Spanish Pronouns
In this lesson you'll learn how to use subject pronouns in the Spanish language. A pronoun is a word that takes the place of a noun or noun phrase. The subject of a sentence refers to who or what the sentence is about.
Object pronouns are covered later in the course and demonstrative pronouns are covered in the lesson This and That.
You'll also learn some common words for people and family members. See the lesson People and Family for more Spanish vocabulary.
This lesson starts with a short conversation in Spanish where Sofía talks about where she lives and her family.
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Read Spanish
Español
Hola. Me llamo Sofía. Vivo en Madrid en un apartamento pequeño. Mis padres viven cerca, así que puedo visitarlos a menudo. Tengo un hermano que vive en Zaragoza. Está casado y tiene un hijo y una hija. Mi hermana vive en Sevilla. Trabaja como médica.
English
Hi. My name is Sofía. I live in Madrid in a small apartment. My parents live nearby, so I can visit them often. I have a brother who lives in Zaragoza. He is married and has a son and a daughter. My sister lives in Sevilla. She works as a doctor.
Personal Pronouns
A personal pronoun is a pronoun that represents a specific person, object, or group. In English these are words such as I, me, it, and them. Spanish pronouns have subject and object forms like in English, but there are also differences in how pronouns are used in Spanish. This lesson covers subbject pronouns.
There are several forms of "you" in Spanish.
- tú is used when talking to one friend or family member. In some parts of Spanish America the word "vos" is used instead.
- vosotros is used in Spain when talking to more than one friend or family member.
- usted (often written as Ud. or in Spain Vd.) is used when talking to one stranger or one person in more formal situations. If you are unsure you should use this form when talking to a person.
- ustedes (often written as Uds. or in Spain Vds.) Is used when talking to more than one stranger or more than one person in more formal situations. In Spanish America it is always used when talking to more than one person.
The following table shows the Spanish subject pronouns.
| Spanish Subject | English |
| yo | I |
| tú | you (one person informal) |
| usted | you (one person formal) |
| él | he, it |
| ella | she, it |
| nosotros, nosotras | we |
| vosotros, vosotras | you (plural informal) |
| ustedes | you (plural formal) |
| ellos, ellas | they |
Note: Nosotros, vosotros, and ellos are used when referring to more than one male, or more than one male and female. Nosotras, vosotras, and ellas are used when talking about females only.
Subject pronouns in Spanish are often omitted. They are still used though for emphasis or to avoid ambiguity. For example to say "I am tired", someone would normally say "Estoy cansado" instead of "Yo estoy cansado".
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Examples
Pronouns can be difficult to master in Spanish. Here are some examples of how to use pronouns correctly.
Soy yo.
|
It's me. (It is I) |
|
Son ellos.
|
It's them. (It is they) |
|
Tú tienes razón.
|
You are right. (Referring to one friend or family member) |
|
Estoy aquí. (pronoun omitted)
|
I'm here. |
|
Solo el gato y yo estamos aquí.
|
Only the cat and I are here. |
|
Ella está cansada.
|
She is tired. |
|
Están cansados. (pronoun omitted)
|
They are tired. |
|
Estamos cansados. (pronoun omitted)
|
We are tired. |
Spanish Vocabulary
In this section you'll learn some common Spanish words for people and family members.
|
el hombre
|
the man |
|
la mujer
|
the woman |
|
la niña
|
the child, the girl |
|
el niño
|
the child, the boy |
|
la madre
|
the mother |
|
el padre
|
the father |
|
la hermana
|
the sister |
|
el hermano
|
the brother |
|
el hijo
|
the son |
|
la hija
|
the daughter |
|
el amigo
|
the friend (male) |
|
la amiga
|
the friend (female) |
Flashcards
Here are some flashcards to help you learn the Spanish words included in this lesson.
Practice
Here are some questions to help you learn Spanish pronouns. Use the familiar forms of you.
| It's me. | |
| Son ellos | |
| It's him. | |
| It's her. | |
| the mother | |
| the father | |
| the friend (m) | |
| the friend (f) | |
| the sister | |
| the son |