RELATIVE CLAUSES

(oraciones de relativo)

1. Defining relative clauses:

Relative pronouns:

- Who  quien/el cual (personas).

This is the man who stole my car.
The man who stole my car is here.
- Which  la cual/el cual (cosas y animales).
My father bought me a bag which I don’t use.
The bag which my father bought me is very ugly.
- Why  por la que (motivos).
That’s the reason why I didn’t go.
- When  cuando (tiempo).
That’s was the day when I got married.
- Where  donde (lugar).
That’s the city where I was born.
- Whose  cuyo (posesión).
That’s the man whose father bought a new house.

*INFORMAL STYLE  En vez de who y which, usamos THAT.

I bought a house which looks nice  I bought a house that looks nice.
I saw a man who was stealing in a shop  I saw a man that was stealing
in a shop.

*(very) FORMAL STYLE  En vez de who, podemos utilizar WHOM.

*PREPOSITIONS:
Normalmente van al final de la oración, pero si estamos usando un
lenguaje muy formal, entonces van al principio. Por ejemplo:
This is the man (who) I saw you with.
This is the man with who I saw you.

2. Non-defining relative clauses: