SPN 202: Relative Pronouns Ejercicios

Spanish Language Grammar: Relative Pronouns

Relative pronouns refer to something that either previously stated or understood, and thus are related to that referent.
Relative pronouns: que (that, who; which); el cual, la cual (the one who; the one which); los cuales, las cuales (those who, those which); el que, la que (the one who, the one which); los que, las que (those who, those which), lo que (that which, what, whatever); preposición + quien(es) (preposition + whom); cuya, cuya, cuyos, cuyas (whose).

Restrictive vs. Nonrestrictive Clauses
Restrictive clause: It contains information that is essential to the meaning of the sentence. If this clause were removed, the sentence either would change meaning or become meaningless. Example: A professor who is clear is efficient.
Non-restrictive clause: It contains information that is usually helpful to the overall meaning of the sentence; however, it is not essential. If this clause were removed, the sentence would stand on its own. Example: My Spanish class that meets in this building is very interesting.
A. The Use of que in Clauses
The relative pronouns that separate clauses and mean “that”, “who”, and “which” in English all translate as que in Spanish. Examples: Los estudiantes que trabajan (the students who work); el río, que está contaminado, (the river that is contaminated). The relative pronoun que sets up both restrictive and nonrestrictive clasues.
Note that in English the relative pronoun is sometimes omitted. For example: I have the answers you need=I have the answers that you need. In Spanish, however, the relative pronoun cannot be omitted: you must include que.
Ejercicio 1. Translate these sentences into Spanish.
1. I have the book you want. 2. She only watches films that are independent. 3. We believe that this sauce (salsa) is very hot (picante). 4. The medicine that I take very morning tastes like (saber a) past beer. 5. The people who vote have a lot of power (poder).

B. The Use of el cual or el que in Clauses
When the relative pronouns that, which, who, or whom introduce a nonrestrictive clause (information not essential to the overall meaning of the sentence), we can use el cual (la cual, los cuales, las cuales) or el que (la que, los que, las que) instead of the simple que.
El cual and el que are interchangeable. They are used primarily in writing of in formal speech (while que is used more in conversation). Examples: Este sitio en la red, el cual tiene acesso libre, es muy util para escuchar música (This website which have free access is very useful to listen to music. Estos libros, los cuales son de Perú, tienen mucha informacion cultural. (These books, which come from Peru, have lots of cultural information).
Ejercicio 2. Translate these sentences into Spanish.
1. His partner, who is very nice, speaks three languages. 2. These paintings (pinturas), which have bright colors, are from Mexico. 3. The neighbor (vecino), who is from India, is very friendly. 4. The White House, which is very poular for tourists, is the home (hogar) of the President of the USA and his family. 5. These medicines, which cost 100 dollars, are for my grandmother’s illness (enfermedad).

C. The Use of a Preposition + quien or que
When the relative pronoun is the object of a preposition, we will use the appropriate preposition + quien, when the referent is a person, or the preposition + que, when the referent is inanimate. A clause formed by the preposition + quien or que is a restrictive clause (its information is essential to the meaning of the sentence).
Examples: Iris es la profesora con quien trabajo (Iris is the professor who I work with/Iris is the professor with whom I work). Este el lugar en que pienso (This is the place I am thinking about/This is the place about which I’m thinking). Toledo is el candidato por quien voy a votar (Toledo is the candidate I’m going to vote for/Toledo is the candidate for whom I am going to vote). Veronica is the person I love (Veronica es la persona a quien amo/Veronica is the woman whom I love)
Ejercicio 3. Translate these sentences into Spanish. (The Spanish syntax is given in parentheses)
1. She is the person I live with. (She is the woman with whom I live). 2. He is the man I am thinking about (pensar en). (He is the man about whom I am thinking). 3. These are the people they work for (These are the people for whom they work). 4. He is the person I see (He is the person whom I see). 5. This is the team I love.

D. The Use of “lo que”
Lo que, which means “that which,”, “what”, or “whatever,” is a neuter relative pronoun that allows us to rfer to a great abstraction, as in “You can have whatever you want”, or to summarize the entirety of something that is said or done, as in “What you are doing is a sin”. Note that when lo que is used to mean “whatever,” it often stands for something that is unknown or unfamiliar and is followed by a verb in the subjunctive: Haz lo que puedas (Do whatever you can).
Examples: Lo que dices es importante (What you are saying is importante). ¿Tiene lo que necesito? (Do you have what I need). Lo que quieres no existe (What you want does not exist).
Ejercicio 4. Translate these sentences into Spanish.
1. She never remembers what I want. 2. What you need is a hug! 3. Whatever he says is always a lie. 4. Do you see what I see? 5. They don’t understand what they read.

E. The Use of cuyo, cuya, cuyos, cuyas
The relative pronoun cuyo (which means “whose” separates the owner and that which is owned: “Gladys, whose book was just published, is a spiritual woman”. In this sentence, Gladys is the owner, and the book is the object owned. The word “whose” begins the clause, and the form of cuyo must agree with the noun immediately following it. The relative pronouns cuyo, cuya, cuyos, and cuyas nearly always introduce or set up a non-restrictive clause.
Examples: Gladys, cuyo libro fue recientemente publicado, es una mujer espiritual. Verónica, cuyos obras estan aqui, hijos estan ahi, es una mujer famosa en el arte peruano (Veronica, whose art works are here, is a famous woman in Peruvian art).
Ejercicio 5. Translate these sentences into Spanish.
1. They are the children whose father is the senator. 2. The student, whose teacher is from El Salvador, wants to go to Central America this summer. 3. The journalist, whose articles were censored, is the wisest man in town. 4. Loreto whose capital city is Iquitos is located in the Peruvian jungle. 5. The actress, whose role was very inspiring, won the prize.