🎯 Why This Matters
Descriptions and definitions without interruption.
Long, fluid sentences.
🇪🇸 The Challenge
Pronoun selection (who/which/that). Spanish uses 'que' for almost everything. English requires distinction between who (people), which (things), and that (both).
🇲🇽🇨🇴🇦🇷 Spanish 'que' is universal
Problem: Spanish uses 'que' for people and things alike
Watch out: Using WHICH for people or WHO for things
✅ Fix: Ask: Am I talking about a PERSON? → WHO. A THING? → WHICH. Either? → THAT.
🧠 Mental Note: Spanish 'que' ≠ English 'that'. You need to choose WHO/WHICH/THAT!
🇪🇸 Same 'que' challenge
Problem: Castilian Spanish also uses 'que' universally
Watch out: Defaulting to THAT for everything or using wrong pronoun
✅ Fix: WHO for humans, WHICH for non-humans, THAT for both in defining clauses
🧠 Visual Explanation (The Mental Fix)
The Relative Pronoun Chooser
WHO = people. WHICH = things. THAT = either (but not with commas).
🗣️ Pronunciation Guide
How Spanish speakers should pronounce this structure:
Who vs Whom
Spanish Habit: Not distinguishing subject/object
English Reality: Whom is used for objects (after prepositions or as object of verb)
Examples:
- WHO did this? (subject)
- WHOM did you see? (object)
- To WHOM did you speak?
Practice: If you can answer with HIM/HER, use WHOM. If with HE/SHE, use WHO.
📖 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 |
|---|---|---|
| who | que (personas) | The man who called... |
| whom | a quien | The person whom I met... |
| which | que (cosas) | The book which I read... |
| that | que (ambos) | The thing that I need... |
| whose | cuyo/cuya | The man whose car is red... |
💬 Real Examples
Let's see this structure in action with correct vs incorrect usage:
Example 1: Who for people
✅ CORRECT: "The woman who works here is my sister."
🇪🇸 Translation: "La mujer que trabaja aquí es mi hermana."
❌ COMMON MISTAKE: "The woman which works here is my sister."
Why wrong? WHICH is for things. WHO is for people!
Example 2: Which for things
✅ CORRECT: "The book which I bought is interesting."
🇪🇸 Translation: "El libro que compré es interesante."
❌ COMMON MISTAKE: "The book who I bought is interesting."
Why wrong? WHO is for people. WHICH is for things!
Example 3: Non-defining clauses
✅ CORRECT: "Paris, which is the capital of France, is beautiful."
🇪🇸 Translation: "París, que es la capital de Francia, es hermosa."
❌ COMMON MISTAKE: "Paris, that is the capital of France, is beautiful."
Why wrong? THAT cannot be used in non-defining clauses (with commas)!
✏️ Practice Exercises
Ready to test your understanding? Let's practice!