Spanish · B2 · Everyday language
Adding the Bigger Reaction in Spanish
This guide focuses on using sentential relative clauses in Spanish. These are used to comment on a whole situation or event mentioned previously, rather than a single object. In Spanish, we use 'lo que' or 'lo cual' to link these ideas, providing a natural way to help children reflect on the impact of their actions or circumstances.
What you'll learn
- Connect a specific action to a broader consequence using relative pronouns.
- Correctly use 'lo que' to refer to a preceding statement or clause.
- Express empathy and logical outcomes in complex sentence structures.
Spanish phrases for adding the bigger reaction
Le dijiste a tu amigo honestamente cómo te sentías, lo que requirió valentía.
You told your friend honestly how you felt, which took courage.
'Lo que' refers back to the entire act of being honest.
El club ha pasado sus reuniones a los viernes, lo cual facilita nuestra planificación.
The club has moved its meetings to Friday, which makes our planning easier.
'Lo cual' is a slightly more formal alternative to 'lo que'.
Consultaste ambas fuentes antes de elegir una, lo que hizo tu argumento más sólido.
You checked both sources before choosing one, which made your argument stronger.
Useful for praising critical thinking and research habits.
Tu grupo cambió el tema en el último minuto, lo que suena frustrante.
Your group changed the topic at the last minute, which sounds frustrating.
Validating emotions by commenting on a situation.
Quieres organizar la visita tú mismo, lo que entiendo perfectamente.
You want to organise the visit yourself, which I understand.
Shows empathy and acknowledgement of their independence.
Todos tuvieron la oportunidad de hablar, lo que importa más que terminar rápido.
Everyone had a chance to speak, which matters more than finishing quickly.
Reinforces values over mere efficiency.
Guardaste el móvil sin que te lo recordaran, lo que nos ayudó a seguir hablando.
You put your phone away without a reminder, which helped us keep talking.
Links a positive behavior to a positive social outcome.
Tu amigo se disculpó delante del grupo, lo que probablemente no fue fácil.
Your friend apologised in front of the group, which probably wasn't easy.
Encourages the child to consider the difficulty of others' actions.
Hear these phrases and practise them
Tildi plays every phrase out loud, tests you in five-minute lessons and builds them into bedtime stories from your own picture books.
Try it free for 7 daysKey words
lo que
which / that which
Used to refer back to an idea or clause, not a specific masculine or feminine noun.
valentía
courage
A noun derived from 'valiente' (brave).
sólido
strong / solid
Often used for arguments or foundations.
frustrante
frustrating
An adjective that remains the same for both masculine and feminine nouns.
Sentential Relative Clauses with 'Lo que'
When 'which' refers to an entire previous statement in English, Spanish uses 'lo que' or 'lo cual'. Since the antecedent is an abstract idea (a clause) rather than a gendered noun, we use the neuter 'lo'.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| General Idea | [Clause] + , + lo que + [Verb] | Llegaste temprano, lo que me sorprendió. |
| Synonym | lo cual | No estudió, lo cual es una lástima. |
More examples
Terminaste tus tareas temprano, lo que significa que podemos ir al parque.
You finished your chores early, which means we can go to the park.
Showing a direct benefit of an action.
No gritaste cuando estabas enfadado, lo que demuestra mucho autocontrol.
You didn't shout when you were angry, which shows a lot of self-control.
Praising emotional regulation.