Los pronombres relativos, como su
nombre indica, introducen oraciones relativas. Los más comunes son: who,
whom, whose, which, that.
El pronombre relativo que vayamos a utilizar siempre dependerá de a qué nos estamos refiriendo y al tipo de oración
relativa.
Pronombres
relativos |
Formas de utilización
|
WHO
|
Se refiere a personas y algunas veces animales domésticos.
|
WHICH
|
Suele utilizarse para animales o cosas.
|
THAT
|
Para personas animales o cosas; es informal.
|
WHOSE
|
Por lo general, se utiliza con personas y animales; algunas veces, para
cosas en situaciones formales.
|
WHOM
|
Para personas en estilos formales, casi siempre en escritos
|
Ejemplos:
- It was you who called me after midnight (Fuiste tú quien me llamó después de la medianoche).
- We went swimming, which is my favourite sport (Fuimos a nadar, que es mi deporte favorito).
- The car that Peter bought (El coche que compró Pedro).
- John, whose brother used to live with us, has won the lottery. (John, cuyo hermano solía vivir con nosotros, ha ganado la lotería).
- This is Robert, whom you invited last year (Este es Roberto, a quien invitaste el año pasado).
Otros
ejemplos:
WHO
He
believes there’d be a lot of players who’d love to join him
En
algunos casos, en lengua inglesa necesitamos poner una preposición en la
oración relativa, pero no antes del pronombre who:
Of all
my colleagues, he’s the one who I can’t rely on.
Not: … the one on
who I can’t rely.
THAT
El término that is más
informal que who, whom, which.
Paracetamol is a well known painkiller that doctors recommend.
It is the same car that you
have had for a long time.
WHICH
Este término siempre lo utilizamos para
introducir oraciones relativas, cuando se refieren a toda la frase u
oración.
- She will not be home again for my birthday, which is her usual behaviour.
- It was the same movie which I saw at the Piccadilly Cinema.
- Swimming is a sport which I like very much.
WHICH
+ preposiciones
Podemos utilizar which
como complemento de una preposición.
- On Sunday we will celebrate our fiftieth anniversary at which you and your family are invited.
- I have my house near Heathrow village from which the famous airport takes its name
WHOM
Utilizamos el término whom
en escritura o conversación formal, cuando la persona es el objeto del verbo.
Como se ha mencionado, es mucho más común su uso en escritura que en la forma
verbal.
- I was greeted by those people whom you have invited to dinner
- He was a famous tennis player whom I had known for a long time.
WHOM +
preposición
- She is the woman to whom I have promised to spend de rest of my life.
- Africa is an exciting continent, especially for whom safaris are an attraction.
WHOSE
Utilizamos whose –como pronombre
relativos– antes de los sustantivos en lugar de expresiones posesivas, my, your, his, her, its, our, their
- She invited a friend whose husband dislikes him
- Is a beautiful penthouse on sixtieth floor whose lounge looks out over the river Hudson.
Otros pronombres relativos: "when", "where", "why".
A menudo, en el lenguaje normal utilizamos los pronombres
relativos where, when or why para introducir una definición relativa en la
oración en lugar de at which, on
which, for which.
Vea los siguientes ejemplos:
- Where (referido a lugares). I know a hotel where the accommodation is first class
- I know a hotel at which the accommodation is first class.
- When (con respecto a tiempo, día, etc.). It will be a happy time when I shouldn’t need to get up early.
- It will be a happy tieme on which I shouldn’t need to get up early.
- Why (referido a razones). Do you know the reason why my wife has left me?
- Do you know the reason for which my wife has left me.
No podemos utilizar that en lugar de los términos “who”, “whom”,
o “which”.
- This is the best job of my life, which is the most sought-after job in Spain
- Not:
this is the best job of my life, that is the most sought-after job in Spain(that no es apropiado en este caso).
- I have a collection of cars which many auction houses would like to offer to the highest bidder.
- Not:
I have a collection of cars who many auction houses would like to offer to highest bidder(No se utiliza who para cosas).
