DELE A2 Guide: Spanish Relative Pronouns – Comprehensive Review

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Key Takeaways

• Master the use of que, quien, donde, cuyo, and lo que
• Understand the nuances between different relative pronouns
• Learn to create complex sentences by connecting ideas
• Practice with DELE-focused examples for exam success

Welcome to your comprehensive review of Spanish Relative Pronouns. These essential words help you connect ideas and create more sophisticated sentences by providing additional information about people, places, and things. Mastering relative pronouns will significantly improve your writing and speaking on the DELE A2 exam.

Essential Relative Pronouns

Spanish	English	Usage
que	that, which, who	Most common – people, things, animals
quien/quienes	who, whom	People (more formal)
donde	where	Places, locations
cuyo/cuya/cuyos/cuyas	whose	Possession
lo que	what, that which	General ideas, concepts

Detailed Usage and Examples

QUE (That, Which, Who)
The most versatile and commonly used relative pronoun:

For People:

• “La mujer que habla español es mi profesora.” (The woman who speaks Spanish is my teacher.)
• “Los estudiantes que estudian mucho sacan buenas notas.” (The students who study a lot get good grades.)

For Things and Animals:

• “El libro que leí es muy interesante.” (The book that I read is very interesting.)
• “El perro que vimos en el parque es muy grande.” (The dog that we saw in the park is very big.)

QUIEN/QUIENES (Who, Whom)
Used primarily for people, often in more formal contexts:

Examples:

• “Mi hermana, quien es médico, vive en Barcelona.” (My sister, who is a doctor, lives in Barcelona.)
• “Los estudiantes, quienes llegaron temprano, recibieron premios.” (The students, who arrived early, received prizes.)
• “Es la persona con quien trabajo.” (He’s the person with whom I work.)

DONDE (Where)
Used for places and locations:

Examples:

• “Esta es la casa donde nací.” (This is the house where I was born.)
• “El restaurante donde comimos es muy bueno.” (The restaurant where we ate is very good.)
• “La ciudad donde vivo es muy tranquila.” (The city where I live is very quiet.)

CUYO/CUYA/CUYOS/CUYAS (Whose)
Shows possession and must agree with the noun that follows:

Examples:

• “El estudiante cuyo libro perdimos está enojado.” (The student whose book we lost is angry.)
• “La mujer cuya hija es doctora vive aquí.” (The woman whose daughter is a doctor lives here.)
• “Los niños cuyos padres viajan están con la abuela.” (The children whose parents are traveling are with their grandmother.)

LO QUE (What, That Which)
Refers to general ideas or entire concepts:

Examples:

• “No entiendo lo que dices.” (I don’t understand what you’re saying.)
• “Lo que más me gusta es viajar.” (What I like most is traveling.)
• “Dime lo que pasó.” (Tell me what happened.)

Key Differences and When to Use Each

QUE vs. QUIEN

• QUE: General use, most common, used with people, things, animals
• QUIEN: More formal, used only with people, often after prepositions

Comparison:

• “El hombre que habla” (The man who speaks) – common
• “El hombre con quien hablo” (The man with whom I speak) – formal

DONDE vs. Other Location Expressions

• DONDE: Specific location
• EN QUE: More formal alternative
• “La casa donde vivo” = “La casa en que vivo”

Important Grammar Rules

1. No Omission:
Unlike English, you cannot omit relative pronouns in Spanish:

• ✅ “El libro que compré” (The book I bought)
• ❌ “El libro compré”

2. Preposition Placement:
Prepositions go before the relative pronoun:

• ✅ “La persona con quien hablo”
• ❌ “La persona quien hablo con”

3. Gender and Number Agreement:

• Que, quien, donde don’t change
• Cuyo must agree with the following noun

DELE A2 Practical Scenarios

Personal Descriptions:

• “Tengo un amigo que habla tres idiomas.” (I have a friend who speaks three languages.)
• “Mi ciudad, donde nací, es muy pequeña.” (My city, where I was born, is very small.)

Academic Context:

• “Los estudiantes que estudian regularmente tienen éxito.” (The students who study regularly are successful.)
• “El profesor, quien es muy experto, explica bien.” (The professor, who is very expert, explains well.)

Daily Life:

• “El supermercado donde compro tiene buenos precios.” (The supermarket where I shop has good prices.)
• “No entiendo lo que pasa.” (I don’t understand what’s happening.)

Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Omitting the Relative Pronoun:

• ✅ “El libro que leí”
• ❌ “El libro leí”

2. Wrong Preposition Placement:

• ✅ “La persona con quien hablo”
• ❌ “La persona quien hablo con”

3. Confusing Que and Quien:

• ✅ “El hombre que trabaja aquí”
• ✅ “El hombre con quien trabajo”

Practice Exercises

Choose the correct relative pronoun:

1. La casa ___ vivo es pequeña. (que/donde)
2. El estudiante ___ libro tengo está en clase. (que/cuyo)
3. No comprendo ___ quieres decir. (que/lo que)

Combine the sentences:

1. “Tengo un amigo. Él habla japonés.”
2. “Este es el parque. Jugamos aquí de niños.”

Answers:

1. donde, 2. cuyo, 3. lo que
   Combined: 1. “Tengo un amigo que habla japonés.” 2. “Este es el parque donde jugamos de niños.”

Memory Aids

• QUE = All-purpose (people, things, animals)
• QUIEN = People only (more formal)
• DONDE = Places only
• CUYO = Possession (agrees with following noun)
• LO QUE = General ideas

Next Step: Test Your Knowledge!
Ready to master relative pronouns?

Take our DELE A2 Relative Pronouns Quiz here to ensure you’re prepared for the exam.

What’s Next in Your DELE A2 Journey?

• Need sentence structure practice? Review DELE A2 Sentence Structure
• Ready for writing practice? Study DELE A2 Writing Strategies
• Want related topics? Learn DELE A2 Connectors and Linking Words
• Practice all A2 grammar? Return to DELE A2 Grammar Hub

Looking for a deeper dive?
This guide covers the essentials for the DELE A2 exam. If you want to explore more complex relative clauses, additional relative pronouns, and advanced usage patterns, check out our complete guide: Spanish Relative Pronouns: The Complete Guide

Master relative pronouns and you’ll create sophisticated, well-connected Spanish sentences with confidence!