An issue about el cual / la cual that I don't understand

Question

Yes this is homework but I am doing it, and just not understanding this part.

Las flores que se cultivan. Las flores las cuales cultivan. I know instinctively it's que because it's that they cultivate. I just don't know why it couldn't also be las cuales. Maybe because you would need a comma to say "Las flores, las cuales se cultivan......" Que strikes me as the answer, but I just don't have the answer to why not las cuales.

Gracias.

Answer 1

Actually, your example is not completed so the choice of relative pronoun could go either way.

Las cuales is correct if you had a clause separated by commas (non restrictive clause), then you would use las cuales. For example

Las flores de México, las cuales ves en la mesa, fueron regalados por mis parientes.

But

Las flores que ves están bonitas.

Oops, I meant ves... :) - Jeremias, Jan 23, 2012

So I'm right about the comma too right? Las flores, Las cuales. A pause or a clause = las cuales, but que because it, well it follows my mindset gained through movies / tv shows. - jeezzle, Jan 23, 2012

Bien hecho, Jeremias! - mountaingirl123, Jan 23, 2012

Answer 2

I like your question. I have trouble with this as well.

I think of el/lo/la/los/las que/cual/cuales as 'those/that which', kind of referring back to something stated earlier.