Modern Spanish Grammar: A Practical Guide

Definite article + que and de4.3but:en Españaen (el) Perúen la España de la posguerrain Spainin Peruin postwar SpainThe article is retained in names of countries which have a complex title, though losEstados Unidos may drop the article (in which case it is treated as singular):en los Emiratos Árabes Unidosin the United Arab Emiratesen (los) Estados Unidosin the United StatesEstados Unidos ha declarado que . . .The United States has said that . . .(g) With names of languages:The definite article is used with names of languages except after hablar ‘to speak’, saber‘to know’ and the preposition en ‘in’:El japonés es muy difícil.Japanese is very difficult.¿Sabes español?Do you know Spanish?Traducir al inglés.Translate into English.but: Hablo japonés.en rusoI speak Japanese.in RussianAfter aprender ‘to learn’, entender ‘to understand’ and estudiar ‘to study’, the definitearticle is also usually omitted.37.3 (p. 224); 40.3 (p. 240)4.3Definite article + que and deThe forms of the definite article are also used with que and with de.4.3.1El que, la que, los que and las que form one of the relative pronouns (see 11); they alsohave the meaning of ‘he, (etc.) who’:Los que habían perdido el bolígrafo no podían escribir.Those who had lost their pens could not write.Este niño es el que viste entrar ayer.This little boy is the one you saw coming in yesterday.El que, etc., also has the meaning ‘the fact that’:21