Subject Pronouns
in Spanish
Los pronombres
Pronoun: A word that
takes the place of a noun.
Examples:
Mike is reading the book.
He is reading the book.
Alicia skates well.
She skates well.
The team plays football.
They play football.
A subject pronoun is simply a
word that functions as the
subject of a sentence – who or
what the sentence is about.
Examples:
We are going to the beach.
It is an exciting game.
They seem to be nice.
Subject pronouns are frequently
organized into a wimpy looking
chart called a verb tree.
(Watch…we’ll draw one.)
That”s
it…That’s all
there is to
drawing a
verb tree!
¡MUY IMPORTANTE!
Spanish has 9 subject pronouns
and 3 of them mean YOU in
English.
It’s not so unusual if you remember that
English used to use words like ye and thee
for you.
So, with 3 words that mean YOU, it’s very
important to learn them and when they’re
used since they’re not interchangeable.
Three ways to say
YOU… here’s number
1
Tú is singular, called the informal
form, and is used when speaking to
a friend, a family member or
someone your age or younger –
anyone you call by their first name.
Three ways to say
YOU… here’s number
2
Usted is singular, called the
formal form, and is used when
speaking to an older stranger,
someone older or someone you
don’t call by their first name .
Three ways to say
YOU… here’s number
3
Ustedes is plural, and is used
when speaking to a more than one
person, somewhat like using “y’all”
in the southern part of the United
States, or “you guys”.
A quick review…
Try and remember how the word is used,
before the answer appears.
Tú means you when you talking
to one person, a friend or a
family member.
Usted means you when talking to an
older person you don’t call by
their first name.
Ustedes Means you when talking to
more than one person.
FINALLY! Here are the
Spanish subject pronouns
yo
means
I
tú
means
you
él
ella
usted
means
he
means she
means you
nosotros
means
ellos
ellas
ustedes
means
we
they
means they
means you
That’s
how theythe
all verb
fit into
the verb
tree.
And,
remember
“tree”
we drew?
Oops!
Two things to explain:
First, this
nosotros
means
we
Girls, in a girls only group, use
nosotras
. Notice the –as on
the end. If it’s a mixed group – boys and girls together,
use the nosotros form, with the –os ending.
And, this
ellos
ellas
they
means they
means
There are 2 Spanish words for
they – ellos when talking
about guys and ellas when talking about girls. With both
boys and girls in the group you must use ellos.
¿
How much do you
remember
?
Guess what these pronouns mean before the answer is given.
yo
tú
él
ella
usted
nosotros/as
ellos
ellas
ustedes
I
you - informal
he
she
you - formal
we
they – only guys or a mixed group
they – a group of girls
you - plural
How’d you do?
¿
How much do you
remember
?
Which subject pronoun would you use if
you were speaking to the following people:
tú, usted, or ustedes?
La profesora de arte
Tu papá
Los amigos
usted
tú
ustedes
El Señor Allen
usted
Un estudiante
tú
¿
How much do you
remember
?
Which subject pronoun would you use if
you wanted to speak about…
The President
Alicia
él
ella
Miguel y Beto
ellos
You and your friend
The girls
Nosotros or nosotras
ellas
Your assignment
Make 9 flash cards, Spanish on one side and
English on the other. Review them frequently until
you know what they mean by heart.
yo
tú
él
ella
usted
nosotros/as
ellos
ellas
ustedes
I
you – informal, for family & friends
he
she
you – formal, respectful, strangers
we
they – only guys, or a mixed group
they – group of girls
You – plural, “y’all” or “you guys”
Remember: “you” words are for talking to people,
the rest are for talking about people.
Now, sit back, watch and listen
to how these pronouns work with Spanish verbs. Can
you find the one extra pronoun that
is used only in Spain?
PowerPoint created by
Bobb Jackson
Hillside Middle School,
Salt Lake City School District
Pronoun song courtesy of S. Lewis
Porky Pig courtesy of Warner Bros.