Subject pronouns

1
Personal Subject Pronouns
(Los pronombres personales de sujeto)
2
The subject pronouns
(Los pronombres de sujeto)
yo I
Yo is used when I refer to myself Yo soy
profesor.
Unlike the English I, yo is only capitalized at
the beginning of a sentence.
tú you
Tú is the proper form of address for close
friends and colleagues, family members, children,
and God. It is sometimes called the familiar
you.
Tú is used to address someone else directly Tú
eres estudiante.
usted you
Usted is the proper form of address for everyone
not included in the previous paragraph. It is
sometimes called the formal you. It is
abbreviated Ud. or Vd.
Usted is another way to address someone else
directly Usted es doctor.
3
The subject pronouns
(Los pronombres de sujeto)
él he
Él is used when we talk about a male person Él
es mi amigo.
ella she
Ella is used when we talk about a female person
Ella es mi hermana.
4
The subject pronouns
(Los pronombres de sujeto)
nosotros we
Nosotros has a feminine form, nosotras, which is
used when the speaker and all other members of
the group are female. If a single male (or more
than one) joins the group, the form reverts back
to nosotros.
Nosotros is used when I refer to others and
include myself in the group Nosotros somos
norteamericanos.
vosotros you (all)
Vosotros also has a feminine form, vosotras,
which is used to address a group consisting
entirely of females. It is the plural equivalent
of tú and is used exclusively in Spain, never in
the Americas. Again, as with nosotros, if one or
more males join the group, the form reverts back
to vosotros.
Vosotros is used to address a group of people
Vosotros sois españoles.
5
The subject pronouns
(Los pronombres de sujeto)
ustedes you (all)
Ustedes is another way to address a group of
people Ustedes son muy amables.
Ustedes is, of course, the plural form of usted
and is used throughout the Hispanic world as
such. However, since Spanish speakers in the
Americas do not use vosotros, it serves also as
their plural of tú. It is abbreviated Uds. or
Vds.
Note Modern English has no plural of you, so
English speakers are obliged to say you all (or
in the deep south, yall). Others may use you
guys or in some areas youse, but none of these
is considered acceptable in a formal sense.
6
The subject pronouns
(Los pronombres de sujeto)
ellos they
Ellos is used when we talk about a group of
people, either all males or a mixture of males
and females Ellos son mis compañeros de clase.
ellas they
Ellas is used when we talk about a group
comprised exclusively of females Ellas son mis
hermanas. Just as with nosotros and vosotros,
if a male is added to the group, the form reverts
to ellos.
Of course, English has no feminine form for
they.
7
The subject pronouns a summary
Singular
Plural
yo
nosotros / nosotras
tú
(vosotros / vosotras)
usted (Ud.)
ustedes (Uds.)
él
ellos
ella
ellas
8
FIN