Spanish Pronouns: Subject, Object, Reflexive, and Possessive

Subject pronouns indicate who performs the action. In Spanish, they are frequently omitted because verb endings already show the subject. Use them for emphasis, contrast, or clarity.

There are 12 subject pronouns when counting all regional variations. Most Latin American speakers use 9 because they don't use 'vosotros' or 'vosotras.'

The Complete Subject Pronoun List

• yo (yoh) = I (first person singular). Example: 'Yo soy de Mexico' (I am from Mexico). Often omitted: 'Soy de Mexico.'
• tu (too) = you informal singular. Example: 'Tu hablas bien' (You speak well). Used with friends, family, and peers.
• usted (Ud.) (oos-TEHD) = you formal singular. Example: 'Usted tiene razon' (You are right). Used with strangers, elders, and authority figures. Uses third-person verb forms.
• el (ehl) = he (third person masculine). Example: 'El trabaja aqui' (He works here).
• ella (EH-yah) = she (third person feminine). Example: 'Ella vive en Madrid' (She lives in Madrid).
• nosotros/nosotras (noh-SOH-trohs / noh-SOH-trahs) = we (masculine/feminine). Example: 'Nosotros estudiamos espanol' (We study Spanish). Use nosotras for all-female groups.
• vosotros/vosotras (boh-SOH-trohs / boh-SOH-trahs) = you all informal plural, Spain only. Example: 'Vosotros teneis razon' (You all are right). Not used in Latin America.
• ustedes (Uds.) (oos-TEH-dehs) = you all formal plural, or all plural in Latin America. Example: 'Ustedes son bienvenidos' (You all are welcome).
• ellos (EH-yohs) = they (masculine or mixed group). Example: 'Ellos van al cine' (They go to the movies).
• ellas (EH-yahs) = they (all-feminine group). Example: 'Ellas son mis amigas' (They are my female friends).

When to Use Subject Pronouns

Subject pronouns are optional in Spanish but add emphasis or clarity. Use them when the verb form alone could be ambiguous or when you want to stress who is doing the action.

Direct object pronouns replace the noun that directly receives the action of the verb (what or whom). In Spanish, they are placed before the conjugated verb. You can also attach them to the end of infinitives, gerunds, and affirmative commands.

Direct Object Pronouns by Person

• me (meh) = me (first person). Example: 'El me llama todos los dias' (He calls me every day).
• te (teh) = you informal. Example: 'Yo te quiero' (I love you).
• lo (loh) = him / it masculine / you formal masculine. Example: 'Lo veo manana' (I see him/it tomorrow).
• la (lah) = her / it feminine / you formal feminine. Example: 'La conozco bien' (I know her well).
• nos (nohs) = us (first person plural). Example: 'Nos invitaron a la fiesta' (They invited us to the party).
• os (ohs) = you all informal plural, Spain only. Example: 'Os espero en el restaurante' (I'll wait for you all at the restaurant).
• los (lohs) = them masculine / you all formal masculine. Example: 'Los vi en el parque' (I saw them in the park).
• las (lahs) = them feminine / you all formal feminine. Example: 'Las compre ayer' (I bought them yesterday).

Placement Rules

Direct object pronouns attach to infinitives and affirmative commands: 'Quiero verlo' (I want to see him). They go before the verb in negative commands: 'No lo quiero ver' (I don't want to see him).

Indirect object pronouns indicate to whom or for whom the action is done. They look the same as direct object pronouns for me, te, nos, and os. The third-person forms are different: 'le' (singular) and 'les' (plural) for all genders.

Indirect Object Pronouns by Person

• me (meh) = to/for me. Example: 'Me dieron un regalo' (They gave me a gift).
• te (teh) = to/for you informal. Example: 'Te mando un mensaje' (I send you a message).
• le (leh) = to/for him/her/you formal. Example: 'Le digo la verdad' (I tell him the truth).
• nos (nohs) = to/for us. Example: 'Nos ensena espanol' (He teaches us Spanish).
• os (ohs) = to/for you all, Spain only. Example: 'Os traigo la comida' (I bring you all the food).
• les (lehs) = to/for them / you all formal. Example: 'Les escribo una carta' (I write them a letter).

Double Pronouns: The se Rule

When both direct and indirect object pronouns appear together, 'le' or 'les' becomes 'se.' The correct order is always: indirect before direct. Example: 'Se lo dije' (I told it to him). The incorrect form 'Le lo' becomes 'Se lo.'

Reflexive pronouns are used when the subject and object are the same (the person does something to themselves). Possessive pronouns show ownership and stand alone without a following noun.

Reflexive Pronouns

• me (meh) = myself. Example: 'Me levanto a las siete' (I get up at seven).
• te (teh) = yourself informal. Example: 'Te duchas por la manana' (You shower in the morning).
• se (seh) = himself/herself/yourself formal/themselves. Example: 'Se llama Maria' (Her name is Maria).
• nos (nohs) = ourselves. Example: 'Nos divertimos mucho' (We enjoyed ourselves a lot).

Possessive Pronouns

• mio/mia (MEE-oh / MEE-ah) = mine. Example: 'Este libro es mio' (This book is mine). Agrees with gender of the noun.
• tuyo/tuya (TOO-yoh / TOO-yah) = yours informal. Example: 'La decision es tuya' (The decision is yours).
• suyo/suya (SOO-yoh / SOO-yah) = his/hers/yours formal/theirs. Example: 'La casa es suya' (The house is his or hers).
• nuestro/nuestra (NWEHS-troh / NWEHS-trah) = ours. Example: 'El carro es nuestro' (The car is ours).

Key Difference from Possessive Adjectives

Possessive pronouns replace the noun entirely (e.g., 'Este libro es mio' = This book is mine). Possessive adjectives come before the noun (e.g., 'mi libro' = my book). Pronouns stand alone, adjectives do not.

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