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45. "Que" & "Lo que"

Source: YouTube

Both que and lo que can translate as "what" or "that," but they're not interchangeable. Que (no accent) acts as the conjunction "that," while lo que means "what" (not as a question) and points to an idea or thing in the middle/beginning of a sentence.

Key Rules

  • qué (with accent) = "what?" in questions.
  • que (no accent) = "that" — joins a main clause to a subordinate clause. In English we sometimes drop "that"; in Spanish, que is required.
  • lo que = "what" used as a relative pronoun for an abstract idea or unspecified thing. Often appears at the start or middle of a sentence and can be moved without changing meaning.
  • Think of lo que as "the thing that" / "that which."

Conjugation / Pattern Tables

Quick comparison

Word Meaning Use
¿Qué? What? Direct question
que that Conjunction linking clauses
lo que what / that which Relative pronoun for abstract things

Examples

Spanish English
Yo usaré el teléfono que yo compré. I will use the phone (that) I bought.
Él quiere el libro que está en el estante. He wants the book that is on the shelf.
La casa que tú ves es grande. The house (that) you see is big.
Nosotros fuimos a un restaurante que es caro. We went to a restaurant that is expensive.
Ellos harán el trabajo que ellos tienen. They will do the work (that) they have.
Yo he tomado la medicina que el doctor me dio. I have taken the medicine (that) the doctor gave me.
Yo veo que ese hombre está caminando. I see that that man is walking.
Lo que yo quiero es una casa. What I want is a house.
Una casa es lo que yo quiero. A house is what I want.
Tú no sabes lo que tú quieres. You don't know what you want.
Él tiene que hacer lo que él necesita hacer. He has to do what he needs to do.
Lo que ellos necesitan es algo para comer. What they need is something to eat.
Yo no vi lo que tú me diste. I did not see what you gave me.
Para visualmente mostrar lo que yo quiero decir. To visually show what I want to say.

Notes & Gotchas

  • "I see that that man is walking" → Yo veo que ese hombre… The first que is the conjunction; the second word is ese, a demonstrative.
  • Lo que is movable: Lo que tú quieres, tú no sabes = Tú no sabes lo que tú quieres.
  • Qué with accent = the question word ("what"), never use it as a conjunction.