Lessons

A2.25 - Healthy food and habits

The relative "que"

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"Que" is used in relative clauses to give more information about the noun.

What relative pronouns do (in one glance)

Relative pronouns connect two ideas so you don’t repeat the noun.

  • Two sentences: El arroz estaba perfecto. + Cociné el arroz.
  • One sentence: El arroz que cociné estaba perfecto.

They answer: Which one? / Which person? / Whose?

Step 1: Choose the base rule (que vs. quien vs. cuyo)

What you mean Use Quick example
“that / which / who” (most cases) que El menú que me recomendó la dietista…
“who” (person-focused, often more formal or after a preposition) quien / quienes La persona quien me recomendó este restaurante…
“whose” (possession) cuyo/a/os/as Una empresa cuyos menús son muy sanos.

Step 2: Use que as your safe default

  • Que works for things and people in everyday Spanish.
  • It can be the subject or the object of the relative clause.
Pattern Example
Noun + que + verb La lechuga que está más fresca…
Noun + que + subject + verb El zumo que voy a comprar no tiene azúcar.

Self-check: If English uses “that” here, Spanish usually uses que.

When to use quien / quienes (and what to avoid)

  • Use it for people, especially:
    • after a preposition (a, con, de, para…)
    • in a slightly more formal style
Correct Not recommended / wrong
La persona a quien llamé es la dietista. La persona a que llamé… (common learner mistake)
La persona que me recomendó el menú trabaja aquí. La persona quien me recomendó el menú… (possible, but sounds formal)

Self-check: If you see a preposition right before the relative pronoun, a menudo it’s quien (for people).

How cuyo/a/os/as works (the “possession” trap)

Cuyo means “whose” and it links:

  • Owner + cuyo + thing owned
  • Important: after cuyo you must have a noun (not a verb).
Correct structure Example
Owner + cuyo/a/os/as + noun + verb Es una nutricionista cuyos consejos son prácticos.
Owner + cuya + noun + verb Tengo una amiga cuya madre es dietista.

Common error:

  • El menú cuyo me recomendó la dietista… ❌ (no noun after cuyo)
  • El menú que me recomendó la dietista… ✅

Agreement: choose cuyo like an adjective

Cuyo agrees with the thing owned (not with the owner).

Thing owned Form Example
masc. singular (el plan) cuyo un coach cuyo plan es flexible
fem. singular (la receta) cuya una chef cuya receta es famosa
masc. plural (los menús) cuyos una empresa cuyos menús son sanos
fem. plural (las ideas) cuyas un médico cuyas ideas son claras

Mini decision checklist (fast self-correction)

  1. Am I just adding information (= “that/which/who”)? → use que.
  2. Is it about a person and there’s a preposition right before it (a/con/de/para)? → use quien (a quien, con quien…).
  3. Do I mean “whose” and can I put a noun right after it? → use cuyo/a/os/as and match the owned noun.

Final check: If you wrote cuyo and the next word is a verb, it’s almost certainly wrong.

  1. Quien is used to refer to people.
  2. Cuyo indicates possession.
Pronombre RelativoEjemplo
QueEl arroz que cociné estaba perfecto. (The rice that I cooked was perfect.)
Quien / QuienesLa persona quien me recomendó este restaurante tiene buen gusto. (The person who recommended this restaurant to me has good taste.)

Cuyo / Cuya

Cuyos / Cuyas

Es un cocinero cuyas recetas son famosas. (He is a chef whose recipes are famous.)

Exercise 1: Multiple choice

Instruction: Choose the correct answer

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1. El menú semanal ____ me recomendó la dietista es equilibrado. El menú semanal que me recomendó la dietista es equilibrado.

(The weekly menu that the dietitian recommended to me is balanced.)

2. El arroz ____ comimos ayer llevaba pollo y verduras. El arroz que comimos ayer llevaba pollo y verduras.

(The rice that we ate yesterday had chicken and vegetables.)

3. Prefiero la lechuga ____ está más fresca para la ensalada. Prefiero la lechuga que está más fresca para la ensalada.

(I prefer the lettuce that is fresher for the salad.)

4. El zumo de naranja ____ voy a comprar no tiene azúcar. El zumo de naranja que voy a comprar no tiene azúcar.

(The orange juice that I'm going to buy has no sugar.)

Exercise 2: Rewrite the phrases

Instruction: Combine the two sentences into one using the correct relative pronoun (that, who/whom, whose).

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  1. Tengo una dieta. La dieta no es muy estricta.
    ⇒ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Example
    Tengo una dieta que no es muy estricta.
    (I’m on a diet that isn’t very strict.)
  2. Conozco a una nutricionista. Ella trabaja en el centro de salud.
    ⇒ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Example
    Conozco a una nutricionista que trabaja en el centro de salud.
    (I know a nutritionist who works at the health center.)
  3. Este es el compañero. Él me recomendó un restaurante saludable.
    ⇒ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Example
    Este es el compañero que me recomendó un restaurante saludable.
    (This is the classmate who recommended a healthy restaurant to me.)
  4. (cuyos) Es una empresa. Sus menús son muy sanos.
    ⇒ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Example
    Es una empresa cuyos menús son muy sanos.
    (It’s a company whose menus are very healthy.)
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