Spanish Subject Pronouns

Pronouns in Spanish

In English, when talking to people or about people, you often use pronouns like I, you, we, they, and them.

Spanish is the same … with a few twists.

Singular Form

yo
tú
usted (Ud.)
él
ella

I
you (familiar)
you (polite)
he
she

Be careful! Notice that él is spelled exactly the same as el … except for the accent mark over the e. Make sure that whenever you write ‘he‘ you don’t end up inadvertenly writing ‘the.’

Plural Form

nosotros/as
vosotros/as
ustedes (Uds.)
ellos
ellas

we
you (familiar)
you (polite)
they (masculine)
they (feminine)

Which "You" Should You Use?

Ustedes and vosotros are used when you are addressing or talking about other people, not including yourself. It has the same sense in which you would say, “Hey, you guys!”

Por ejemplo:

1. Ustedes son el futuro del país.
- You are the future of the country.

2. Muchas gracias a todos vosotros por su contribución.
- Thank you very much for your contribution.

3. Ellas no tienen sus boletos de avión.
- They (the girls) don’t have their plane tickets.

Helpful Hint:

Spain is one of the only countries where you'll hear the pronoun vosotros commonly used. In most of Central and South America, the pronoun ustedes is used for both plural forms of "you."

A Bit of History: Thou and Thee:

Back in the days of Shakespeare, people used the words “thou” and “thee” to address their friends or loved ones (royals were addressed with the more formal “you” and “ye”).

These familiar forms of “you” have fallen out of use in modern-day English, but Spanish has maintained a distinction between familiar and polite forms of “you.”

The familiar tú
Use the “tú” form of “you” to speak to children, friends, family members, or loved ones in a casual, relaxed way.
The polite usted
Use the “usted” form of “you” when you wish to be polite or show respect. You might use it with strangers, the elderly, teachers, or authority figures.

Por ejemplo:

In the next section we’ll work on the Spanish Verb SER - "To Be"

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