que (subjecte i objecte)

Relative Que as Subject and Object

Level 3

Relative que connects a noun to a clause where it is the subject or direct object.

How It Works

In la noia que canta, que stands for the girl as the subject of canta. In el llibre que llegeixo, it stands for the book as the direct object of llegeixo. The relative clause describes the preceding noun, called its antecedent.

To decide agreement inside a relative, identify whether que is the subject or object. Els llibres que m'agraden has plural books as the subject of agraden. Els llibres que llegeixo has jo as the understood subject of llegeixo, so the verb stays first-person singular.

The relative pronoun itself stays que in every gender and number. A restrictive clause identifies which noun is meant and normally has no separating commas; an explanatory clause adds information and is set off with commas. Punctuation can therefore change which group the sentence refers to. Avoid adding a redundant object clitic to a straightforward restrictive object relative.

Examples (3)

  1. Els llibres que llegeixo són curts.

    The books I read are short.

  2. Les persones que arriben ara són amigues meves.

    The people arriving now are friends of mine.

  3. La Marta, que viu a Girona, vindrà demà.

    Marta, who lives in Girona, will come tomorrow.

How It Connects

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que (subjecte i objecte)Level 3Relative Que as Subject and Object

Learn This First

Distinguish subject and object relative roles. Apply number agreement to the relative clause's actual subject.

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