The Relative Pronoun Que

Relative pronouns, as you may or may not know, are used to combine two independent clauses into a single, coherent sentence. By far, the most common relative pronoun in the Spanish language is que. It is important to recall that this is NOT the interrogative word qué!

This pronoun can take on the meaning of that, who, which, and whom. Usually when que is used, it acts as the bridge between the subject of a sentence and the description of that subject.

el hombre que conduce el coche
the man that drives the car


el libro que está encima del pupitre
the book that is on top of the desk


la escuela que asisto
the school that I attend


An interesting aspect of relative pronouns is that in English the majority of them can be omitted. If we take the sentence fragment la escuela que asisto, we can completely get rid of the relative pronoun in English, and simply say "the school I attend", instead of saying "the school that I attend". In Spanish, lamentably, the relative pronoun must always be present to combine both parts of the clause.

When used in conjunction with nadie(nobody) or alguien(somebody), the pronoun "que" can take on the meaning of "who":


¿No hay nadie que puede explicar la lectura?
Is there nobody who can explain the reading?


El dependiente en la tienda es alguien que ayuda a los clientes.
The clerk in the store is someone who helps the customers.