1. RELATIVE CLAUSE: who is my neighbor

2. FUNcTIoN RELATIVE PRONOUN IN SPANISH: subject of the relative clause

3. SELECTION: que

La señora que es mi vecina es de Ecuador.

Peter and Joe are the boys I was talking to.

Spoken English —* Restructured

Peter and Joe are the Peter and Joe are the boys

boys I was talking to. to whom I was talking.

1. RELATIVE CLAUSE: I was talking to —* to whom I was talking

2. FUNCTION RELATIVE PRONOUN IN SPANISH: object of preposition to

3. SELECTION: quienes

Pedro y José son los chicos a quienes hablaba.

Relative pronouns can be tricky to handle and this handbook provides

only a simple outline. Refer to your Spanish textbook for additional

rules.

Relative Pronouns Without Antecedent

There are relative pronouns that do not refer to a specific noun or pro-

noun within the same sentence. Instead these relative pronouns refer

back to a whole idea or to an antecedent that is not expressed.

IN ENGLISH

There are two relative pronouns that may be used without an

antecedent: what and which.

What—not referring to any specific noun or pronoun.’

I don’t know what happened.

no expressed antecedent

subject

Here is what I read.

no expressed antecedent

direct object

1The relative pronoun what (meaning that which) should not be confused with other uses of what: as an

interrogative pronoun (What do you want? tQué quieres?, see p. 153). and as an interrogative adjective

(What book do you want? tQué Iibro quieres?, see p. 113).

Which—referring back to an idea, not to a specific noun or pronoun.

You speak many languages, which is an asset.

antecedent —4 the fact that you speak many languages

She didn’t do well, which is too bad.

antecedent —> the fact that she didn’t do well

IN SPANISH

Lo que is the equivalent of the English what or which without

antecedent. It is used in conversational Spanish and refers to an idea

or previously mentioned statement or concept which has no gender. It

can function as a subject or object.

Let us apply these rules to the following examples.

What bothers me most is the heat.

1. RELATIVE PRONOUN: what bothers me most

2. ANTECEDENT: none expressed in the sentence

3. FUNCTION RELATIVE PRONOUN IN SPANISH: subject of relative clause

4. Sm~aIoN: lo que

Lo que me molesta más es el calor.

What you are saying isn’t true.

1. RELATIVE PRONOUN: what you are saying

2. ANTECEDENT: none expressed in the sentence

3. FUNCTION RELATIVE PRONOUN IN SPANISH: direct object of decir (to say)

4. SELECTION: Io que

Lo que dices no es verdad.

He doesn’t speak Spanish, which will be a problem.

1. RELATIVE PRONOUN: which will be a problem

2. ANTECEDENT: entire previous relative clause

3. FUNCTIoN RELATIVE PRONOUN IN SPANISH: subject of relative clause

4. SELECTIoN: lo que

No habla espafiol Io que será un problema.