Pronouns in Spanish.Pronombres personales.

Subject pronouns replace nouns that perform an action or are described by a verb. Spanish subject pronouns show person and number, and some show gender. Because Spanish verb endings often identify the subject, subject pronouns are frequently omitted when the meaning is clear.

Spanish distinguishes informal and formal forms of “you.” Vosotros and vosotras are used mainly in Spain; most of Latin America uses ustedes for plural “you” in both formal and informal situations.

Gender in these pronouns refers to the people or groups being referred to. Use the feminine forms for an all-female group; a mixed-gender group normally takes the masculine plural form.

• Yo: refers to the speaker. Yo soy estudiante. — I am a student.
• Tú: addresses one person informally. Tú eres mi amigo. — You are my friend.
• Usted: addresses one person formally. Usted es el profesor. — You are the teacher.
• Él: refers to one male person. Él es médico. — He is a doctor.
• Nosotros/Nosotras: refers to a group that includes the speaker. Nosotros somos vecinos. — We are neighbors.
• Vosotros/Vosotras: addresses a group informally, mainly in Spain. Vosotros vais al parque. — You all are going to the park.
• Ustedes: addresses a group; it is formal in Spain and is the usual plural “you” form throughout most of Latin America. Ustedes trabajan aquí. — You all work here.
• Ellos/Ellas: refers to a group of males or a mixed-gender group, or to an all-female group, respectively. Ellos estudian español. — They study Spanish.

Spanish verbs are conjugated according to the subject. Regular present-tense verbs use different endings for each person and number. The endings below apply to regular verbs; irregular verbs may have different forms.

Singular forms

First person singular (yo): Remove -ar, -er, or -ir from the infinitive and add -o.

• Yo hablo. — I speak.
• Yo como. — I eat.
• Yo vivo. — I live.

Second person singular, informal (tú): Add -as to an -ar stem and -es to an -er or -ir stem.

• Tú hablas. — You speak.
• Tú comes. — You eat.
• Tú vives. — You live.

Third person singular (él, ella, usted): Add -a to an -ar stem and -e to an -er or -ir stem.

• Él, ella o usted habla. — He, she, or you speak(s).
• Él, ella o usted come. — He, she, or you eat(s).
• Él, ella o usted vive. — He, she, or you live(s).

Plural forms

First person plural (nosotros/nosotras): Add -amos to an -ar stem, -emos to an -er stem, and -imos to an -ir stem.

• Nosotros o nosotras hablamos. — We speak.
• Nosotros o nosotras comemos. — We eat.
• Nosotros o nosotras vivimos. — We live.

Second person plural, informal (vosotros/vosotras): This form is used mainly in Spain. Add -áis to an -ar stem, -éis to an -er stem, and -ís to an -ir stem.

• Vosotros o vosotras habláis. — You all speak.
• Vosotros o vosotras coméis. — You all eat.
• Vosotros o vosotras vivís. — You all live.

Third person plural (ellos, ellas, ustedes): Add -an to an -ar stem and -en to an -er or -ir stem.

• Ellos, ellas o ustedes hablan. — They or you all speak.
• Ellos, ellas o ustedes comen. — They or you all eat.
• Ellos, ellas o ustedes viven. — They or you all live.

The regular present-tense endings can be compared as follows:

Personal pronouns replace nouns and can make sentences less repetitive. In Spanish, however, subject pronouns are often omitted because the verb ending identifies the subject. Speakers include a subject pronoun to contrast or emphasize a subject, or to make the subject especially clear.

• Subject pronouns replace the subject of a sentence. María es profesora. Ella le encanta enseñar. — María is a teacher. She loves teaching.
• Object pronouns replace the object of a verb or preposition. Vi a Juan y le di el libro. — I saw John and gave him the book.
• Possessive forms indicate ownership. Ese es el libro de María; es su libro. — That is María’s book; it is her book.

Pronouns do not always remove ambiguity. For example, Anna le dijo a María que su idea era excelente. — Anna told Maria that her idea was excellent. The possessive su could refer to Anna or María. Repeat the noun or rephrase the sentence when the reference is unclear.

Using pronouns appropriately makes sentences more natural and avoids unnecessary repetition, while choosing the correct form preserves clarity about the person, number, and grammatical role involved.

In Spanish, personal pronouns vary according to their grammatical function. The subject forms below act as the subjects of verbs. Object and possessive forms have different functions and should not be confused with subject pronouns.

Subject pronouns: These forms act as the subject of a verb.

Object pronouns: These forms act as direct or indirect objects. The exact form depends on the grammatical role, person, number, and sometimes gender.

• Me: me
• Te: you, singular informal
• Lo/La: him, it, or her as a direct object
• Le: to him, to her, or to you as an indirect object
• Nos: us
• Os: you all, informal, mainly Spain
• Los/Las: them as a direct object
• Les: to them or to you all as an indirect object

Possessive forms: Possessive adjectives and pronouns show ownership and agree in gender and number with the thing possessed. The forms below show common singular versions; plural forms add -s or -es as appropriate.

Personal pronouns can function as subjects, direct objects, indirect objects, or objects of prepositions. Their position depends on their function and on the verb form.

• Subject pronouns: They commonly appear before the verb, although they may be omitted or placed elsewhere for emphasis. Yo hablo español. — I speak Spanish.
• Direct object pronouns: They normally come before a conjugated verb or attach to an infinitive. La veo. — I see her. Voy a verla. — I am going to see her.
• Indirect object pronouns: They normally come before a conjugated verb or attach to an infinitive. Le doy un regalo. — I give him, her, or you a gift. Voy a darle un regalo. — I am going to give him, her, or you a gift.
• Two object pronouns: When direct and indirect object pronouns occur together, the indirect object pronoun comes first. Se lo doy. — I give it to him, her, or you. Here, le or les changes to se before lo, la, los, or las.

Object and reflexive pronouns can also attach to affirmative commands, gerunds, and infinitives. When attached to a gerund or command, an accent mark may be required to preserve the original stress.

• Dámelo. — Give it to me.
• Estoy haciéndolo. — I am doing it.
• Necesito comprarlo. — I need to buy it.

Reflexive pronouns indicate that the subject performs the action on themself or themselves. They come before a conjugated verb or attach to an infinitive or gerund.

• Me lavo. — I wash myself.
• Voy a lavarme. — I am going to wash myself.
• Estoy lavándome. — I am washing myself.