Who is doing it
Subject pronouns say who does the action: yo (I), tú (you), ella (she)…
In Spanish the verb ending already shows the person, so the pronoun is usually left out: Hablo español. means “I speak Spanish”. Use the pronoun only for emphasis or contrast, or when the person would be unclear.
The pronouns
| Person | Spanish | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 1st singular | yo | I |
| 2nd singular | tú | you (informal) |
| 3rd singular | él / ella | he / she |
| formal singular | usted (Ud.) | you (formal) |
| 1st plural | nosotros / nosotras | we |
| 2nd pluralSpain | vosotros / vosotras | you all (informal, Spain) |
| plural “you” | ustedes (Uds.) | you all |
| 3rd plural | ellos / ellas | they |
Tú or usted?
- tú: friends, family, children, people your age, most young people.
- usted: strangers, older people, customers, formal situations.
usted and ustedes take the third-person verb form, like él and ellos: Usted habla, Ustedes hablan.
Examples
- Hablo español.I speak Spanish.No yo: the ending -o already means “I”.
- Ella es de Ucrania y él es de México.She is from Ukraine and he is from Mexico.Pronouns for contrast.
- ¿Usted es el señor García?Are you Mr García?
- ¿Tú también estudias español?Do you (informal) study Spanish too?
- Nosotras vivimos en Madrid.We (women) live in Madrid.
- Ustedes hablan muy bien.You all speak very well.
- Es muy interesante.It is very interesting.Spanish normally uses no subject pronoun for “it”: the verb alone is enough.
Common mistakes
- Wrong:
Yo soy Ana. Yo vivo en Lima. Yo hablo inglés.Right: ✓ Soy Ana. Vivo en Lima. Hablo inglés.Repeating yo sounds unnatural; the verb ending is enough. - Wrong:
Ello es grande.Right: ✓ Es grande.For “it”, use the verb alone. - Wrong:
Usted hablas español.Right: ✓ Usted habla español.usted takes the same verb form as él / ella.