Personal Pronouns

Personal pronouns in Spanish, or "Los Pronombres Personales", are used to substitute for nouns referring to people or things. This guide will provide a clear understanding of Spanish personal pronouns, their forms, and how to use them effectively.

Personal pronouns in Spanish take different forms based on their function in the sentence. They can act as subjects, objects, or show possession. The correct use of personal pronouns is essential for clear communication.

Forms of Personal Pronouns

Subject Pronouns

Subject pronouns replace the subject of a sentence. They indicate who is performing the action.

Singular:

• yo (I)

  Yo soy estudiante. (I am a student.)

• tú (you, informal)

  Tú vas al mercado. (You go to the market.)

• él (he), ella (she), usted (you, formal)

  Él corre en el parque. (He runs in the park.)
  Ella lee un libro. (She reads a book.)
  Usted es muy amable. (You are very kind.)

Plural:

• nosotros (we, masculine or mixed gender), nosotras (we, feminine)

  Nosotros jugamos fútbol. (We play soccer.)
  Nosotras vamos de compras. (We go shopping.)

• vosotros (you all, masculine or mixed gender, informal, Spain), vosotras (you all, feminine, informal, Spain)

  Vosotros estáis invitados. (You all are invited.)
  Vosotras sois amigas. (You all are friends.)

• ellos (they, masculine or mixed gender), ellas (they, feminine), ustedes (you all, formal or plural informal outside of Spain)

  Ellos ven la televisión. (They watch TV.)
  Ellas estudian juntas. (They study together.)
  Ustedes tienen la palabra. (You all have the floor.)

Object Pronouns

Object pronouns take the place of nouns that receive the action of the verb. They can be direct (receiving the action directly) or indirect (receiving the action indirectly).

Direct Object Pronouns:

• me (me)

  Ella me ve. (She sees me.)

• te (you, informal)

  Yo te llamo. (I call you.)

• lo (him, it, you formal masculine), la (her, it, you formal feminine)

  Lo encontré. (I found him/it.)
  La compramos. (We bought her/it.)

• nos (us)

  Ellos nos observan. (They watch us.)

• os (you all, informal, Spain)

  Os escribimos una carta. (We write you all a letter.)

• los (them masculine or mixed gender, you all formal masculine), las (them feminine, you all formal feminine)

  Los invito. (I invite them/you all.)
  Las vemos mañana. (We see them/you all tomorrow.)

Indirect Object Pronouns:

• me (to/for me)

  Él me da el libro. (He gives me the book.)

• te (to/for you, informal)

  Te envío los documentos. (I send you the documents.)

• le (to/for him, her, you formal)

  Le escribo una nota. (I write him/her/you a note.)

• nos (to/for us)

  Nos cuentan su historia. (They tell us their story.)

• os (to/for you all, informal, Spain)

  Os traemos regalos. (We bring you all gifts.)

• les (to/for them, you all)

  Les ofrecemos ayuda. (We offer them/you all help.)