A relative, or adjective, clause is a dependent clause that describes or adds specifics to something mentioned in the independent clause. These types of clauses are introduced by a relative pronoun — they are the bridge that joins the independent and the dependent clause. In this post, we will talk about defining relative clauses (those which give us essential information about what we are talking about) and non-defining relative clauses, which provide non-essential information. We will also do a refresher on the use of indicative vs. subjunctive and talk about word order when using relative clauses. Are you ready? Let’s go!
What are relative clauses?
Relative clauses are dependent clauses that describe or add specific information to something mentioned in the independent clause. Here are some examples that show the concept:
independent clausedependent clause
Ella tiene un perrito que ladra cuando ve un gato.
She has a puppy that barks when it sees a cat.
independent clausedependent clause
Esta es la escuela donde yo estudié de niña.
This is the school where I studied as a girl.
An important ingredient in relative clauses is the word used to link the clauses; this could be a relative pronoun, relative adjective, or relative adverb, and it stands for a noun that has been previously mentioned. In the examples before, they are que ("that") (which stands for the dog) and donde ("where") (which replaces the school). They follow the noun (known as antecedent) immediately and cannot be eliminated from a sentence. The most used relative pronouns are que ("who, that, which") and quien(es) ("who"). Que is used to refer to objects, ideas, and people; whereas quien(es) is used only for human antecedents.
If you want to review how to use these pronouns, check out our post on relative pronouns in Spanish.
Before we get into the two types of relative clauses — defining and non-defining — let’s go over the sentence structure for relative clauses.
How to build relative clauses in Spanish?
There are two different ways you can build sentences with relative clauses in Spanish. The first way is similar to English, the second is not. Let’s start with the sentences we are going to combine into a sentence with a relative clause:
Option 1: Plug in the second sentence between the subject and verb of the first sentence, and replace the repeated noun with a relative pronoun.
New sentence with a relative clause:
subjectrelative pronounrelative clauseverb
El chico que trabajó todo el fin de semana terminó el proyecto rápidamente.
The boy who worked all weekend finished the project quickly.
Option 2: Plug the second sentence after the first sentence, and replace the repeated noun with a relative pronoun. Then flip the order of the SUBJECT-VERB in the main clause to place the subject closer to the relative pronoun.
New sentence with relative clause and a flipped S-V:
verbsubjectrelative pronounrelative clause
Terminó el proyecto rápidamente el chico que trabajó todo el fin de semana.
The boy who finished the project quickly worked all weekend.
While this option sounds weird when you say it in your head in English, it is actually the preferred method in Spanish.
If the noun you are substituting with a relative pronoun is preceded by a prepositionNo definition set for prepositionLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum., simply place the preposition before the relative pronoun in your new sentence.
La mujer es Guatemalteca.
Trabajo con la mujer. → la que
La mujer con la que trabajo es Guatemalteca.
The woman with whom I work is Guatemalan.
One more thing of note, within the relative clause: the subject-verb order might change depending on which element the speaker wants to focus on, either the subject or the verb. Whichever element is in focus appears last. For example:
Me compré la chaqueta azul que me mostraste tú.
I bought myself the blue jacket that you showed me.
Here the focus is that tú(you) showed me the jacket.
Me compré la chaqueta azul que tú encontraste en esa tienda de antigüedades.
I bought myself the blue jacket that you found at the vintage store.
Here the focus is on finding the jacket at the vintage store.
For more on Spanish sentence structure, head over to post on word order!
What to keep in mind about relative clauses
What are some of the biggest differences between Spanish and English relative clauses? Here’s a list of what to keep in mind:
In English, we can separate prepositions from the relative pronoun, but this is not possible in Spanish. We can’t leave prepositions at the end of a sentence!
El profesor con quien estaba trabajando me dio una mala nota.
The professor that I was working with gave me a bad grade.
While we can omit relative pronouns in English, we can’t do this in Spanish.
El carro que compré es muy chévere. ¡Debes verlo!
The car (that) I bought is really cool. You should see it!
English can join two phrases using a preposition to avoid using a relative clause.
Use the brush in the bathroom. → Use the brush that is in the bathroom.
In Spanish, the preferred way is to use the relative clause in order to avoid ambiguity.
Usa el cepillo que está en el baño.
Meaning, use the brush that is currently in the bathroom (as opposed to using it in the bathroom).
Types of relative clauses
As mentioned before, there are two types of relative clauses: defining and non-defining.
Defining clauses
Defining clauses add necessary information to identify the noun that is being described. They are not separated by commas.
Las flores que compré para mamá están en la mesita de la sala.
