Yo, tú, él and the plural forms, including vosotros, ustedes and vos. Practise the complete set.
Singular subject pronouns in Spanish
A subject pronoun tells you who does the action. Spanish often omits it: hablo already means I speak.
Tú and usted both address one person, but usted uses third-person verb forms: usted habla. See the common verbs for examples.
Plural Spanish subject pronouns
Use nosotras, vosotras and ellas for all-female groups. The -os forms are the standard grammatical forms for male or mixed groups.
The six verb persons are yo, tú, él/ella/usted, nosotros/nosotras, vosotros/vosotras and ellos/ellas/ustedes.
Ustedes, vosotros and vos
In most of Latin America, ustedes covers plural you in both formal and informal contexts. Spain normally distinguishes informal vosotros from formal ustedes.
Singular vos is a separate regional form, not an abbreviation of vosotros. Compare questions with the question words.
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Quick answer: I is yo, you (singular, informal) is tú, you (singular, formal) is usted, he is él, and she is ella.
| English | Spanish | Say it | Changes to |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | yo | YOH | |
| you (singular, informal) | tú | TOO | For one person in an informal relationship. Tu without the accent means your. |
| you (singular, formal) | usted | oos-TEHD | Uses the same verb form as él and ella; social conventions vary by country. |
| he | él | EL | The accent distinguishes él (he) from el (the). |
| she | ella | EH-yah |
| English | Spanish | Say it | Changes to |
|---|---|---|---|
| we (men or mixed group) | nosotros | noh-SOH-trohs | |
| we (women) | nosotras | noh-SOH-trahs | |
| you all (Spain, men or mixed group) | vosotros | boh-SOH-trohs | |
| you all (Spain, women) | vosotras | boh-SOH-trahs | |
| they (men or mixed group) | ellos | EH-yohs | |
| they (women) | ellas | EH-yahs |
| English | Spanish | Say it | Changes to |
|---|---|---|---|
| you all (Latin America; formal in Spain) | ustedes | oos-TEH-dehs | Uses the ellos/ellas verb form. In most of Latin America it serves both formal and informal groups. |
| you (singular, voseo regions) | vos | BOHS | Used in Argentina, Uruguay and parts of Central and South America; its verb forms vary by region. |
Yo; tú; él, ella or usted; nosotros or nosotras; vosotros or vosotras; ellos, ellas or ustedes. Pronouns in the same group share a verb form.
Both mean singular you. Tú usually signals an informal relationship; usted often signals formality or respect, with usage varying by region.
Vosotros and vosotras are informal plural you in most of Spain. Most Latin American varieties use ustedes instead.
Vos is singular you in regions with voseo, including Argentina and Uruguay. Its verb forms are different from tú in many contexts.
Often they do not: the verb ending identifies the person. Use a pronoun for emphasis, contrast or to make the subject clear.
There is no single general subject pronoun used exactly like English it. Spanish often omits the subject; él or ella can refer back to a grammatically masculine or feminine noun in suitable contexts.
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Updated · Pronunciation guides use Latin American Spanish.