Subject pronouns tell us who is doing what, how, to whom, etc. The following is the complete list of subject pronouns in Spanish. Notice how the pronoun changes depending on whether the subject is masculine or feminine:
Subject pronouns
Singular
Plural
yo (I)
nosotros, nosotras (we)
tú (you)
vosotros, vosotras (you plural)
usted (you formal), Vd.
ustedes (you plural formal), Vds.
él, ella (he, she)
ellos, ellas (they)
Vd. = usted; Vds. = ustedes
Remember that Spanish subject pronouns mark number, gender and familiarity. "Yo" and" tú" are invariable, but the gender can only be determined from other markers. You can click here to practice subject pronouns.
You´ve probably seen that "you" has two forms in Spanish: an informal (tú), and a formal one (usted). "Usted" is more formal and is generally used to express courtesy or respect for people or authority. "Tú" is more familiar and we use it with friends, relatives, and people with whom we have certain degree of familiarity. The same occurs in the plural form: "vosotros" is used to address people in an informal way, and "ustedes" in formal occasions. (NOTE: Throughout Latin America "ustedes" is used most of the time; in Spain, however, "vosotros" is frequently used in formal and informal situations. "Ustedes" is becoming an obsolete form to address a group of people in Spain.) As a general rule, use "tú" in a context in which you address someone by their Christian name, and use "usted" in more formal situations.
In Spanish the subject pronoun is often omitted; this is so because the verb endings provide us with the necessary information about the subject. If you were to omit the subject pronouns in the following sentences, the meaning would not change:
No sabía (yo) que (él) vendría tan pronto.
( I didn’t know he would come so soon.)
Siempre decía (él) que (yo) no lo podía hacer.
( He always said I couldn’t do it.)
Aunque (tú) no me esperes,(yo) estaré allí a las doce.
(Even if you don’t wait for me, I shall be there at 12.)
Si (tú) lo dices, (yo) te creo.
(If you say so I believe you.)
(Tú) no has visto a Marta.
(You haven’t seen Marta.)
Although in general subject pronouns can be positioned fairly flexibly, there are cases in which they must take fixed positions in the sentence.
- In questions, they come after the verb:
¿Por qué lo haces tú? (Why are you doing it?)
¿Vienes tú o no vienes? (Are you coming or not?)
- After certain adverbs they come after the verb:
Apenas había salido él cuando llegué yo. (He had only just left when I arrived.)
Quizás lo sepas tú. ( Perhaps you know.)
Personal pronouns can also be combined with the words mismo/a, propio/a, propio/a, and solo/a for emphasis, as follows:
Lo hice yo misma. (I did it myself.)
Vine yo solo. (I came on my own.)
Lo dijo él mismo. (He said it himself.)
"Él", "ella", "ellos" and "ellas" only refer to human beings (and animals in some instances). When referring to objects, either the prononun is omitted altogether, or a demonstrative pronoun is used:
Ésta es mi casa. Es antigua.
(This) is my house. It is old.
"Ello" is the neuter form fo the third person. It belongs to a rather literary style and is not generally used orally:
No tienen dinero, pero ello no quita que sean generosos.
(They have no money, but this doesn’t mean they are not generous.)
Le dolía la cabeza, pero ello no le impidió trabajar.
(She had a headache, but this did not stop her from working.)
In Spanish you can make remarks in a depersonalized way by
using the third person:
Se hace lo que se puede. (One does what one can.)
Uno dice lo que sabe (One says what one knows.)
In colloquial Spanish the second person may be used when making
a general remark as an appeal for comprehension by the listener:
Lo haces con buena intención y no te lo agradecen.
(You do it with the best of intentions and they don’t thank you for it.)
People representing a higher authority (monarchs, popes) sometimes use the third person plural when addressing a group of people:
