{"id":97,"date":"2026-09-30T17:09:07","date_gmt":"2026-09-30T16:09:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/leweb2ks.dev\/vitrine-vocadial\/en\/resources\/spanish-pronouns\/"},"modified":"2026-09-30T17:09:07","modified_gmt":"2026-09-30T16:09:07","slug":"spanish-pronouns","status":"publish","type":"vd_ressource","link":"https:\/\/vocadial.com\/en\/resources\/spanish-pronouns\/","title":{"rendered":"Spanish pronouns: subject pronouns, t\u00fa or usted, and object pronouns"},"content":{"rendered":"

The subject pronouns<\/h2>\n\n
Spanish<\/th>English<\/th>Verb form (hablar)<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
yo<\/td>I<\/td>hablo<\/td><\/tr>
t\u00fa<\/td>you (one person, informal)<\/td>hablas<\/td><\/tr>
\u00e9l<\/td>he<\/td>habla<\/td><\/tr>
ella<\/td>she<\/td>habla<\/td><\/tr>
usted<\/td>you (one person, formal)<\/td>habla<\/td><\/tr>
nosotros, nosotras<\/td>we<\/td>hablamos<\/td><\/tr>
vosotros, vosotras<\/td>you (several people, informal, Spain)<\/td>habl\u00e1is<\/td><\/tr>
ellos<\/td>they (masculine or mixed)<\/td>hablan<\/td><\/tr>
ellas<\/td>they (feminine)<\/td>hablan<\/td><\/tr>
ustedes<\/td>you (several people)<\/td>hablan<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n
  1. Accents matter.<\/strong> t\u00fa<\/span> (you) but tu<\/span> (your); \u00e9l<\/span> (he) but el<\/span> (the). Yo<\/span>, ella<\/span>, usted<\/span> never take an accent.<\/li>
  2. Gender in the plural.<\/strong> nosotras<\/span>, vosotras<\/span>, ellas<\/span> are for all-female groups. A mixed group, even one boy among twenty girls, takes the masculine: nosotros<\/span>, ellos<\/span>.<\/li>
  3. Usted<\/span> and ustedes<\/span> take third-person verbs.<\/strong> They come from vuestra merced<\/span>, “your grace”: \u00bfUsted habla ingl\u00e9s?<\/span> Abbreviations: Ud.<\/span> or Vd.<\/span>, Uds.<\/span> or Vds.<\/span><\/li>
  4. No subject pronoun for “it”.<\/strong> Es importante.<\/span> (It’s important.) Llueve.<\/span> (It’s raining.) “\u00c9l es importante” would mean “He is important”.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n

    T\u00fa, usted, vosotros, ustedes, vos<\/h2>\n\n
    <\/th>One person<\/th>Several people<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
    Spain, informal<\/td>t\u00fa<\/td>vosotros, vosotras<\/td><\/tr>
    Spain, formal<\/td>usted<\/td>ustedes<\/td><\/tr>
    Latin America, informal<\/td>t\u00fa, or vos in some countries<\/td>ustedes<\/td><\/tr>
    Latin America, formal<\/td>usted<\/td>ustedes<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n
    1. Vosotros<\/span> is only used in Spain.<\/strong> In Latin America, and also in the Canary Islands and parts of western Andalusia, ustedes<\/span> covers every plural “you”.<\/li>
    2. Usted<\/span> is less frequent in Spain than in much of Latin America.<\/strong> In Spain it is kept for strangers, older people and formal situations. In Colombia or Costa Rica, for example, you may hear usted<\/span> even between friends or within families.<\/li>
    3. Vos<\/span> replaces t\u00fa<\/span> in several countries.<\/strong> It is standard in Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay, and widespread in Central America. It has its own verb forms: vos habl\u00e1s<\/span>, vos ten\u00e9s<\/span>, vos sos<\/span>.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n

      For UK pupils: teach t\u00fa<\/span>, usted<\/span>, vosotros<\/span> and ustedes<\/span> actively if your course follows Spain; recognise vos<\/span> when it appears in songs, films or with Argentinian speakers.<\/p>\n\n

