Gramática · G13
Relative Clauses
the who, the which and the one that got away
las oraciones de relativo
In this unit
Relative clauses let you add information about a person, thing or place without starting a new sentence. Use who for people, which for things, where for places and whose for possession (that works for both). When the relative word is the object, you can often leave it out. In this unit you'll practise joining ideas smoothly.
Las oraciones de relativo sirven para añadir información sobre una persona, cosa o lugar sin empezar otra frase. Usa who para personas, which para cosas, where para lugares y whose para posesión (that vale para ambos). Cuando el relativo es objeto, muchas veces puedes omitirlo. Aquí aprenderás a unir ideas con fluidez.
How you'll practise: Choose who, which, where or whose · True or False? · Circle the mistake, then write the correct version below · Join the two sentences · Your real life.
El slang se queda en la frase. Toca la palabra con puntos — o clic derecho — y sale qué significa.
The story of English · la historia
Spanish uses 'que' for almost everything; English uses 'who' (people), 'which' (things) and 'that' (both). English can also drop the relative word — and here is why it's allowed: in 'the film (that) I saw', 'I saw' clearly needs an object, so your brain fills in 'the film' even without 'that'. Because the meaning stays clear, English lets you leave it out. Spanish always keeps 'que' ('la película que vi'), so this dropping is a very English habit.
El español usa 'que' para casi todo; el inglés usa 'who' (personas), 'which' (cosas) y 'that' (ambos). El inglés también puede quitar el relativo — y aquí está por qué se permite: en 'the film (that) I saw', 'I saw' necesita claramente un objeto, así que tu mente rellena 'the film' aunque no esté 'that'. Como el sentido sigue claro, el inglés te deja quitarlo. El español siempre mantiene 'que' ('la película que vi'), así que quitarlo es una costumbre muy inglesa.
In plain English · en cristiano
who (people), which (things), where (places), whose (possession). If the relative is the object, you can often drop it.
who (personas), which (cosas), where (lugares), whose (posesión). Si el relativo es objeto, muchas veces puedes omitirlo.
El patrón · The pattern
WHO / WHICH / THAT / WHERE / WHOSE
She's the one mate who I actually with.
IN CONTEXT · en contexto
That's the café where the whole group chat met up.
How do we do this in spanish? · ¿Y en español?
Spanish leans on que for nearly everything; English picks who/which/where, and can drop the object relative.
El español usa que para casi todo; el inglés elige who/which/where, y puede omitir el relativo objeto.
Want to learn it with the song?
▶ Class chant · canto de clase
““Who for people, which for things, where for places — that's what the clause brings.””
Ready to try? Hope so… here come the questions
Answers live at the back — no peeking till you’ve had a real go.
Important examples (you might need these) — warm up with these
•That's the habit which gives me every time.
Esa es la costumbre que me da corte de rollo siempre.
•He's the one mate I actually with.
Es el único colega con quien de verdad conecto.
•She's the girl whose edits go viral every single week.
Es la chica cuyos edits se hacen virales cada semana.
AChoose who, which, where or whose.
1. He's the one mate (who/which) I actually with.
Es el único colega con quien de verdad conecto.
2. This is the app (who/which) everyone's .
Esta es la app que todos se guardan.
3. She's the girl (whose/who's) edits go viral.
Es la chica cuyos edits se hacen virales.
4. That's the festival (where/which) we lost each other.
Ese es el festival donde nos perdimos.
BTrue or False?
1. We use 'who' for people. ****
Usamos 'who' para personas.
2. We use 'which' for places. ****
Usamos 'which' para lugares.
3.'whose' shows possession. ****
'whose' indica posesión.
4. We can drop the relative when it is the object. ****
Podemos quitar el relativo cuando es objeto.
CCircle the mistake, then write the correct version below.
1. That's the habit who gives me .
Esa es la costumbre que me da corte de rollo.
2. The app which everyone use is down.
La app que todos usan está caída.
3. She's the girl who's dog is famous.
Es la chica cuyo perro es famoso.
DJoin the two sentences with a relative clause.
1. He's the guy who me. (drop the relative if you can)
Es el tío que me dejó en visto. (omite el relativo si puedes)
2. This is the playlist which I made. (drop 'which')→
Esta es la playlist que hice. (quita 'which')→
3. That's the spot where we chill. (question)→
Ese es el sitio donde quedamos. (pregunta)→
EYour real life. Write TWO sentences about people or places using who and where.
•Describe your green-flag mate using a 'who' clause and a 'whose' clause.
Describe a tu colega green-flag con una oración de 'who' y otra de 'whose'.
1.
2.
CAMBRIDGE PRACTICE · B1 Preliminary · Reading & Writing · Part 6
Exam tip. Relative gaps: who (people), which/that (things), where (places), whose (possession). Read the text. Write ONE word in each gap (1–4).
Lee el texto. Escribe UNA palabra en cada hueco (1–4).
1. That's the boy (1) dog bit me.
2. This is the café (2) we first met.
3. She's the friend (3) car we borrowed.
4. It's the app (4) everyone is using.
BOSS LEVEL · Who or Which?
Tick True if the relative word is correct.
Marca True si el relativo es correcto.
1. That's the habit who gives me . (spot the slip) ****
Esa es la costumbre 'who' me da corte de rollo. (error)
2. He's the one mate I actually with. ****
Es el único colega con quien de verdad conecto.
3. This is the app which everyone's been . ****
Esta es la app que todo el mundo se guardaba.
4. She's the girl whose edits go viral every week. ****
Es la chica cuyos edits se hacen virales cada semana.
How did you do? Did you check the answers?
¿Qué tal? ¿Has mirado las soluciones al final?
✓ locked in — No notes needed
GRABADO A FUEGO
I can use who, which, that, where and whose.
Sé usar who, which, that, where y whose.
I can add essential information with a relative clause.
Sé añadir información con una oración de relativo.
I can drop the relative when it's the object.
Sé omitir el relativo cuando es objeto.
I learnt it with “(class chant)”, not just the rules.
Lo aprendí con «(class chant)», no solo con reglas.
I read the Story of English hiding behind it.
Leí la Historia del Inglés que se esconde detrás.
I had a go at the Boss Level.
Le he metido mano de verdad al Boss Level.
Woo-hoo — certified language genius. .
¡Toma ya! Genio del inglés, sin mentir.