In a previous post, we introduced the general aspects of Spanish verb conjugations. Among them, we mentioned the four variables that play a crucial role in such conjugations: person, number, mood and tense. In this post, we will look into the person. You will learn about Spanish pronouns and how they vary with each grammatical person.
Let’s start off by defining the concepts.
Spanish Pronouns
Pronouns are words that stand for a noun. They have several characteristics. For instance, they don’t express a fixed concept by themselves. If you think about the pronoun “I” (yo in Spanish), it doesn’t represent a unique individual by itself. Its reference is directly related to the speaker. So pronouns replace the name of a being that is or has been thought of or expressed.
Both in Spanish and English, we use pronouns to simplify our expression. They give us the flexibility to talk about someone or something without having to call its name every time. In Spanish grammar, pronouns are studied (and used) in two ways: as nouns and as adjectives. And they are classified in six categories: personal, possessive, demonstrative, relative, indefinite, interrogative, and numeral. We will dive deeper into this in a next post, right now we will focus on the personal and possessive forms. Because they are the ones that help us understand the grammatical person variations.
Let’s get into a little digression on personal pronouns. In Spanish, this kind of pronouns are classified in two forms: tónicos and átonos. To understand the sense in which these forms are called, think about the English definition of the word «tonic». In the grammatical sense, Merriam Webster Dictionary defines it this way: (of a syllable) bearing a principal stress or accent. But think of this not only as the particular accent in pronunciation, but as the emphasis it represents within a statement.
So, tonic personal pronouns are those that can stand for the subject by themselves. Atonic personal pronouns are those that only work as a complement.
Spanish grammatical person
The grammatical person states to whom the speaker or subject of the sentence is referring to. Both in English and in Spanish, we have 3 forms of grammatical person.
The first person is when the subject is referring to itself (I, me, we, us). The second person is when the subject is referring to another subject that is also involved in the action expressed in the sentence (you). The third person is when the speaker is referring to someone who is not directly involved in the action of the sentence (he, she, him, her, it, they, them).
Now, let’s mix it up!
(Pronunciation tip: in Spanish, the letter “e” is pronounced with the short “e” sound, as in “best”, “end”, “men”. Here is a useful article on vowel pronunciation in Spanish.)
Spanish personal pronouns
| SPANISH SINGULAR | SPANISH PLURAL | ||
| 1st person | Tonic | yo (I) | Nosotros (masculine for us, we) |
| mí (me [reflexive]) | |||
| conmigo (with me / by myself [reflexive]) | Nosotras (feminine for us, we) | ||
| Atonic | me* | nos* | |
| 2nd person | Tonic | tú (you) | vosotros (you) |
| vos (you) | |||
| usted (you) | |||
| ti (you) | ustedes (you) | ||
| contigo (with you, by yourself [reflexive]) | |||
| Atonic | te* | os* (neutral gender) | |
| los* (masculine) | |||
| las* (feminine) | |||
| les* (neutral gender) | |||
| 3rd person | Tonic | él (he, him) | ellos (masculine for they / them) |
| ella (she, her) | ellas (feminine for they / them) | ||
| ello (it) | sí (himself, herself, itself [reflexive]) | ||
| sí (himself, herself, itself [reflexive]) | consigo (with him / her / it, by himself / herself / itself [reflexive]) | ||
| consigo (with him / her / it, by himself / herself / itself [reflexive]) | |||
| Atonic | le* (neutral gender) | les* (neutral gender) | |
| lo* (masculine) | los* (masculine) | ||
| la* (feminine) | las* (feminine) | ||
| se* (neutral gender) | se* (neutral gender) |
*These forms don’t have a literal translation. The function they fulfill in Spanish is usually implied by syntax in English.
Spanish possessive pronouns
Possessive pronouns, as the name says, express possession. To set them out on a chart, we have to consider several variables. For instance, is the possessor one single individual or are they many? Then, is the possessed object one or many? And finally, their corresponding gendered forms.
|
SPANISH POSSESSIVE OBJECTS |
||||||
|
One |
Several / many |
|||||
|
Spanish masculine and neutral |
Spanish feminine | Spanish masculine and neutral |
Spanish feminine |
|||
| POSSESSORS |
One |
1st person |
mío (mine) / mi (my) | mía (mine) | míos (mine) / mis (my) | mías (mine) |
|
2nd person |
tuyo or suyo (yours) / tu or su (your) | tuya or suya (yours) | tuyos or suyos (yours) / tus or sus (your) | tuyas or suyas (yours) | ||
|
3rd person |
suyo (his, its) / su (his, its) | suya (hers) | suyos (his, its) / sus (his, its) | suyas (hers) | ||
|
Several / many |
1st person |
nuestro (our, ours) | nuestra (our, ours) | nuestros (our, ours) | nuestras (our, ours) | |
|
2nd person |
vuestro or suyo (yours) | vuestra or suya (yours) | vuestros or suyos (yours) | vuestras or suyas (yours) | ||
|
3rd person |
suyo (theirs) / su (their) | suya (theirs) | suyos (theirs) | suyas (theirs) | ||
In future posts, we will look into the particular uses of each of these forms. You shouldn’t feel overwhelmed by these charts, they are a quick guide or an easy reference in your learning process. What you really need to remember is that practice is the best way to master a new language. Immerse yourself in the Spanish language and you’ll find it easier every day. Join our Spanish conversation program today!