Spanish subject pronouns

A subject pronoun is a personal pronoun used as the subject of a verb. It's a pronoun that identifies who or what is performing the action of a verb. Spanish pronouns are used much like their English counterparts. However, there are still some twists.

The table below shows a list of subject pronouns in Spanish.

Subject pronouns	English	Person	Number/Gender	Formality
yo	I	first person	singular
nosotros	we	first person	plural/masculine
nosotras	we	first person	plural/feminine
tú	you	second person	singular	informal
vos	you	second person	singular	informal
usted	you	second person	singular	formal
ustedes	you all	second person	plural	formal in Spain, both informal and informal in Latin America)
vosotros	you all	second person	plural/masculine	informal (Spain)
vosotras	you all	second person	plural/feminine	informal (Spain)
él	he	third person	singular	masculine
ella	she	third person	singular	feminine
ellos	they	third person	plural	masculine
ellas	they	third person	plural	feminine

Spanish subject pronouns
Subject pronouns in Spanish

Yo

Use "yo" to say "I" in Spanish. It isn't necessary to capitalize yo unless it starts a sentence.

For example:

Yo hablo español - I speak Spanish

Mi mamá y yo fuimos a la tienda - My mom and I went to the store

Tú/Vos/Usted

Unlike in English, Spanish has both formal and informal form of the word "you". While "tú" is used when you are talking to a friend, a child, or a relative, etc, "usted" is used to address someone older, a superior, a person you do not know, or someone you respect.

Él/Ella

Él and ella are used to say he/she in English. They are often used in place of a person's name.

Nosotros/Nosotras

Nostros and nosotras are used to say "We" in English. They are used when you want to speak about a group of which you're a part. The main difference between these two subject pronouns is gender.

While "nosotros" is used to refer to a group of men only or a mixed group of men and women, "nosotras" is used only when the entire group is female. Even if there are nine women and only one man in a group, the group is still considered masculine. And nosotros should be used. So regardless of the size of a group, if it includes just one male, use nosotros.

Vosotros/Vosotras/Ustedes

Vosotros and vosotras are the informal plural "you". However, they are used primarily in Spain. You won't hear them in Latin America. They follow the same rules for gender as nosotros and nosotras.

Ustedes is used in both formal and informal situations to mean "you all" in Latin America. However, in Spain, ustedes is used only in a formal situation.

Ellos/Ellas

Ellos and ellos are used to say "they" in Spanish. The same gender rules in nosotros and nosotras also apply.

In Spanish, subject pronouns can be omitted while they are required in English. This is because the Spanish verb endings show you who the subject is. So they are primarily used for emphasis or clarity.

Spanish subject pronouns