DELE B1 Relative Pronouns: Practice Test & Review
Relative pronouns (que, quien, el que, el cual, cuyo) connect ideas and appear throughout the DELE B1 exam. They show up in reading passages, listening sections, and cloze exercises, especially in sentences that describe people and things.
This page gives you a five-part practice quiz: an evaluation set to see where you stand, three practice sets to drill the different relative pronouns, and a challenge set to confirm mastery. If you get stuck, scroll down for the full explanation.
Ready? Start with the evaluation set below.
The Rule
Relative pronouns connect two ideas by referring back to a noun. They mean “that,” “which,” “who,” “whom,” or “whose” in English.
The most common relative pronoun in Spanish is que. It can refer to people or things. Other relative pronouns are more specific: quien for people, el que / el cual for clarity or after prepositions, cuyo for possession.
Que
Que is the default relative pronoun. It refers to people and things. It does not change for gender or number.
| Example | Translation |
|---|---|
| El libro que leí es interesante. | The book that I read is interesting. |
| La chica que vive aquí es mi amiga. | The girl who lives here is my friend. |
| Los coches que compramos son nuevos. | The cars that we bought are new. |
Quien / Quienes
Quien (singular) and quienes (plural) refer only to people. They are used in non-restrictive clauses — clauses set off by commas that add extra information.
| Example | Translation |
|---|---|
| Mi vecino, quien es médico, trabaja en el hospital. | My neighbor, who is a doctor, works at the hospital. |
| Mis amigos, quienes viven en Madrid, vienen mañana. | My friends, who live in Madrid, are coming tomorrow. |
Rule: Use que in restrictive clauses (no commas). Use quien in non-restrictive clauses (with commas).
El que / La que / Los que / Las que
El que, la que, los que, las que mean “the one(s) that/which.” They agree in gender and number with the noun they refer to. They are used:
- After a comma, for clarity or emphasis
- After prepositions (de, en, con, por, etc.)
| Example | Translation |
|---|---|
| El libro, el que leí ayer, es interesante. | The book, the one that I read yesterday, is interesting. |
| La casa en la que vivo es pequeña. | The house in which I live is small. |
| El amigo del que te hablé es español. | The friend I told you about is Spanish. |
Note: El cual, la cual, los cuales, las cuales are more formal equivalents of el que, la que, etc. They appear in formal writing and on the DELE exam.
Cuyo / Cuya / Cuyos / Cuyas
Cuyo means “whose.” It agrees in gender and number with the thing possessed, not the possessor.
| Example | Translation |
|---|---|
| El hombre cuyo coche es rojo es mi vecino. | The man whose car is red is my neighbor. |
| La mujer cuyos hijos estudian aquí es profesora. | The woman whose sons study here is a teacher. |
| La estudiante cuyas notas son excelentes es mi amiga. | The student whose grades are excellent is my friend. |
Watch out: Cuyo agrees with the noun after it (the thing possessed), not the person before it.
Relative Pronouns with Prepositions
When the relative pronoun follows a preposition, use el que / la que (or el cual / la cual), not que alone.
| Preposition + relative pronoun | Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| del que | El amigo del que te hablé. | The friend I told you about. |
| en el que | El restaurante en el que comimos. | The restaurant we ate in. |
| con la que | La persona con la que hablé. | The person I spoke with. |
| por la que | La razón por la que te lo dije. | The reason I told you. |
Common Mistakes
1. Using que after a preposition.
✗ El amigo de que te hablé.
✓ El amigo del que te hablé.
After a preposition, use el que / el cual, not que alone.
2. Using quien without a comma.
✗ El chico quien vive aquí.
✓ El chico que vive aquí.
Quien is for non-restrictive clauses (with commas). For restrictive clauses, use que.
3. Making cuyo agree with the possessor.
✗ La mujer cuya hijos estudian aquí.
✓ La mujer cuyos hijos estudian aquí.
Cuyo agrees with the thing possessed (hijos = masculine plural), not the possessor (mujer = feminine singular).
4. Using que after lo.
✗ Lo que más me gusta es viajar. (This is correct.)
The phrase lo que means “what” or “that which.” It’s a fixed expression. Don’t confuse it with que alone.
Quick Decision Chart
| Ask yourself | Answer | Pronoun |
|---|---|---|
| Restrictive clause, no comma? | People or things | que |
| Non-restrictive clause, with comma? | People | quien / quienes |
| After a preposition? | People or things | el que / el cual |
| Showing possession? | Whose | cuyo / cuya / cuyos / cuyas |
| “What” or “that which”? | Fixed expression | lo que |
Two Sentences That Show the Difference
El libro que leí es interesante.
The book that I read is interesting.
- Restrictive clause. No comma. Que refers to a thing.
El libro, el que leí ayer, es interesante.
The book, the one that I read yesterday, is interesting.
- Non-restrictive clause. With comma. El que for emphasis.
