Relativas explicativas (, which…)
Una relativa explicativa añade información extra sobre algo ya identificado. Va entre comas, no admite that y el pronombre nunca se omite.
| especificativa (necesaria) | explicativa (extra) |
|---|---|
| The doctor who treated me was kind. | Dr Kovalenko, who treated me, was kind. |
| The flat (that) we rented is small. | Our flat, which we rented in May, is small. |
which para toda una frase
, which puede referirse a toda la frase anterior, como «lo cual»: The train was late, which was annoying.
Ejemplos
- My sister, who lives in Lviv, is a dentist.Mi hermana, que vive en Leópolis, es dentista.
- Berlin, which I visited last year, is huge.Berlín, que visité el año pasado, es enorme.
- He passed the exam, which surprised everyone.Aprobó el examen, lo cual sorprendió a todos.
- Mr Brown, whose son I teach, called me.El señor Brown, a cuyo hijo doy clase, me llamó.
- We stayed at the Hotel Dnipro, which was near the station.Nos alojamos en el hotel Dnipro, que estaba cerca de la estación.
Errores comunes
- ✗ My mother, that is a teacher, lives in Lviv.✓ My mother, who is a teacher, lives in Lviv.En una relativa explicativa no se puede usar that, y con personas se usa who.
- ✗ She passed the exam, what surprised everyone.✓ She passed the exam, which surprised everyone.Para referirse a toda la frase se usa which y no what, como en español lo cual.
- ✗ My car, which I bought it, is old.✓ My car, which I bought, is old.El pronombre which ya hace de objeto de la relativa, así que no se repite it.
- ✗ This is Anna, which works here.✓ This is Anna, who works here.Con personas se usa el pronombre who y no which.
- ✗ Mrs Smith, who son I teach, called me.✓ Mrs Smith, whose son I teach, called me.El cuyo español se traduce como whose y no como who.