o que Referring to a Clause
Referring to a Whole Clause
To comment on a whole idea, not on one noun, use o que after a comma: Non chamou, o que me preocupa (he did not call, which worries me).
How It Works
Referring to a whole clause
English uses "which" to comment on everything said before: He did not call, which worries me. Galician uses o que or o cal after a comma: Non chamou, o que me preocupa. The thing that worries me is not a noun but the whole fact that he did not call.
Always neuter o
The article is the neuter o, because an idea has no gender. Even after a feminine noun, the form stays o que or o cal: Suspenderon a sesión, o cal sorprendeu a todos (the suspension surprised everyone). If you wrote a cal, it would refer to a sesión itself.
O que or o cal?
- o que is used in speech and writing.
- o cal is formal and belongs to careful writing. See o cal, a cal.
- Plain que cannot do this job, and Spanish lo que is not Galician.
With prepositions
Add a preposition when the verb in the clause needs one, and contract it with o: Choveu toda a noite, polo que suspenderon o partido (which is why they called off the match). Aprobou todo, do que se alegra moito a súa nai (alegrarse de). This is the same pattern as a preposition before a relative. Polo que is close in meaning to por iso and polo tanto.
Pronouns
O que and o cal start a relative clause, so an unstressed pronoun goes before the verb: o que me preocupa.
Examples (5)
- Non chamou, o que me preocupa.
He did not call, which worries me.
O que refers to the whole fact that he did not call.
- Suspenderon a sesión, o cal sorprendeu a todos.
They suspended the session, which surprised everyone.
O cal is the formal choice; it stays neuter because it refers to the whole event, not to a sesión.
- Choveu toda a noite, polo que suspenderon o partido.
It rained all night, which is why they called off the match.
Polo que (por + o que) introduces a consequence of the whole previous clause.
- Chegou tarde outra vez, o que non é normal nel.
He arrived late again, which is not like him.
The comment is about the whole event of arriving late.
- Aprobou todas as materias, do que se alegra moito a súa nai.
She passed all her subjects, which her mother is very happy about.
Alegrarse needs de, so the relative becomes do que.
Common Mistakes
Using plain que to refer to a whole clause.
Non chamou, que me preocupa.Non chamou, o que me preocupa.To refer back to a whole idea, the relative needs the neuter article: o que.
Using the Spanish form lo que.
Non me chamou, lo que me preocupa.Non me chamou, o que me preocupa.After a pause the neuter article is o, so the form is o que. Galician uses lo only straight after words like por (polo), so lo que here is Spanish.
How It Connects
Learn This First
A neuter relative expression can refer back to an entire clause.
Related Patterns
- o que / a que / os queRelatives with the Article
The same words used for the one who or the thing that, rather than for a whole clause.
Level 4 - Neuter o for Ideas
The neuter pronoun o, which can also stand for a whole idea, as in Xa o sei.
Level 2 - Defining and Non-Defining Relative Clauses
These comments are always non-defining clauses set off by a comma.
Level 5 - por iso / así que / polo tantoExpressing Consequences
Connectors with a meaning close to polo que.
Level 3 - Preposition + Article + quePrepositions Before Relatives
Explains contracted forms like polo que and do que.
Level 4
Words in This Pattern
Practice o que Referring to a Clause in Bubblegum
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