In Spanish, there are 13 personal pronouns. The personal pronouns are always the subject of a sentence (nominative case).
| Pronoun | Meaning |
|---|---|
| yo | I |
| tú | you |
| usted | you (formal singular) |
| él | he |
| ella | she |
| ello | it |
| nosotros | we (masculine) |
| nosotras | we (feminine) |
| vosotros | you all (masculine informal) |
| vosotras | you all (feminine informal) |
| ustedes | you all (formal) |
| ellos | they (masculine) |
| ellas | they (feminine) |
Examples:
Yo como melón
I eat melon
Él trabaja bien
He works well
In Spanish, you can omit the personal pronouns if the personal pronoun is attached to a verb.
(yo) He estudiado mucho para el examen de geografía
I studied hard for the geography test
*Note:
When there is more than one subject in a sentence, it may be necessary to include personal pronouns in order to avoid confusion. For example, in the sentence below, it is necessary to include the personal pronouns to avoid ambiguity.
Lucía y Raúl están en la biblioteca. Ella estudia medicina y él (estudia) química
Lucía and Raúl are in the library. She studies medicine and he studies chemical
In English, "it" is frequently used. The Spanish equivalent of this is "esto", "eso" or "aquello" (NOT "ello", which is used to replace a specific noun).
In English, there are no formal pronouns. In Spanish, there are two: "usted" (singular) and "ustedes" (plural).
When do you use the formal pronouns?
Latin Americans and Canarian people don't frequently use the pronouns "tú" or "vosotros". Instead they use "usted" or "ustedes" in both formal and informal contexts.
Summary of plural pronouns:
| Only Males | Mix (Males and Females) | Only Females |
|---|---|---|
| Nosotros Vosotros Ellos | Nosotros Vosotros Ellos | Nosotras Vosotras Ellas |
This is:
"Nosotras", "vosotras" and "ellas": is used if there are only females.
"Nosotros", "vosotros" and "ellos": is used if there are only males or a mix of males and females.