      When to use subject pronouns<\/h2>\n\n

      Spanish is a “pro-drop” language: the verb ending already says who is acting, so the pronoun is usually left out. Tengo trece a\u00f1os<\/span> is more natural than “Yo tengo trece a\u00f1os”.<\/p>\n\n

      Use the pronoun:<\/p>\n\n

      • for contrast:<\/strong> Yo juego al f\u00fatbol, pero ella prefiere el baloncesto.<\/span><\/li>
      • for emphasis:<\/strong> \u00a1Lo hago yo!<\/span> (I’ll do it!)<\/li>
      • to avoid ambiguity:<\/strong> habla<\/span> could be he, she or you (formal); Ella habla franc\u00e9s<\/span> settles it.<\/li>
      • alone, with no verb:<\/strong> \u00bfQui\u00e9n quiere empezar?<\/span> \u00a1Yo!<\/span> \u00bfY t\u00fa?<\/span><\/li><\/ul>\n\n

        A pupil who puts yo<\/span> before every verb sounds insistent or foreign. That is a useful thing to say to pupils once they are confident.<\/p>\n\n

        Object pronouns<\/h2>\n\n
        Subject<\/th>Direct object<\/th>Indirect object<\/th>Reflexive<\/th>After a preposition<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
        yo<\/td>me<\/td>me<\/td>me<\/td>m\u00ed (conmigo)<\/td><\/tr>
        t\u00fa<\/td>te<\/td>te<\/td>te<\/td>ti (contigo)<\/td><\/tr>
        \u00e9l, ella, usted<\/td>lo, la<\/td>le<\/td>se<\/td>\u00e9l, ella, usted (consigo)<\/td><\/tr>
        nosotros<\/td>nos<\/td>nos<\/td>nos<\/td>nosotros<\/td><\/tr>
        vosotros<\/td>os<\/td>os<\/td>os<\/td>vosotros<\/td><\/tr>
        ellos, ellas, ustedes<\/td>los, las<\/td>les<\/td>se<\/td>ellos, ellas, ustedes<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n
        1. Before the conjugated verb.<\/strong> Lo veo.<\/span> (I see it or him.) Te quiero.<\/span> Me gusta.<\/span> Negation goes first: No lo s\u00e9.<\/span><\/li>
        2. Attached to infinitives, gerunds and positive commands.<\/strong> Voy a comprarlo<\/span> (or Lo voy a comprar<\/span>), Estoy haci\u00e9ndolo<\/span>, \u00a1D\u00edmelo!<\/span>, with a written accent to keep the stress.<\/li>
        3. Indirect before direct.<\/strong> Me lo das.<\/span> Te la doy.<\/span><\/li>
        4. Le<\/span> and les<\/span> become se<\/span> before lo<\/span>, la<\/span>, los<\/span>, las<\/span>.<\/strong> Se lo doy<\/span>, not “le lo doy”.<\/li>
        5. M\u00ed<\/span> has an accent, ti<\/span> does not.<\/strong> para m\u00ed<\/span>, para ti<\/span>; with con<\/span>: conmigo<\/span>, contigo<\/span>.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n

          Regional note: in much of Spain, le<\/span> is used as the direct object for a male person: Le vi ayer<\/span> for Lo vi ayer<\/span> (I saw him yesterday). This “le\u00edsmo” is accepted by the Real Academia Espa\u00f1ola for a masculine person in the singular; lo<\/span> is correct everywhere.<\/p>\n\n

          Pronouns and conjugation<\/h2>\n\n

          Every Spanish verb table follows the order of the subject pronouns. Three things help pupils:<\/p>\n\n

