que vs lo que

[jrhjazznblues]

I'm sure this question has been asked a thousand times, but can someone explain to me when to use que and when to use lo que?

[Rusty]

The conjunction 'que' introduces a subordinate clause.
This may be translated into English as 'that'. Sometimes English doesn't translate it.
Sé que me gusta hablar con ella. = I know (that) I like to talk with her.
(The subordinate clause is everything after '(that)' and it's acting as the English direct object in the sentence.)

'lo que' is a pronoun and a conjunction. It can usually be translated into English as 'the thing that' or 'the thing which' or 'that which' instead of just 'what', which may be why you're confused.
The pronoun refers to something already said or an idea or an abstract.
Lo que vi me asustó. = What I saw scared me. (See how you can substitute 'the thing that/which' or 'that which' instead of 'what'?)

The conjunction 'que' doesn't have an accent mark. So, neither does 'lo que', since it is a pronoun and a conjunction. (I changed your thread title.)


The word 'qué' is either the interrogative 'what' or the exclamation 'how'.
¿Qué quieres?
¡Qué bonita!