In addition to the main clause, a sentence may have one or more subordinate clauses. There are three main types of subordinate clauses: conjunctive subordinate clauses, indirect interrogative clauses and relative clauses.
Conjunctive Subordinate Clauses
Conjunctive subordinate clauses are those that begin with a subordinating conjunction.
| que | that |
| porque, como | because |
| cuando | when |
| antes (de) que | before |
| después (de) que | after |
| en cuanto | as soon as |
| hasta que | until |
| mientras | while / as long as |
| siempre que | whenever / every time |
| si | if |
| a condición de que | on the condition that |
| así que | so |
| para que | so that / in order that |
| aunque | although / even though / even if |
Note that subordinating conjunctions are different from question words because they do not have an accent mark, for example que and cuando. A conjunctive subordinate clause usually comes after the main clause:
No voy a la escuela hoy porque estoy enferma.
I don’t go to school today because I am sick.
Comes pizza siempre que puedes.
You eat pizza whenever you can.
No sabíamos que esta ciudad era tan grande.
We didn’t know that this city was so big.
However, a subordinate clause beginning with the conjunction como (because) comes before the main clause and is separated by a comma:
Como estoy enferma, no voy a la escuela hoy.
Because I am sick, I don’t go to school today.
Note that conjunctive subordinate clauses often use the subjunctive mood. You can find rules for using the subjunctive in chapter 3.11.
Indirect Interrogative Clauses
An indirect interrogative clause begins either with the word si (if, whether) or a question word. When it begins with the word si, the word order can be either direct (subject → verb) or inverted (verb → subject):
No sabes si Alicia ha comido.
or
No sabes si ha comido Alicia.
You don’t know if Alicia has eaten.
When an indirect interrogative clause begins with a question word, the word order is always inverted (verb → subject).
No sabes cuándo ha comido Alicia.
You don’t know when Alicia has eaten.
If the main clause is declarative, the sentence ends with a full stop, as the examples above. If the main clause is interrogative, the sentence starts and ends with a question mark.
¿Sabes si Alicia ha comido?
Do you know if Alicia has eaten?
¿Sabes cuándo ha comido Alicia?
Do you know when Alicia has eaten?
Relative Clauses
Relative clauses begin with a relative pronoun and refer to a person, an object or a whole idea. The part of the sentence that the relative pronoun refers to is called an antecedent.
La película que vi ayer fue muy buena.
The movie that I saw yesterday was very good.
Note that in Spanish, the relative pronoun can never be omitted in the same way as in English (the movie (that) I saw).
There are two types of relative clauses: restrictive and non-restrictive. Restrictive relative clauses are essential for identifying the antecedent. In Spanish, they are not separated from the main clause with a comma:
¿Vas a la tienda que está en tu calle?
Do you go to the shop that is in your street?
El coche que compró mi hermano es muy rápido.
The car that my brother bought is very fast.
A non-restrictive relative clause provides additional information about the antecedent. It can be omitted without significantly changing the meaning of the sentence. Non-restrictive relative clauses are separated from the main clause with a comma:
El museo del Prado, donde se exhiben muchas obras famosas, está en Madrid.
The Prado Museum, where many famous works are exhibited, is in Madrid.
Catalina, que siempre llega temprano, hoy llegó tarde.
Catalina, who always arrives early, was late today.
| que | that, which, who |
| el/la/los/las que | that, which, who (with a preposition) |
| lo que | which, what |
| donde | where |
Que can refer to both people and things. With prepositions, the pronoun el/la/los/las que is used, chosen according to the gender and number of the antecedent:
Esta es la casa en la que crecí.
This is the house in which I grew up.
Mi amigo, con el que viajé a España, habla cinco idiomas.
My friend, with whom I travelled to Spain, speaks five languages.
Las razones por las que tomé esa decisión son personales.
The reasons for which I made that decision are personal.
The relative pronoun lo que refers to the entire previous sentence or idea:
Decidió mudarse a otro país, lo que nadie esperaba.
He decided to move to another country, which nobody expected.
Llegaron tarde a la reunión, lo que molestó a su jefe.
They arrived late for the meeting, which annoyed their boss.
The relative pronoun donde refers to a place and can replace the structure en el/la/los/las que:
Esta es la casa donde crecí.
This is the house where I grew up.
¿Dónde está el restaurante donde vamos a cenar esta noche?
Where is the restaurant where we are having dinner tonight?
Note that when the antecedent of a relative clause is unknown or subject to a requirement or its existence is denied, the verb of the relative clause must be subjunctive. More on the formation and use of the subjunctive in chapter 3.11.
Busco un vino que esté delicioso.
I am looking for a wine that is delicious.
Quiero viajar a un país donde se hable español.
I want to travel to a country where Spanish is spoken.