          • \u00e9l<\/span>, ella<\/span> and usted<\/span> share one verb form; ellos<\/span>, ellas<\/span> and ustedes<\/span> share another. Six endings cover all the pronouns.<\/li>
          • The vosotros<\/span> form is the only one with an accent in the present of regular verbs: habl\u00e1is<\/span>, com\u00e9is<\/span>, viv\u00eds<\/span>.<\/li>
          • The nosotros<\/span> form of -ar and -ir verbs is the same in the present and the preterite: hablamos<\/span>, vivimos<\/span>. Context decides.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n

            Nosotras vamos al cine, \u00bfy vosotros?<\/span>We (girls) are going to the cinema, and you (guys)?<\/small><\/p>\n\n

            \u00bfUsted es la profesora de Ana?<\/span>Are you Ana’s teacher? (formal)<\/small><\/p>\n\n

            Mi hermano me lo ha dado.<\/span>My brother has given it to me.<\/small><\/p>\n\n

            Typical mistakes of English-speaking learners<\/h2>\n\n
            • Yo<\/span> everywhere:<\/strong> “Yo tengo, yo vivo, yo juego”. Drop it unless there is a reason.<\/li>
            • “\u00c9l es lunes” or “Ello es f\u00e1cil”:<\/strong> no pronoun for “it”: Es lunes.<\/span> Es f\u00e1cil.<\/span><\/li>
            • Tu and t\u00fa, el and \u00e9l confused<\/strong> in writing.<\/li>
            • Usted<\/span> with a t\u00fa verb:<\/strong> “\u00bfUsted hablas\u2026?” It is \u00bfUsted habla\u2026?<\/span><\/li>
            • “Yo gusto el f\u00fatbol”:<\/strong> Me gusta el f\u00fatbol<\/span>; the thing liked is the subject.<\/li>
            • “Con m\u00ed”, “con t\u00fa”:<\/strong> conmigo<\/span>, contigo<\/span>.<\/li>
            • Pronoun after the verb:<\/strong> “Veo lo” for Lo veo<\/span>.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n

              In class: the pronoun wheel<\/h2>\n\n

              Pronouns and conjugation are best practised together, quickly and often.<\/p>\n\n

              1. A verb appears, for example tener<\/span>.<\/li>
              2. Point at yourself, at one pupil, at a boy, at a girl, at a group: the class gives the pronoun and the verb form, yo tengo<\/span>, t\u00fa tienes<\/span>, \u00e9l tiene<\/span>\u2026<\/li>
              3. Then drop the pronouns: tengo<\/span>, tienes<\/span>, tiene<\/span>. Pupils hear that the ending is enough.<\/li>
              4. Finish with a real sentence: Tengo dos hermanos. \u00bfY t\u00fa?<\/span><\/li><\/ol>\n\n

                That is exactly what a daily conjugation routine does: a verb is drawn, the class conjugates it person by person, in the present up to A2, then in the preterite at B1 and the subjunctive at B2.<\/p>\n\n

                Adapting to your class<\/h3>\n\n
                • A1<\/b>The subject pronouns with ser<\/span> and tener<\/span>: Yo soy\u2026<\/span>, Ella tiene\u2026<\/span><\/li>
                • A2<\/b>Drop the pronoun; add usted<\/span> and ustedes<\/span>; me gusta<\/span>, te gusta<\/span>.<\/li>
                • B1<\/b>Direct and indirect object pronouns in the preterite: Se lo di ayer.<\/span><\/li>
                • B2<\/b>Pronouns with the subjunctive and commands: Quiero que me lo expliques.<\/span> \u00a1D\u00edmelo!<\/span><\/li><\/ul>\n\n

