🎯 Why This Matters
To construct complex, sophisticated sentences.
Ability to write and speak with varied sentence structures.
🇪🇸 The Challenge
Clause boundaries. Spanish allows more flexible clause joining with 'que'. English requires clearer boundaries between independent and dependent clauses, proper use of relative pronouns, and avoidance of run-on sentences.
🇲🇽🇨🇴🇦🇷 The universal 'que'
Problem: Spanish 'que' covers who, which, that, and more
Watch out: Using 'that' for everything: 'The person that' (OK) vs 'The book that' (OK) but knowing when to use 'who'
✅ Fix: WHO = people, WHICH = things/animals, THAT = both (in defining clauses)
🧠 Mental Note: When translating 'que', ask: Am I talking about a person or a thing?
🇪🇸 Comma rules differ
Problem: Spanish punctuation is more flexible with clauses
Watch out: Creating run-on sentences without proper punctuation
✅ Fix: English needs either: period, semicolon, or comma + conjunction between independent clauses
🧠 Visual Explanation (The Mental Fix)
The Main House and Extensions
If it can't stand alone as a complete sentence, it's dependent. Test by removing the joining word - does it make sense alone?
🗣️ Pronunciation Guide
How Spanish speakers should pronounce this structure:
Clause connectors are unstressed
Spanish Habit: Giving equal stress to all words
English Reality: Connectors (that, which, who) are often reduced
Examples:
- that → /ðət/ (not 'THAT')
- because → /bɪˈkɒz/ or casual /kəz/
- although → /ɔːlˈðoʊ/
Practice: Focus stress on content words, not connecting words
📖 How It Works
Teacher Recommendation: Teacher recommended
Time Investment: 6 hours
🔑 Signal Words (Memory Anchors)
These words/phrases appear with this structure:
| English | Spanish | Example |
|---|---|---|
| because | porque | I stayed home because it was raining |
| although | aunque | Although it was late, she kept working |
| who/which/that | que/quien/el cual | The book that I read... / La persona who called... |
| if/whether | si | I don't know if/whether he's coming |
| when/while | cuando/mientras | When I arrived, she was sleeping |
💬 Real Examples
Let's see this structure in action with correct vs incorrect usage:
Example 1: Run-on sentence correction
✅ CORRECT: "I was tired, so I went to bed."
🇪🇸 Translation: "Estaba cansado, así que me fui a la cama."
❌ COMMON MISTAKE: "I was tired I went to bed."
Why wrong? Two independent clauses need a connector (so, and, but) or punctuation
Example 2: Relative clause - who vs which
✅ CORRECT: "The man who called you is my brother."
🇪🇸 Translation: "El hombre que te llamó es mi hermano."
❌ COMMON MISTAKE: "The man which called you is my brother."
Why wrong? WHO for people, WHICH for things. Spanish uses 'que' for both.
Example 3: Noun clause with THAT
✅ CORRECT: "I believe that she is right."
🇪🇸 Translation: "Creo que ella tiene razón."
❌ COMMON MISTAKE: "I believe she is right she told me."
Why wrong? Each clause needs proper connection
✏️ Practice Exercises
Ready to test your understanding? Let's practice!