Spanish+subject+Pronouns

__Subject Pronouns__

Subject pronouns are located in the //Avancemos I// book on page 37. If you do not have a book, don't worry, the information and links below are enough to help you learn all of the subject pronouns well.

Pronouns are used to take the place of nouns. Proper nouns, or names, are often replaced by subject pronouns. Subject pronouns, as the name implies, are used to show who is the subject of the sentence. Here is an example of a proper noun that is replaced with a subject pronoun.

Joe sees the dog. (Joe is a proper noun) He sees the dog. (He is a subject pronoun that replaces the proper noun "Joe")

Because Spanish has different subject pronouns based on gender, number and familiarity , there are more Spanish subject pronouns than English.

Gender is based on whether the pronoun refers to males, a mixed group or all females. If the pronoun refers to all males or a mixed gender group, the masculine pronoun is used. If the pronoun refers to all females, the feminine pronoun is used.

Number is another factor when using subject pronouns. There is a set of subject pronouns for singular subjects and another for plural subjects. Therefore, unlike English, Spanish has a singular "you" subject pronoun and a plural "you" subject pronoun. In English, we use "you" whether we are referring to one person or more than one.

Familiarity is based on how you would address the person. Spanish has a different pronoun for you-familiar, or informal than for you-formal. Generally, if you would call the person by a title (Mr., Ma'am, Pastor, etc.), if the person is older than you or if you do not know the person, use the formal. The informal is used with people whom you would call by their first name such as friends, family members and people younger than you. A good rule of thumb is to use the formal if you are in doubt because no one will be offended if you are more formal than you have to be.

Now let's look at the subject pronouns.

Singular subject pronouns:

Yo = I Tú = You, familiar or informal (for friends, family & children) Él = He Ella = She Usted = You, formal (used with people you do not know, or want to show respect to) Usted is often abbreviated, Ud.

Plural subject pronouns:

Nosotros = We (all males or a mixed group of males and females) Nosotras = We (only females ) Vosotros = You, plural & informal (This form is used in Spain and Argentina only and is skipped in discussions on subject pronouns because using the formal plural "you" pronoun is accepted everywhere.) Vosotras = You, plural, informal and feminine (again, Spain and Argentina only) Ellos = They (all males or a mixed gender group) Ellas = They (all females ) Ustedes = You, plural (in most Spanish-speaking countries, you plural is neither formal or informal. In Spain and Argentina, Ustedes (abbreviated, Uds.) is used for formal "you plural " and vosotros is used for "you, plural & informal ")

Here are some links to other websites with more information about subject pronouns:

[|StudySpanish.com]

[|YouTube]