Using que and de que
Hola: Has there been any question or article on the subject of when to use que and when to use de que in the forum? I searched the answers and the articles and could not find any. I am really confused on the rules for this. I did find this article online, but it does not, in my opinion, give a good explanation. http://spanish.about.com/b/2009/06/02/using-que-and-de-que.htm
3 Answers
^ by the way, the link on about.com was really good! I was getting really confused because in English you just say "that" many times when you mean "in which".
To put it another way: in thinking about English, we actually use the same word "that" as a pronoun OR as a conjunction. They are two separate usages. The usage is distinct in Spanish because when you mean "in which", you have to use the "de que". Thanks again.
Thanks, Jennivee, for this post. You´ve given us some great information here. This was helpful....
Almost always, if you can change "that" to "which" and the sentence still makes sense, "that" is being used as a relative pronoun and you should use que. Otherwise, use de que. See how in the following sentences either "which" or "that" makes sense in English (although "that" is preferred by many grammarians):
Es una nación que busca independencia. It is a country that/which is seeking independence.
No hay factores de riesgo que se puedan identificar para la diabetes tipo 1. There are no risk factors that/which can be identified for Type 1 diabetes.
La garantía que brinda General Motors es aplicable a todos los vehículos nuevos marca Chevrolet. The guarantee that/which General Motors offers is applicable to all new Chevrolet-brand vehicles.
And here are some examples of de que being used as a conjunction. Note how the "that" of the English translations can't be replaced by "which":
El calcio reduce el riesgo de que el bebé nazca con problemas de peso. Calcium reduces the risk that the baby is born with weight problems.
Hay señales de alarma de que un niño está siendo abusado. There are warning signs that a child is being abused.
No hay ninguna garantía de que esta estrategia pueda funcionar. There is no guarantee that this strategy can work.
Ecuador admite posibilidad de que jefes de las Farc estén en su territorio. Ecuador is admitting the possibility that FARC leaders are in its territory.
La compañía quiere convencernos de que su producto es ideal para los jugadores empedernidos. The company wants to convince us that its product is idea for hard-core gamers.
