Relative Words Used Between Clauses

1. Relative Words Used Between Clauses Elizabeth Navedo Arbeláez S00069808 Contrastive Analysis of English and Spanish ENGL 360 Professor: Dr. Evelyn Lugo Morales

2. Functions of the Connectors • Both Spanish and English have words that work between clauses as connectors, linking one clause to another. • Sometimes the connector or relator work as a coordinator, which means, that it unites two clauses which otherwise would function as independent clauses Example: I know that you see me Yoséque me ves. • On other occasions the connector works as a relative pronoun; it has an antecedent (a word to which it refers) in the main clause of the sentence. Example: She is the girl who(m) I saw Ella es la muchachaque vi.

3. Subordinating Conjunctions • In English the subordinating conjunction that is used to connect two clauses. • Without the subordinating conjunction, both clauses will work totally independent, as two separate sentences. Example: I hope that you will come I hope you will come • In Spanish the subordinating conjunction que is never left out however, in English in can be omitted.

4. Subordinating Conjunction THAT Relator Expressed Relator Suppressed I know you see me. He thinks we live here. They believe I know you. She said she could do it. Please remember I need it. • I know that you see me. • He thinks that we live here. • They believe that I know you. • She said that she could do it. • Please remember that I need it.

5. Relative Pronouns English Spanish que quien, quienes el/la cual, los/lascuales el/la que, los/lasque lo que, lo cual cuyo, cuya, cuyos/as • which, that, who, whom • who, whom • which, that, who, whom • the one(s) who/which/that • what, which • whose

6. Relative Pronouns in Spanish • Que is the most used relative pronoun in Spanish. • It can have as its antecedent both people and things of either gender and number. Example: Ella es la persona que vi. She is the person (who[m]) I saw. • Quien and quienes refer only to people. They substitute for que only when they are preceded by a preposition. Example: Ellos son los jóvenes con quieneshablé. They are the youn men with whom I spoke.

7. Relative Pronouns in Spanish • El cual, la cual, los cuales, lascualesare used to make their antecedents absolutely clear. • They also occur after a compound preposition (encima de), or after the prepositions por and sin. Example: El esposo de Elena, el cualestabapresente… Elena’s husband, who was present …. • El que, la que, los que, lasqueare used when the articles el, la, los, and las are the only antecedent expressed. • These relative pronouns are used to suppress a noun between the article and the relator que. Example: La que(la chicaque) lo dijo … The one who said it …

8. Relative Pronouns in Spanish • Loque or locual can be used to refer a previous mentioned ides or to a genderless abstraction. • Loque is equivalent to the relative pronoun what. Example: Yasélo quequieres. I already know what you want. • Cuyo, cuya, cuyos, cuyasare the equivalent in English whose (relative possessive pronoun). Example: Los niños, cuyasmanosestáncubiertas de tierra … The children, whose hands are covered with dirt …

9. Relative Pronouns in English The relative’s antecedent • … is non-personal when the relative is the subject of its own clause: Example: This is the letter that/which came in the mail. • … is non-personal when the relative is the object of its own clause: Example: This is the letter (that/which) you wanted to read. • … is personal when the relative is the subject of its own clause. Example: You are the woman who/that screamed at me. • … is personal when the relative is the object of its own clause: Example: You are the woman (who[m]/that) they attacked. • … is non-personal when the relative is the object of a preposition. Example: This is the table underwhich I found it. This is the table (which/that) I found it under. • … is personal when the relative is the object of a preposition. Example: This is the man aboutwhom I spoke. This is the man (who[m]/that) I spoke about.

10. Relative Pronouns in English The English relatives the one(s) who, the one(s) that, the one(s) which, and their suppressions, represent nominalizations as their Spanish equivalents el que, la que, los que, lasque,. They can be used with all the structures and their variations.

11. Practice Exercise Translate the English sentences into Spanish. Note that Spanish does not allow the great variety of versions that English permits, nor does it allow any suppression of the relative words. • I want to see the person who owns that car. • Does she want to buy the book my father wrote? • We went to the bank which opened yesterday. • Let’s say something nice to that Puerto Rican girl. • Are they going to read the letter my mother spoke about?

12. Practice Exercise Translate the English sentences into Spanish. Note that Spanish does not allow the great variety of versions that English permits, nor does it allow any suppression of the relative words. • I don’t know the woman who he gave the money to. • Where is the building under which they discovered it? • I’m trying to find the gold watch which I lost at their party. • Do you see the children that are on that bus? • Do you know the students about whom the professor spoke?

13. Reference • Hill, S. & Bradford, W. (2000). Bilingual grammar of English and Spanish (Revised Ed. Landham, MD: University of America Press.