Defining and Non-Defining Relative Clauses
Os alumnos, que estaban cansos, marcharon: all the students left, and they were all tired. Os alumnos que estaban cansos marcharon: only the tired students left.
How It Works
Two kinds of relative clause
- Defining (especificativa): no commas. It restricts the noun to a smaller group. Os alumnos que estaban cansos marcharon means that only some students left: the tired ones.
- Non-defining (explicativa): between commas, and read with a pause. It adds a comment about everyone the noun names. Os alumnos, que estaban cansos, marcharon means that all the students left, and they were tired.
A quick test
Remove the clause. If the sentence still names the same people or things, the clause is non-defining and needs commas. A proper name or a unique thing usually takes a non-defining clause: Santiago, que é a capital de Galicia, recibe moitos peregrinos. A miña irmá, que vive en Vigo, vén mañá suggests you have one sister; without commas, a miña irmá que vive en Vigo picks out one of several.
Which relative word?
- Que works in both kinds, for people and things.
- O cal, a cal, os cales, as cales is formal. Without a preposition it can introduce only a non-defining clause: Chamei o fontaneiro, o cal chegou en media hora. After a preposition it works in both: a mesa sobre a cal traballo.
- Quen in a defining clause needs a preposition (a persoa con quen falei), so it cannot be the subject there: say o home que veu, not o home quen veu. In a formal non-defining clause, quen can be the subject: Chamei o director, quen me explicou o problema.
Mood and pronouns
A defining clause about something not yet known to exist can take the subjunctive; see the subjunctive in relative clauses. In both kinds, the relative word pulls an unstressed pronoun before the verb: o libro que me deixaches.
Examples (6)
- Os alumnos, que estaban cansos, marcharon.
The students, who were tired, left.
With commas: all the students left, and all of them were tired.
- Os alumnos que estaban cansos marcharon.
The students who were tired left.
Without commas: only the tired students left; the others stayed.
- A miña irmá, que vive en Vigo, vén mañá.
My sister, who lives in Vigo, is coming tomorrow.
The commas suggest the speaker has only one sister; the clause just adds where she lives.
- O libro que me deixaches é moi bo.
The book you lent me is very good.
A defining clause: it tells you which book. The pronoun me goes before the verb after que.
- Santiago, que é a capital de Galicia, recibe moitos peregrinos.
Santiago, which is the capital of Galicia, welcomes many pilgrims.
Santiago already names one city here, so the clause only adds information and needs commas.
- Chamei o fontaneiro, o cal chegou en media hora.
I called the plumber, who arrived in half an hour.
Formal o cal without a preposition introduces a non-defining clause, after a comma.
Common Mistakes
Using o cal without a preposition in a defining clause.
Os alumnos os cales estaban cansos marcharon.Os alumnos que estaban cansos marcharon.Without a preposition, o cal can only introduce a clause between commas. For a defining clause, use que.
Using quen as the subject of a defining clause.
O home quen veu onte é o meu tío.O home que veu onte é o meu tío.In a defining clause, quen after a noun needs a preposition (con quen, a quen). As the subject of a defining clause, use que.
Leaving out the commas around a clause about someone who is unique.
A miña nai que vive en Lugo chámame todos os días.A miña nai, que vive en Lugo, chámame todos os días.You have only one mother, so the clause cannot pick her out from others. It only adds information, so it goes between commas.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Relative clauses either identify the referent or add removable information, with corresponding comma use.
Related Patterns
- Relative queRelative Pronoun Que
Que is the relative word that works in both kinds of clause.
Level 3 - Relative quen
Explains when quen can follow a noun.
Level 3 - Preposition + Article + quePrepositions Before Relatives
Relative clauses that start with a preposition, in both kinds.
Level 4 - Subjunctive in Relative Clauses
Defining clauses about something not yet known take the subjunctive.
Level 4 - Pronouns Before the Verb in Subordinate Clauses
Explains why the pronoun goes before the verb in o libro que me deixaches.
Level 3
Practice Defining and Non-Defining Relative Clauses in Bubblegum
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