Spanish Pronouns: Rules, Notes, And Examples

Pronouns in Spanish have a more complicated structure than in English. Using them in the wrong context can lead to cultural misunderstanding.

Ronald Perez

June 19, 2024

Table of contents

As in English and other languages, pronouns are required to mention an object, person, or situation in a sentence. This helps us spatially and temporally organize what we are saying (or referring to). However, pronouns in Spanish, like those in many Romance languages, have additional rules, such as gender.

Let’s research how to say pronouns in Spanish and what they mean.

What are the pronouns in Spanish?

The term “pronoun” literally means “in place of the noun.” It is a part of speech that we use as an element that replaces them. They are useful to avoid repetition in the sentence.

In addition to this more traditional explanation. It helps us understand and structure the conversation and make sure the subject and verb match correctly.

Types of Spanish pronouns

The Spanish language has many pronouns, like French, Italian, or Portuguese. Here are some of them.

Pronouns in Spanish have a more complicated structure than in English. Using them in the wrong context can lead to cultural misunderstanding. Regardless of the pronoun types or level of complexity, you can find help from Spanish tutors on LiveXP. In private lessons, you can learn about any topic and practice using pronouns in real-life situations, considering the context and culture.

Personal pronouns

These are the most common pronouns. They are usually used as a subject (or simply as a noun). They are used to identify things, people, situations, or animals. They are organized as follows:

Singulars

Yo (I) (1st person).
Tú / Vos (You) (2nd person).
Él / Ella (He / She) (3rd person).

Plurals

Nosotros (We) (1st person).
Ustedes / Vosotros (You) (2nd person).
Ellos / Ellas (They) (3rd person).

Note:

📌

“Tú” is the most commonly used pronoun in most Spanish-speaking countries. In contrast, “vos” is the predominant pronoun used in Costa Rica, Uruguay, Argentina, and some regions of Colombia, Venezuela, Panama, and Spain. But they both mean the same thing.

📌

In the case of “Ustedes” (2nd person, plural), it is the pronoun used throughout Latin America. However, “Vosotros” is only used in Spain.

Examples:

Tú comes la comida.
You eat the food.

Nosotros viajamos por todo el mundo.
We travel around the world.

Ellos cabalgan en su rancho.
They ride on their ranch.

Ustedes no son dueños de nada.
You don’t own anything.

Vosotros vais a jugar fútbol la semana que viene.
You are going to play football next week.

Demonstrative pronouns

They fulfill a function similar to the personal pronouns, grammatically speaking, with the particularity that their main function is to determine the spatiality and location of the object. They would be the following:

Singulars

Éste, ése, aquél (This, that) (masculine).
Ésta, ésa, aquélla (This, that) (feminine).
Esto, eso, aquello (This, that) (neuter).

Plurals

Éstos, ésos, aquéllos (These, those) (masculine).
Éstas, ésas, aquéllas (These, those) (feminine).

Note:

📌

In Spanish, there is a particularity with plurals: there are no neuters. This behavior is also repeated in the demonstratives of languages such as Portuguese.

📌

Also, Spanish has 3 demonstratives, while English only has only 2. In Spanish, we understand space as close—medium point—far. And Spanish distinguishes gender for demonstratives, while English doesn’t.

Examples:

Ésta no es la que quiero.
This is not the one I want.

Aquéllos son los mejores.
Those are the best.

Éstas son las reglas y las tienen que aceptar.
These are the rules, and you have to accept them.

Possessive pronouns

Their function is to indicate belonging. They are pronouns that replace both a possessive adjective and a noun. They are the following:

Singulars

Mío/a, míos/as (mine) (masculine and feminine)
Tuyo/a, tuyos/as (yours) (masculine and feminine)
Suyo/a, suyos/as (his / hers) (masculine and feminine)

Plurals

Nuestro/a, nuestros/as (ours) (masculine and feminine)
Vuestro/as, vuestros/as (yours) (masculine and feminine)
Suyo/a, suyos/as, suyos/as (theirs) (masculine and feminine)

Note:

📌

No Latin American country uses “Vuestro/a, vuestros/as” (2nd person plural). Instead, we say “de ustedes” or “suyo.” “Vuestro” is a pronoun only used in Spain.

📌

Suyo/a, suyos/as (masculine and feminine) can also be used in 2nd person, singular and plural, as a formal form. Even in countries like Colombia, it is the most common form to refer to other people.

Examples:

Estos zapatos son suyos.
These shoes are yours.

Vuestro vuelo sale en tan solo algunos minutos.
Your flight leaves in just a few minutes.

Este camisón creo que es tuyo.
This nightgown, I think, is yours.

¿Y usted no ve que esto es suyo?
And don’t you see that this is yours?

