el que
vs
en el que

QUICK ANSWER

"El que" is a phrase which is often translated as "the one that", and "en el que" is a phrase which is often translated as "in which". Learn more about the difference between "el que" and "en el que" below.

el que

A phrase is a group of words commonly used together (e.g., once upon a time).

phrase

1. (masculine, singular)

a. the one that

¿Cuál es tu carro? - El que está estacionado junto al árbol.Which one is your car? - The one that is parked by the tree.

b. whichever

¿Qué camino elijo? - El que elijas te llevará a la aventura.What path should I choose? - Whichever you choose will take you on an adventure.

c. the one who (person)

El que pestañee primero pierde.Whoever blinks first loses.

d. whoever (person)

Chicos, el que salga último tiene que cerrar la puerta con llave.Guys, whoever leaves last has to lock the door.

en el que(

ehn

ehl

keh

)

A phrase is a group of words commonly used together (e.g., once upon a time).

phrase

1. (general)

a. in which (thing)

La FAO organizó un simposio en el que participaron personalidades de todo el mundo.The FAO organized a symposium in which important figures from all over the world took part.

b. on which (thing)

A continuación, voy a explicar el principio en el que se basa esta teoría.I'm going to explain now the principle on which this theory is based.

c. in whom (person)

Al menos tienes un amigo en el que puedes confiar.At least you have a friend in whom you can trust.

d. where (place)

El lugar en el que nos encontramos ahora, era el aposento real.The place where we are now, used to be the royal chamber.

e. when (time)

El día en el que ocurrió el accidente, yo no estaba aquí.I wasn't here the day when the accident happened.

The following examples show ways to translate this word or phrase without using a direct equivalent.

no direct translation

El concierto en el que estuvimos anoche fue genial.The concert we went to last night was great.

No te puedes imaginar el lío en el que me vi metido por no decir la verdad.You can't imagine how much trouble I got into for not telling the truth.