Que is a versatile word in Spanish, and its meaning can vary depending on its context. In many cases, que serves as a relative pronoun, introducing a subordinate clause that provides additional information about a noun or pronoun in the main clause.
For example, consider the sentence “El libro que leí ayer era muy interesante” (The book that I read yesterday was very interesting). Here, que is used as a relative pronoun to introduce the subordinate clause “que leí ayer” (that I read yesterday), which provides more information about the noun “libro” (book).
Another way que is commonly used as a relative pronoun is in sentences like “La persona que conocí en la fiesta es muy simpática” (The person who I met at the party is very nice). In this case, que introduces the subordinate clause “que conocí en la fiesta” (who I met at the party), giving additional information about the noun “persona” (person).
Not only does que function as a relative pronoun, but it also acts as a conjunction to connect phrases and clauses. In these cases, que can be translated as “that” or “which” in English. For example, in the sentence “No sabía que tuvieras hermanos” (I didn’t know that you had brothers), que serves as a conjunction connecting the main clause “No sabía” (I didn’t know) with the subordinate clause “tuvieras hermanos” (you had brothers).
It’s worth noting that que can also be used as a conjunction to introduce indirect questions. For instance, in the sentence “No sé qué quieres hacer” (I don’t know what you want to do), que introduces the indirect question “qué quieres hacer” (what you want to do).
Que is a versatile word in Spanish that can function as a relative pronoun or a conjunction. Its meaning and usage depend on the context in which it appears.