CEFR B2
What you will learn
- Choose a relative form from the antecedent and the missing role inside the relative clause.
- Keep a governed preposition before quien or an article plus que, with agreement controlled by the antecedent.
- Distinguish a named antecedent from a whole idea, an unspecified referent and a place.
Before you start
- Have studied “Everything agrees: nouns, articles and adjectives”.
- Have studied “The present tense: three endings to start speaking”.
The idea
A relative form links an antecedent to a clause and fills a missing role inside that clause. In “la habitación que tiene balcón”, que stands for la habitación and is the subject of tiene. Choose in this order: identify the antecedent, recover the missing role, preserve any required preposition, and only then select the relative form.
Use que as the broad uninflected relative for people or things: “la sala que reservamos” and “la técnica que llamó”. Quien and quienes refer only to people and are especially useful after a preposition: “la técnica con quien trabajo”.
At this B2 checkpoint, el que, la que, los que and las que are the most transparent target after a preposition because article agreement keeps the antecedent visible: “el proyecto en el que participo” and “las normas con las que trabajo”. Standard Spanish also allows bare que after some prepositions in restrictive relatives, as in “el bolígrafo con que escribió”; this valid option is not treated as an error. The preposition comes from the role or predicate inside the relative clause, not from the relative itself.
Use lo que for an idea or an unspecified thing, and donde for a place: “Lo que necesito es tiempo”, “Perdimos la conexión, lo que retrasó la reunión” and “el patio donde nos conocimos”.
A restrictive relative identifies which member is meant and has no commas: “La habitación que tiene balcón está libre.” An explanatory relative adds parenthetical information about an already identified antecedent and is set off by commas: “La habitación azul, que tiene balcón, está libre.”
The commas do not select the relative form by themselves. You still recover the missing role and any required preposition inside the clause.
Relative forms by antecedent and role
| form | antecedent | controlled use | model |
|---|---|---|---|
| que | person or thing | subject or direct object; also possible after some prepositions in restrictive relatives | la habitación que tiene balcón |
| quien / quienes | person | often after a preposition; number is visible | las colegas con quienes trabajo |
| el / la / los / las que | person or thing | after a preposition or without an expressed noun | la ruta por la que volvimos |
| lo que | an idea, event or unspecified thing | neutral reference, never agreement with a noun | Lo que propones funciona. |
| donde | place | location inside the relative clause | el patio donde nos conocimos |
The article in el que agrees with the antecedent. The preposition belongs to the role inside the relative clause.
Prepositions survive the link
| reconstructed clause | relative link | complete model |
|---|---|---|
| trabajo con la arquitecta | con quien | la arquitecta con quien trabajo |
| participamos en el proyecto | en el que | el proyecto en el que participamos |
| volvimos por la ruta | por la que | la ruta por la que volvimos |
| hablamos de las normas | de las que | las normas de las que hablamos |
How it sounds
- La habitación que tiene balcón está libre.
- La arquitecta con quien trabajo diseñó el patio.
- Este es el proyecto en el que participamos.
- Perdimos la conexión, lo que retrasó la reunión.
- Volvimos al patio donde empezó la visita.
Check objective 1Another case
A proposed answer is “quien” for this case: “Choose the form that replaces la habitación as the subject: La habitación quien tiene balcón está reservada.”. Choose the only valid form.
A proposed answer is “donde” for this case: “Choose the form that replaces la habitación as the subject: La habitación donde tiene balcón está reservada.”. Choose the only valid form.
Answer available without interaction
Answer: que — The antecedent is a thing and the gap is the subject of tiene. No preposition is required, so the broad relative que completes the clause.
The antecedent is a thing and the gap is the subject of tiene. No preposition is required, so the broad relative que completes the clause.
Answer: que — The antecedent is a thing and the gap is the subject of tiene. No preposition is required, so the broad relative que completes the clause.
The antecedent is a thing and the gap is the subject of tiene. No preposition is required, so the broad relative que completes the clause.
