New
New
Year 11
Edexcel

Un revolucionario: relative pronouns 'el que' and 'el cual'

I can use the relative pronouns 'el que' and 'el cual' in the context of describing a revolutionary figure.

New
New
Year 11
Edexcel

Un revolucionario: relative pronouns 'el que' and 'el cual'

I can use the relative pronouns 'el que' and 'el cual' in the context of describing a revolutionary figure.

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Lesson details

Vocabulary and transcripts for this lessons

Key learning points

  1. 'El que', 'la que', 'los que' and 'las que' mean 'that', 'which' or 'who' and often appear after a preposition.
  2. 'El que', 'la que', 'los que' and 'las que' agree in gender and number with the noun.
  3. 'El cual', 'la cual', 'los cuales' and 'las cuales' mean 'that', 'which' or 'who' and often appear after a preposition.
  4. 'El cual', 'la cual', 'los cuales' and 'las cuales' agree in gender and number with the noun.
  5. 'El cual' tends to appear in more formal contexts than 'el que'.

Keywords

  • Relative pronoun - pronoun that introduces a relative clause

  • El que, la que - relative pronoun meaning 'that', 'which' or 'who' for a singular or uncountable noun

  • Los que, las que - relative pronoun meaning 'that', 'which' or 'who' for a plural noun

  • El cual, la cual - relative pronoun meaning 'that', 'which' or 'who' for a singular or uncountable noun

  • Los cuales, las cuales - relative pronoun meaning 'that', 'which' or 'who' for a plural noun

Common misconception

'El que' and 'el cual' are completely interchangeable.

'El cual' tends to appear in more formal contexts than 'el que'.


To help you plan your year 11 Spanish lesson on: Un revolucionario: relative pronouns 'el que' and 'el cual', download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

The relative pronouns 'el que' and 'el cual' (and their inflected forms) are Higher-tier grammar features.
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This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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Prior knowledge starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Which word means 'that thing'?
abajo
aquí
Correct answer: aquello
aquel
arriba
Q2.
Match the Spanish and English.
Correct Answer:depender,to depend, depending

to depend, depending

Correct Answer:durar,to last, lasting

to last, lasting

Correct Answer:esperar,to wait for, hope

to wait for, hope

Correct Answer:conocer,to know, knowing

to know, knowing

Correct Answer:luchar,to fight, fighting

to fight, fighting

Correct Answer:viajar,to travel, travelling

to travel, travelling

Q3.
Match the Spanish and English.
Correct Answer:amistad (f),friendship

friendship

Correct Answer:cadena (f),chain

chain

Correct Answer:corbata (f),tie

tie

Correct Answer:jersey (m),jumper

jumper

Correct Answer:tamaño (m),size

size

Correct Answer:venta (f),sale

sale

Q4.
Order the words to say: 'it's worth visiting lots of different countries'.
1 - vale
2 - la
3 - pena
4 - visitar
5 - muchos
6 - países
7 - diferentes
Q5.
Write in English: 'el conjunto está ajustado'.
Correct Answer: the outfit is tight
Q6.
Write in Spanish: 'this jacket is in fashion'.
Correct Answer: esta chaqueta está de moda

Assessment exit quiz

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4 Questions

Q1.
'El cual' is more than 'el que'.
Correct Answer: formal
Q2.
'Tiene una autoridad __________ se debe respetar'. Choose the correct missing word.
Correct answer: que
el que
la que
los que
las que
Q3.
'¿Dónde están los países en __________ lucharon?'. Choose the correct missing word.
el cual
la cual
Correct answer: los cuales
las cuales
Q4.
Write in Spanish: 'the person who I speak with'.
Correct Answer: la persona con la que hablo, la persona con la cual hablo

Additional material

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