The Spanish relative cuyo is a fascinating element of grammar that connects two clauses while indicating possession. Although it may seem formal to some learners, it is an essential structure to understand for reading literature, academic writing, and even formal speech. In this article, we will explore how cuyo works, its different forms, and several examples that will help you master its use.

Spanish Relative Cuyo

The Spanish relative cuyo means whose in English. It expresses possession and connects a noun to another clause that provides more information about it. The key is that cuyo must agree in gender and number with the noun that follows it, not with the owner.

El autor, cuyo libro leí el año pasado, ganó un premio importante.

The author, whose book I read last year, won an important award.

El ganador, cuyo premio es un millón de dólares, ha dado un discurso esta mañana.

The winner, whose prize is one million dollars, gave a speech this morning.

Here, cuyo agrees with libro (masculine singular).

The Spanish relative cuyo perfectly summarizes this structure because cuyo belongs to the family of relative pronouns used to connect clauses, such as que or el que, but it specifically indicates possession.

Agreement with Cuyo

As mentioned, cuyo agrees with the possessed noun, not the possessor. This means it changes according to gender and number:

SingularPlural
Masculinecuyocuyos
Femininecuyacuyas

El hombre cuyo hermano tiene un coche nuevo está aquí.

The man whose brother has a new car is here.

El artista, cuyos cuadros se venden en todo el mundo, es muy famoso.

The artist, whose paintings are sold all over the world, is very famous.

La mujer, cuya hija estudia medicina en la universidad, vive en mi edificio.

The woman, whose daughter studies medicine at college, lives in my building.

El castillo, cuyas torres se veían desde lejos, pertenecía a un noble antiguo.

The castle, whose towers could be seen from afar, belonged to an ancient noble.

Avoiding Common Mistakes

One common error among learners is using de que instead of cuyo. Although de que may seem like a simpler option, it is grammatically incorrect in this context.

Notice that cuyo replaces the de que and makes the sentence more elegant and grammatically accurate.

El estudiante que la empresa de su padre viene mañana. (INCORRECT)

El estudiante cuyo padre tiene una empresa viene mañana. (CORRECT)

My grandparents, who live in the countryside, have a garden.

Nuestro tío que su hija nos da caramelos de está en el hospital. (INCORRECT)

Nuestro tío cuya hija nos da caramelos está en el hospital. (CORRECT)

Our uncle, whose daughter gives us sweets, is in the hospital.

Do not use cuyo when the relationship between the two clauses does not indicate possession. In such cases, other relative pronouns like que, el que, or el cual should be used instead.

Conocí a la mujer cuyo trabaja en esa oficina. (INCORRECT)

Conocí a la mujer que trabaja en esa oficina. (CORRECT)

I met the woman who works in that office.

Estuve con el niño cuyo compró este teléfono. (INCORRECT)

Estuve con el niño que compró este teléfono. (CORRECT)

I was with the kid who bought this phone.

Exercises

To sum up, the Spanish relative cuyo is used to express possession and connect clauses elegantly. It agrees in gender and number with the following noun, not with the possessor, and it is mainly used in formal contexts. Mastering cuyo will help you write and speak with greater grammatical precision and sophistication.

Exercise 1

Exercise 2

Categorized in:

Grammar