Check objective 2Another case
A proposed answer is “quien” for this case: “Recover trabajo con la arquitecta and complete: La arquitecta quien trabajo diseñó el patio.”. Choose the only valid form.
A proposed answer is “a quien” for this case: “Recover trabajo con la arquitecta and complete: La arquitecta a quien trabajo diseñó el patio.”. Choose the only valid form.
Answer available without interaction
Answer: con quien — The reconstructed clause is trabajo con la arquitecta. Con must remain before the human relative quien; the other options lose or change that relation.
The reconstructed clause is trabajo con la arquitecta. Con must remain before the human relative quien; the other options lose or change that relation.
Answer: con quien — The reconstructed clause is trabajo con la arquitecta. Con must remain before the human relative quien; the other options lose or change that relation.
The reconstructed clause is trabajo con la arquitecta. Con must remain before the human relative quien; the other options lose or change that relation.
Check objective 3Another case
A proposed answer is “el que” for this case: “Refer to the whole previous event, not only to conexión: Perdimos la conexión, el que retrasó la reunión.”. Choose the only valid form.
A proposed answer is “quien” for this case: “Refer to the whole previous event, not only to conexión: Perdimos la conexión, quien retrasó la reunión.”. Choose the only valid form.
Answer available without interaction
Answer: lo que — Lo que can take the whole event perdimos la conexión as its antecedent. El que cannot carry that whole-event reference in this sentence frame, while quien and donde require a person or place.
Lo que can take the whole event perdimos la conexión as its antecedent. El que cannot carry that whole-event reference in this sentence frame, while quien and donde require a person or place.
Answer: lo que — Lo que can take the whole event perdimos la conexión as its antecedent. El que cannot carry that whole-event reference in this sentence frame, while quien and donde require a person or place.
Lo que can take the whole event perdimos la conexión as its antecedent. El que cannot carry that whole-event reference in this sentence frame, while quien and donde require a person or place.
What your own language pushes you to say
Wrong La habitación que la habitación tiene balcón está libre.
Right La habitación que tiene balcón está libre.
Que already fills the subject slot of tiene. Repeating the noun fills the same slot twice instead of linking the clauses.
Challenge: apply every rule
Solve every case and justify each choice: 1) A proposed answer is “quien” for this case: “Choose the form that replaces la habitación as the subject: La habitación quien tiene balcón está reservada.”. Choose the only valid form. 2) A proposed answer is “quien” for this case: “Recover trabajo con la arquitecta and complete: La arquitecta quien trabajo diseñó el patio.”. Choose the only valid form. 3) A proposed answer is “el que” for this case: “Refer to the whole previous event, not only to conexión: Perdimos la conexión, el que retrasó la reunión.”. Choose the only valid form.
Answer available without interaction
- Choose a relative form from the antecedent and the missing role inside the relative clause.
- Keep a governed preposition before quien or an article plus que, with agreement controlled by the antecedent.
- Distinguish a named antecedent from a whole idea, an unspecified referent and a place.
Answer: que · con quien · lo que
The antecedent is a thing and the gap is the subject of tiene. No preposition is required, so the broad relative que completes the clause. The reconstructed clause is trabajo con la arquitecta. Con must remain before the human relative quien; the other options lose or change that relation. Lo que can take the whole event perdimos la conexión as its antecedent. El que cannot carry that whole-event reference in this sentence frame, while quien and donde require a person or place.
Curriculum alignment and sources
- B2 learners can produce clear connected descriptions and qualify information; the selection procedure in this unit is an editorial grammar support for that capacity, not a CEFR grammar inventory. · CEFR descriptors search
- The PCIC B1 inventory introduces restrictive que and the que/quien opposition. Its B2 inventory adds article-plus-que forms after prepositions, quien(es), relative adverbs and explicit relative clauses. This B2.1 unit consolidates that B1-to-B2 progression and deliberately leaves the forms developed in the C1 inventory outside its scope. · ic-pcic-grammar-b1-b2
Continue along this corridor
Verb–preposition patterns: lexical government and clause architectureSubjunctive in relative clauses: how the speaker commits to a referentWord order and information structure: topic, focus and clitic links