The flowers that I bought for mom are on the living room table.
que compré para mamá specifies that we are talking about those flowers only and not any other flower out there.
Non-defining clauses
Non-defining relative clauses give the audience extra information that is not necessary. They’re accessories within the sentence and they are always housed between commas. How do you know if you are working with a non-defining relative clause? If you remove it, you will still be able to identify who or what you’re talking about. Think about it as an afterthought: “...which by the way…” Here are some examples:
Adela, a quien conocí en la universidad, es ahora mi mejor amiga.
Adela, whom I met in college, is now my best friend.
Here both the speaker and the listener know who Adela is, so the purpose of the relative clause is not to distinguish Adela amongst a group. Instead, “whom I met in college,” is simply providing additional information or context.
Los zapatos rojos, que eran de mi hermana, me quedan chicos.
The red shoes, which were my sister’s, are too small for me.
Like the previous example, the clause que eran de mi hermana does not provide crucial information within the sentence. By taking it out, you still know which shoes I’m talking about.
The use of relative pronouns quien/quienes, el que*, and el cual depends on whether or not they are preceded by a preposition. When preceded by a preposition, they can be used in both defining and non-defining clauses. However, when they are not preceded by a preposition, they can only be used in non-defining clauses. For example:
Non-defining:
La chica, quien estuvo en la reunión, es fotógrafa.
The girl, who was in the gathering, is a photographer.
La chica, con quien fui a la reunión, es fotógrafa.
The girl, with whom I went to the gathering, is a photographer.
Defining:
Esta es la chica con quien puedes hablar de arte contemporáneo.
This is the girl with whom you can talk about contemporary art.
Esta es la chica quien estuvo en la reunión.
*Note that el que is often used after the verb ser ("to be"). In this case, the sentence does not need to be delimited by commas:
Esta chica es la que estudió conmigo.
This is the girl who studied with me.
For a summary of Spanish relative pronouns and adverbs check out this table!
The Spanish subjunctive in relative clauses
Relative clauses might contain a verb in the indicative or subjunctive mood. The choice between using indicative or subjunctive comes from the noun or pronounNo definition set for pronounLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. we are describing. If the speaker refers to a person or thing that is unknown or non-existent, we need to use the subjunctive. Here is a checklist to help you determine whether or not you need the subjunctive.
Is the noun or pronoun in the main clause (the antecedent) unknown or uncertain for the speaker?
No - use indicative
Yo conduzco un carro que puede ir muy rápido.
I drive a car that can go very fast.
The antecedent is known to me. I drive it!
Yes - use subjunctive
Yo quiero un carro que pueda pasar por un pie de nieve.
I want a car that can go through a foot of snow.
The antecedent is unknown or uncertain to me.
Is the noun or pronoun in the main clause (the antecedent) non-existent and in a negative sentence?
No - use indicative
Ella conoce a alguien que puede ayudarte.
She knows someone who can help you.
The antecedent exists and it is in a positive sentence!
Yes - use subjunctive
Ella no conoce a nadie que pueda ayudarte.
She doesn’t know anyone who can help you.
The antecedent doesn’t exist and it is in a negative sentence!
Is the antecedent an indefinite pronoun like algo ("something"), or is the noun preceded by an indefinite adjective such as algún ("a/some") that has not been identified?
No - use indicative
Tengo algo en casa que está hecho a mano.
I have something at home that is handmade.
The antecedent is identified, I’m just not saying what it is.
Yes - use subjunctive
Quiero encontrar algo que esté hecho a mano.
I want to find something that is handmade.
The antecedent is not identified!
Lastly, remember to use the subjunctive when you are asking questions that ask for more information about the antecedent. For example:
¿Conoces a una persona que pueda hablar más de tres idiomas?
Do you know a person that can speak more than three languages?
For more on using the Spanish subjunctive in adjective clauses, head over to our post!
To sum it up
A relative, or adjective, clause is a dependent clause that describes or adds specifics to something mentioned in the independent clause (also known as the antecedent) joined by a relative pronoun. There are two types of relative clauses:
Defining clauses, which add necessary information to identify the noun that is being described.
Non-defining clauses, which give the audience extra information that is not necessary. They are always housed between commas.
While relative clauses also exist in English, there are a few things to keep in mind:
We can’t separate prepositions from relative pronouns in Spanish.
We can’t omit relative pronouns in Spanish.
To avoid ambiguity, Spanish prefers to join phrases using a relative clause rather than a preposition.
Finally, relative clauses in Spanish may use the subjunctive. The choice lies on whether or not the noun described is real and existent or unknown or non-existent.
If you would like to do a little practice with defining and non-defining relative clauses in Spanish, check out the exercises I have created for you!
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