien / quienes and cuyo/a/os/as.
• Choose the correct relative pronoun for people vs. things.
• Use cuyo correctly to express possession and make it agree with the thing owned.
• Write clear, natural sentences with these pronouns to give extra information about families, professionals and services.