Relative Pronouns with Prepositions in Catalan

Overview

At the A2 level, you learned to use que for basic relative clauses. At B1, you need to handle relative clauses where a preposition is involved — situations like "the person with whom I work" or "the topic about which we spoke." Catalan has specific relative pronoun forms for these constructions.

When a preposition precedes the relative pronoun, Catalan uses qui for people and el qual / la qual / els quals / les quals for both people and things. The simpler form què (with accent) can replace el qual after short prepositions. These structures are essential for formal and written Catalan.

This topic bridges casual speech and more formal expression. In everyday Catalan, speakers often restructure sentences to avoid complex relative clauses, but in writing and formal contexts, these forms are expected.

How It Works

Relative Pronouns After Prepositions

For people	For things	Example
qui	què / el qual, la qual	La persona amb qui parlo.
—	el qual / la qual / els quals / les quals	El llibre del qual parlo.

Preposition + Relative Pronoun Patterns

Catalan	English
amb qui	with whom
a qui	to whom
de qui	of/about whom
per al qual / per a la qual	for which
del qual / de la qual	of which, about which
en què	in which

Examples in Context

Catalan	English	Note
La persona amb qui parlo.	The person with whom I'm speaking.	Preposition + qui
L'empresa per a la qual treballo.	The company for which I work.	Per a + la qual
El tema del qual parlàvem.	The topic about which we were talking.	De + el qual
La persona a qui vaig escriure.	The person to whom I wrote.	A + qui
La casa en què vaig viure.	The house in which I lived.	En + què
Les raons per les quals va marxar.	The reasons for which he/she left.	Per + les quals
L'amic amb qui vaig sortir.	The friend with whom I went out.	Amb + qui
La ciutat de la qual parlem.	The city about which we're talking.	De + la qual
El professor gràcies al qual vaig aprendre.	The teacher thanks to whom I learned.	Complex preposition
La manera en què ho va fer.	The way in which he/she did it.	En + què

Common Mistakes

Using "que" after a preposition

• Wrong: La persona amb que parlo.
• Right: La persona amb qui parlo.
• Why: After a preposition, "que" alone is not sufficient. Use "qui" for people or "què/el qual" for things.

Forgetting agreement with "el qual"

• Wrong: Les raons per el qual va marxar.
• Right: Les raons per les quals va marxar.
• Why: "El qual" must agree in gender and number with its antecedent: el qual, la qual, els quals, les quals.

Using "qui" for things

• Wrong: El llibre amb qui treballo.
• Right: El llibre amb què treballo. or El llibre amb el qual treballo.
• Why: "Qui" is reserved for people. For things, use "què" (after short prepositions) or "el qual/la qual."

Usage Notes

In spoken Catalan, complex relative clauses with prepositions are often avoided by restructuring the sentence. Instead of "La persona amb qui treballo," a speaker might say "La persona que treballo amb ella" (less formal but common). In writing and formal contexts, the standard preposition + relative pronoun forms are expected and valued.

Practice Tips

1. Practice the most common combinations: "amb qui, a qui, de qui, del qual, de la qual, en què." Use each in a sentence about people you know and places you frequent.
2. Convert simple sentences into relative clauses: "Treballo amb una persona. Aquesta persona és simpàtica." → "La persona amb qui treballo és simpàtica."
3. Pay attention to gender agreement when using "el qual" forms. The antecedent determines the form.

Related Concepts

• Basic Relative Clauses — simple relative clauses with que/on
• Advanced Relative Clauses — complex patterns at B2