                  At KS2, a pronoun song with gestures works well. At KS3, insist on dropping yo<\/span> and on accents. At GCSE, object pronouns make answers shorter and far more natural.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                  Yo, t\u00fa, \u00e9l, usted, vosotros, ustedes: Spanish subject pronouns, when to leave them out, object pronouns and word order.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"menu_order":28,"template":"","meta":{"_seopress_titles_title":"Spanish Pronouns: Subject, Object, T\u00fa and Usted | VocaDial","_seopress_titles_desc":"Spanish subject pronouns in a table: yo, t\u00fa, \u00e9l, ella, usted, vosotros, ustedes, vos; when to drop them; object pronouns and word order, for teachers.","_seopress_robots_index":"","_seopress_robots_follow":"","_seopress_robots_imageindex":"","_seopress_robots_snippet":"","_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_robots_breadcrumbs":"","_seopress_robots_freeze_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_custom_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_canonical":"","_seopress_social_fb_title":"","_seopress_social_fb_desc":"","_seopress_social_fb_img":"","_seopress_social_fb_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_height":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_title":"","_seopress_social_twitter_desc":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_height":0,"_seopress_redirections_value":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled_regex":"","_seopress_redirections_logged_status":"","_seopress_redirections_param":"","_seopress_redirections_type":0,"_seopress_analysis_target_kw":"","_seopress_news_disabled":"","_seopress_video_disabled":"","_seopress_video":[],"_seopress_pro_schemas_manual":[],"_seopress_pro_rich_snippets_disable_all":"","_seopress_pro_rich_snippets_disable":[],"_seopress_pro_schemas":[],"_vd_topic":"pronoms","_vd_target":"es","_vd_module":"rueda","_vd_level":"A1\u2013B1","_vd_minutes":"8","_vd_card_word":"yo, t\u00fa\u2026","_vd_answer":"The Spanish subject pronouns are yo<\/span> (I), t\u00fa<\/span> (you, informal), \u00e9l<\/span> (he), ella<\/span> (she), usted<\/span> (you, formal), nosotros\/nosotras<\/span> (we), vosotros\/vosotras<\/span> (you plural, informal, Spain), ellos\/ellas<\/span> (they) and ustedes<\/span> (you plural). Because the verb ending shows the person, they are usually left out: Hablo espa\u00f1ol<\/span> means \"I speak Spanish\".","_vd_faq":"[{\"q\":\"What are the subject pronouns in Spanish?\",\"a\":\"yo<\\\/span>, t\u00fa<\\\/span>, \u00e9l<\\\/span>, ella<\\\/span>, usted<\\\/span>, nosotros\\\/nosotras<\\\/span>, vosotros\\\/vosotras<\\\/span>, ellos<\\\/span>, ellas<\\\/span> and ustedes<\\\/span>. In some countries vos<\\\/span> replaces t\u00fa<\\\/span>.\"},{\"q\":\"Why are subject pronouns often left out in Spanish?\",\"a\":\"Because the verb ending already shows the person: hablo<\\\/span> can only mean \\\"I speak\\\". The pronoun is used for contrast, emphasis or clarity.\"},{\"q\":\"What is the difference between vosotros and ustedes?\",\"a\":\"In Spain, vosotros<\\\/span> is the informal plural \\\"you\\\" and ustedes<\\\/span> the formal one. In Latin America, ustedes<\\\/span> is used for all plural \\\"you\\\".\"},{\"q\":\"When do you use t\u00fa or usted?\",\"a\":\"T\u00fa<\\\/span> with friends, family, children and classmates; usted<\\\/span> with strangers, older people and in formal situations. Usage varies by country.\"},{\"q\":\"How do you say \\\"it\\\" in Spanish?\",\"a\":\"As a subject, \\\"it\\\" is not translated: Es interesante.<\\\/span> As an object, it is lo<\\\/span> or la<\\\/span>, depending on the noun's gender: Lo tengo.<\\\/span>\"},{\"q\":\"What is vos in Spanish?\",\"a\":\"An informal \\\"you\\\" used instead of t\u00fa<\\\/span> in Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay and much of Central America, with its own verb forms: vos sos<\\\/span>, vos ten\u00e9s<\\\/span>.\"}]","_vd_key":"pronoms-es","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-97","vd_ressource","type-vd_ressource","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vocadial.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vd_ressource\/97","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vocadial.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vd_ressource"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vocadial.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/vd_ressource"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/vocadial.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vd_ressource\/97\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vocadial.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=97"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}