Complex subjects like “The [noun] that I can't [verb] is [verb]”


I am learning Japanese and I was wondering how to say something like this:

> The [noun] that I can't [verb] is [verb].

For example,

> The cat that I can't understand is talking.




Like in English, Japanese nouns can be modified by phrases. The sentence you
gave could be broken into:

  * A cat is talking. ねこはしゃべっている。

  * I don't understand the cat. わたしはねこがわからない。

Combined, they yield:

> The cat **I don't understand** is talking.
>
> **わたしがわからない** ねこは しゃべっている。

As you can see, one can simply prefix the noun with a descriptive phrase. It
simply takes the place of an adjective.

Another example (from [Tae Kim's
Guide](http://www.guidetojapanese.org/learn/grammar/clause)):

> **先週【せんしゅう】映画【えいが】を見【み】た** 人【ひと】は 誰【だれ】？
>
> Who is person who **watched movie last week**?

The noun being modified is also not required to be the subject of the relative
clause:

> これは **わたしのたべる** おにぎり です。
>
> This is the rice ball that **I will eat**.

Note that, as in this example, が is converted to の in relative clauses. That
is a separate topic though.

