When you want to emphasize or draw attention to a word or a group of words in a sentence, you use the emphatic turn.

The verb SER is conjugated according to the time and the subject to which it is attached.

Examples :

• Erastu quien ganaste la semana pasada ==> You won last week.
• Soyyo quien mando aquí ==> I’m in charge here.
• Erestu quien mandas aquí ==> You’re in charge here.

WARNING: the agreement of the tense is not an absolute rule. Indeed, when the relative is in the future or
past tense, the PRESENT tense can be used.

Examples :

• Soy yo quien te cuidaré ==> I will take care of you.

Here, the verb SER is conjugated in the present tense while the relative is in the future tense.

• Es Maria quien te lo ha dicho ==> Maria told you.

Here, the verb SER is conjugated in the present tense while the relative is in the past tense.

II. Choice of relative pronoun

* If the antecedent is a man, the relative pronoun can be: EL QUE or QUIEN

• Fue George Lucas el que produjo Star Wars ==> It was George Lucas who produced Star Wars.

* If the antecedent is a woman, the relative pronoun can be LA QUE or QUIEN

• Es la profesora quien me dio la mejor calificación ==> It was the teacher who gave me the best mark.

* If the antecedent is a group of men, the relative pronoun can be: LOS QUIEN or QUIENES

• Son ellos quienes ganaron el partido ==> They are the ones who won the match.

* If the antecedent is a group of women, the relative pronoun can be : LAS QUIEN or QUIENES

• No son siempre las mujeres las quien cocinan ==> It is not always the women who cook.

* If the antecedent is an object, we use EL QUE, LA QUE, LAS QUE, or LOS QUE depending on whether the object is masculine, feminine, singular or plural. For an object we never use QUIEN or QUIENES

• Son esos zapatos los que me gustan ==> I like these shoes.

* In a circumstantial of time, we use CUANDO

• Fue en este momento cuando entendí que no la volvería a ver ==> It was at that moment that I realized I wasn’t going to see her again.

* In a circumstantial of place, we use DONDE

• Es aquí donde nos vimos por primera vez ==> It was here that we saw each other for the first time.

* In a circumstantial of manner, we use COMO

• Fue así como aprendí ==> That’s how I learned.

III. Special cases

* In a causal circumstance, we use POR LO QUE or POR LA QUE

• Es por el Coronavirus por lo que no podía salir de casa ==> It was because of the Coronavirus that I couldn’t leave my house.

* In a circumstantial of purpose, we use PARA LO QUE or PARA LA QUE

• Ha sido para el para lo que hice todo ese trabajo ==> It is for him that I did all this work.

HOWEVER, in these last two cases, the turn of phrase seems weird! That’s why it’s customary to lighten the wording. So we say instead:

==> Es por el Coronavirus que no podía salir de casa.
==> Ha sido para el que hice todo ese trabajo.

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