Pronombres de sujeto

[subject pronouns]

When do I use them?

Subject pronouns are used to replace nouns referring to people. You will use them all the time!

  • Marty --> he

  • Carol --> she

  • Marty and Carol --> they

When do I learn them?

-Originally learned in: Spanish I

-May be revisited in: Spanish II, Spanish III


Understanding the layout of the chart

There are two things you need to understand in order for the subject pronoun chart (and verb charts) to make sense:

  1. PERSPECTIVE: On the far left hand column, you see 1st person, 2nd person, and 3rd person going from the top to the bottom. They will always be in this order!

    1. When someone is talking in first person, they are talking about themself, and would therefore refer to themself as "I". The Twilight books were written in first person (Bella refers to herself as "I").

    2. When someone is talking in the second person, they are aiming the information at "you" (the reader). Self-help books and instructions are written in second person and say things like, "Next, you add in the chocolate chips."

    3. When something is in third person, all people/characters are referred to has "he" or "she". Harry Potter is written in third person--Harry is referred to as "he," and Hermione is referred to as "she".

  2. NUMBER: You will see that above the subject pronouns we have the labels "singular" (on the left) and "plural" (on the right). Singular and plural subjects will always appear in that position. Once more than one person is involved, you have to slide over to the right hand column to look at the plural subject.

    1. Let's say we are looking at the "I" subject. It is first person singular. Once I add someone to my group, I would now slide to the right and say "we" to refer to all of us.

    2. If I were talking to "you" and then your friend joined, I would now have to address the group as "y'all" or "you all."

    3. If Luna was by herself, she would be "she", but once Dobby joins, we slide over and now use the subject pronoun "they".

Examples:

  • My friends and I --> nosotros / nosotras

    • The "I" part puts us in first person singular, and the "my friends" pushes us to the plural side

  • Ryan and the dogs --> ellos

    • Ryan is 3rd person singular, but ones we add the dogs in, we need to go to the plural side

  • You (a pal) and your sister --> vosotros (in Spain), ustedes (elsewhere)

    • A "you" you are close to would be 2nd person singular, but once we add your friends in, we switch to the plural side

Talking about people v. talking to people

  • When talking ABOUT people, you will use the subject pronouns highlighted in yellow (yo, nosotros, él, ella, ellos).

  • When talking TO people, you will use the subject pronouns highlighted in blue (tú, vosotros, usted, and usted). If you notice, 2 of those mean "you" and the other two are some form of "y'all / you all". Find out more below about when to use each one.

    • "Vosotros" is only used in Spain, but we will practice it in class just for fun!

tú v. Usted (ud.)

Both mean "you", so how do we know when to use each one when talking to others?

GENERAL RULES:

  • tú (informal) --> when you are addressing a family member of a similar age, someone younger than you, a good friend

  • Ud. (formal) --> when you are addressing a stranger, someone older than you, older relatives, respected people in the community

For more specific rules, consult the flowchart below!