Spanish - Pronouns
Subject Pronouns
| English | Subject | Object Direct | Object Indirect |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | yo | me | me |
| you | tú | te | te |
| you | usted | lo / la | le |
| he | él | lo | le |
| she | ella | la | le |
| we | nosotros (-as) | nos | nos |
| you | vosotros (-as) | os | os |
| you | ustedes | los / las | les |
| they | ellos | los | les |
| they | ellas | las | les |
usted: you formaltú: you informal (familiar)ustedes: you-all formalvosotros: you-all familiar
vosotros form is used primarily in Spain. Throughout Latin America, ustedes is generally used in both formal and informal situations to refer to "you-all".
- In Spain,
vosotrosis used when you are talking to group of friends, peers, pets, children, or close family members. In other words, it is used to address a group of people informally.ustedesis used to address a group of people formally. For example, a group of people older than you or people you don’t know well.
- Most Latin American countries do not use
vosotros,ustedesis used in both informal and formal situations.
el / la
Put el or la before an adjective to avoid repetition.
¿Te gusta el vestido azul o el rojo?
Possessive Pronouns
The Spanish the equivalent of 'mine', 'yours'
| before a noun | without / after a noun |
|---|---|
| mi(s) | mío(s) / mía(s) |
| tu(s) | tuyo(s) / tuya(s) |
| su(s) | suyo(s) / suya(s) |
| nuestro(s) | nuestro(s) |
| nuestra(s) | nuestra(s) |
su
su dinero(her money)su negocio(their business)¡Su café, señor!(Your coffee, sir!)
Object Pronouns
- English: I know you and I buy it.
- Spanish: I you know and I it buy.
E.g.
Yo te conozco.
Use le to say to him, for her, etc; and les to say to/for them.
Compro lamesa para ella. Le compro la mesa.
When there are two verbs in a sentence, like "I want to buy it", you can put it before the first verb or after the second one, but not in between:
Los voy a comer.
Voy a comerlos.
Le quiero decir algo.
Queiro decirle algo.
Te los puedo traer hoy.
Puedo traértelos hoy.
le / les => se
When le or les come before lo, la, los, las, they turn into se.
Le compré un libro y se lo di.
(I bought her a book and I gave it to her.)
se / nos
se / nos = each other. Can also add el uno al otro:
Nos ayudamos.
(We help each other.)
Nos ayudamos el uno al otro.
(We help each other.)
Se conocen.
(They know each other.)
Se conocen el uno al otro.
(They know each other.)
lo, la, los, las
Used before the verb: Ya lo tengo. (I already have it.)
If there are two verbs, and the second one is an infinitive, you can place these small words either before the verb or attach them to the infinitive.
Necesito cebollas y las voy a comprar.
(I need oinions and I am going to buy them.)
Necesito cebollas y boy a comprarlas.
¿Me puedes dar esa mochila?
(Can you give me that backpack?)
¿Puedes darme esa mochila?
me, te, le, nos, les
Used before the verb: Yo le compro un regalo. (I buy him a present.)
yo=>metú=>tenosotros/ nosotras =>nosellos,ellas,ustedes=>se