Relative pronouns

Relative pronouns are pronouns that function to introduce a subordinate clause. They can have the function of the subject or object of the sentence. They are:

With number

Cual/cuales (Which) (masculine and feminine).
Cuanto/cuanta/cuantos/cuantas (How much) (masculine and feminine).
Quien/quienes (Who/whom) (masculine and feminine).
Cuyo/cuya/cuyos/cuyas (Whose) (masculine and feminine).

Without number

Que (What/That).
Donde (Where).
Como (As).

Note:

📌

Some relative pronouns with a number also have gender, as in “cuanto” and “cuyo.”

📌

Also, Spanish needs gender and number for some of these pronouns, while English doesn’t.

Example:

Esa es la mentira que te pedí que dijeras.
That’s the lie that I asked you to say.

Aquí está el lugar donde ocurrieron los hechos.
Here is the place where the events occurred.

Tienes que resolver la ecuación como tu amigo Ricardo.
You have to solve the equation as your friend Ricardo did.

Interrogative/Exclamative Pronouns

These are pronouns that are used exclusively to state or ask a question. They are easily recognizable because they are usually accompanied by an exclamation mark and always have a tilde. They are:

With number

Cuál/cuáles (Which) (masculine and feminine).
Cuánto/cuánta/cuántos/cuántas (How many) (masculine and feminine).
Quién/quiénes (Who) (masculine and feminine).

Without number

Qué (What).
Dónde (Where).
Cómo (How).

Note:

📌

As we can see, they are the same as the reflexive pronouns, but they have a tilde. Also, their gender and number rules are maintained. However, “cuyo” does not enter the group of interrogative pronouns.

📌

If the sentence needs to identify a gender with a pronoun with no gender, they will assume them as Spanish male pronouns.

Examples:

¿Qué era lo que me querías decir?
What was it you wanted to tell me?

¿Cómo vas a explicar eso?
How are you going to explain that?

¿Cuáles son tus opciones favoritas?
What are your favorite options?

¡Qué barbaridad! ¡No lo puedo creer!
What an outrage! I can’t believe it!

¿¡Quiénes se creen que son!?
Who do they think they are?!

Reflexive pronouns

They are called that way because they are self-reflexive. That is, the actions of the verb have a self-referential effect on itself. They are usually verbs that go next to the verb.

Singulars

Me (Me) (1st person).
Te (You) (2nd person).
Se (Him / Her) (3rd person).

Plurals

Nos (Us) (1st person).
Os (You) (2nd person).
Se (Their) (3rd person).

Note:

📌

The pronoun “Os” (2nd person) is not used in Latin America. Instead, it is replaced by the indirect object “les.” “Os” is only used in Spain.

📌

Spanish doesn’t distinguish gender in the 3rd person singular for reflexive pronouns, while English does.

Examples:

Me dicen las cosas, pero siempre las olvido.
They tell me things, but I always forget them.

Ellos se centran en sus labores y se olvidan de nosotros.
They focus on their chores and forget about us.

Yo no sé si va a sentarse o no.
I don’t know if he’s going to sit down or not.

A nosotros nos gustan los vegetales.
We like vegetables.

Indefinite pronouns

There is also a large group of indefinite pronouns, meaning that their reference may be vague or unknown to the speaker. These are some of the best-known. These are:

With number

Un/ una/unos/unas (A / An) (masculine and feminine).
Algún/alguna/algunos/algunas (Some) (masculine and feminine).
Ningún (No / None) (masculine and feminine).
Otro/otra/otra/otros/otras (Other) (masculine and feminine).
Tanto/tanta/tantos/tantas (Many) (masculine and feminine).

Without number

Mucho (A lot).
Demasiado (Too much).
Escaso (Too little).
Todo (All).

Note:

📌

Note that most indefinite pronouns without numbers can be used without an accompanying noun.

📌

Many indirect pronouns in Spanish don’t have a direct translation in English, or their meaning might change according to the translation.

Examples:

Unas ratas están caminando por las alcantarillas.
Some rats are walking through the sewers.

Algún tipo nos va a saludar.
Some guy is going to say hello to us.

Nosotros disfrutamos mucho de la carne.
We really enjoy the meat.

Creo que ha sido demasiado, por favor, basta.
I think it’s been too much, please stop.

How to learn all Spanish pronouns

If you are trying to learn Spanish pronouns, LiveXP will help you. It is a 1 to 1 language learning platform with specialized tutors who adapt each lesson to your preference. With a professional teacher, you can learn any subject easier and faster than on your own. Male or female Spanish pronouns will be mastered in the blink of an eye on LiveXP.

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Ronald Perez

I'm from Argentina and I'm bilingual. I speak both English and Spanish as native languages. I'm a content writer with extensive experience.