The Best Guide to Spanish Subject Pronouns

Let’s talk about the Spanish subject pronouns! 👀

Yo, tú, él, ella… You’ve definitely seen these ones before! In Spanish, we call them subjective pronouns. And as a Spanish student, pronouns will be one of the first topics to be covered.

Pronouns are one of the first things we check in a free Spanish Roadmap Session, because everything after them depends on getting them right.

Similar to their English counterparts (“I”, “you”, “he”, “she”), the Spanish subject pronouns tell you who or what the subject is in a sentence. But unlike English, Spanish doesn’t always use pronouns. For example, while in English we may say “We are going to the movies”, in Spanish it can be both Nosotros vamos al cine and Vamos al cine. Or another example: “I am going to the supermarket this afternoon”. You can say Yo voy al supermercado esta tarde or Voy al supermercado esta tarde.

Watch the video to learn about subjective pronouns in Spanish, and read more below:

Spanish subject pronouns 101

The subject pronouns or los pronombres personales in Spanish, tell you who is the subject of a verb – be it a person, thing, or place. Important to note: the verb and the subject agree in person (first, second, or third) and number (singular or plural). So while in some sentences the subject pronoun will be absent, you’ll know what pronoun it is based on the verb.

Subject pronouns in Spanish

• Yo (I): Yo tengo 27 años. (I am 27 years old.)
• Tú (you, singular, informal): Tú eres muy inteligente. (You are very intelligent.)
• Usted (you, singular, formal): ¿Quiere usted algo? (Would you like something?)
• Él (he): Él es muy divertido. (He is very funny.)
• Ella (she): Ella estudia biología. (She studies biology.)
• Nosotros (we, masculine) / Nosotras (we, feminine): Nosotros/nosotras vamos a ganar. (We are going to win.)
• Vosotros (you, plural, masculine) / Vosotras (you, plural, feminine): Vosotros sois muy guapos. / Vosotras sois muy guapas. (You are very pretty.)
• Ustedes (you, plural, formal): ¿De dónde son ustedes? (Where are you from?)
• Ellos (they, masculine) / Ellas (they, feminine): Ellos/ellas tienen hambre. (They are hungry.)

REMEMBER: The subject pronoun will tell how the verb is conjugated and the gender of any adjectives attached to it (for example, vosotros sois guapos and vosotras sois guapas.)

That’s all folks! If you want more Spanish lessons, download our free Spanish conversation course ebook, sign up for our weekly newsletter, and don’t forget to check out our upcoming Day of the Dead trip to Mexico! Thanks ❤️

Build on a solid foundation

Subject pronouns are simple, and having them automatic is what makes the rest easier. Book a free Spanish Roadmap Session and we’ll find out what’s solid and what needs another pass.