The one that: que, donde and one fork
When one adjective is not enough, you need the part of the sentence English opens with 'that' or 'which'. For example: “La cuenta que abrí el año pasado no tiene comisiones” — The account I opened last year has no fees. A rule from the Spanish course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
When one adjective is not enough, you need the part of the sentence English opens with 'that' or 'which'.
Spanish opens it with que, and que never changes for gender or number: la cuota que pago. After a preposition an article joins in: el banco en el que trabajo. For places there is donde: la sucursal donde abrí la cuenta.
Then Spanish does something English does not. If the thing already exists, the verb is ordinary. If you are still looking for it, the verb takes a special form.
Busco el piso que tiene garaje — I know that flat and I am heading for it. Busco un piso que tenga garaje — no such flat is mine yet, and I am describing what I want.
Table
| relative word | when | example | meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| que | the usual case, any gender and number | el pago que hice | the payment I made |
| el que / la que | after a preposition | el banco en el que ahorro | the bank I save at |
| donde | place | la ciudad donde vivo | the city I live in |
| cuyo / cuya | possession, bookish | el cliente cuya deuda crece | the client whose debt is growing |
| que + ordinary form | the thing is known | el piso que tiene garaje | the flat that has a garage |
| que + subjuntivo | the thing is still being sought | un piso que tenga garaje | some flat or other with a garage |
By example
- La cuenta que abrí el año pasado no tiene comisionesThe account I opened last year has no fees
- Esta es la sucursal donde trabaja mi hermanaThis is the branch where my sister works
- Quiero un préstamo que no tenga intereses altosI want a loan that would not carry high interest
How the rule settles in your head
A rule is not memorized from an explanation. It is memorized from an attempt to use it and a mistake — that is why the app delivers it mixed in with words, not as a separate lesson: it resurfaces exactly where you forgot it.
Frequently asked
The one that: how does it work in Spanish?
When one adjective is not enough, you need the part of the sentence English opens with 'that' or 'which'.
What does it look like in an example sentence Spanish?
“La cuenta que abrí el año pasado no tiene comisiones” — The account I opened last year has no fees. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.