Personal Subject Pronouns (Los pronombres personales de sujeto)

(Los pronombres de sujeto) The subject pronouns (Los pronombres de sujeto) yo = I Yo is used when I refer to myself: “Yo soy profesor”. Unlike the English I, yo is only capitalized at the beginning of a sentence. tú = you Tú is the proper form of address for close friends and colleagues, family members, children, and God. It is sometimes called the “familiar” you. Tú is used to address someone else directly: “Tú eres estudiante”. usted = you Usted is the proper form of address for everyone not included in the previous paragraph. It is sometimes called the “formal” you. It is abbreviated Ud. or Vd. Usted is another way to address someone else directly: “Usted es doctor”.

(Los pronombres de sujeto) The subject pronouns (Los pronombres de sujeto) él = he Él is used when we talk about a male person: “Él es mi amigo”. ella = she Ella is used when we talk about a female person: “Ella es mi hermana”.

(Los pronombres de sujeto) The subject pronouns (Los pronombres de sujeto) nosotros = we Nosotros has a feminine form, nosotras, which is used when the speaker and all other members of the group are female. If a single male (or more than one) joins the group, the form reverts back to nosotros. Nosotros is used when I refer to others and include myself in the group: “Nosotros somos norteamericanos”. vosotros = you (all) Vosotros also has a feminine form, vosotras, which is used to address a group consisting entirely of females. It is the plural equivalent of tú and is used exclusively in Spain, never in the Americas. Again, as with nosotros, if one or more males join the group, the form reverts back to vosotros. Vosotros is used to address a group of people: “Vosotros sois españoles”.

(Los pronombres de sujeto) The subject pronouns (Los pronombres de sujeto) ustedes = you (all) Ustedes is another way to address a group of people: “Ustedes son muy amables”. Ustedes is, of course, the plural form of usted and is used throughout the Hispanic world as such. However, since Spanish speakers in the Americas do not use vosotros, it serves also as their plural of tú. It is abbreviated Uds. or Vds. Note: Modern English has no plural of “you,” so English speakers are obliged to say “you all” (or in the deep south, “y’all”). Others may use “you guys” or in some areas “youse,” but none of these is considered acceptable in a formal sense.

(Los pronombres de sujeto) The subject pronouns (Los pronombres de sujeto) ellos = they Ellos is used when we talk about a group of people, either all males or a mixture of males and females: “Ellos son mis compañeros de clase”. ellas = they Ellas is used when we talk about a group comprised exclusively of females: “Ellas son mis hermanas”. Just as with nosotros and vosotros, if a male is added to the group, the form reverts to ellos. Of course, English has no feminine form for “they.”

The subject pronouns: a summary Singular Plural yo nosotros / nosotras 1st person tú (vosotros / vosotras) 2nd person usted (Ud.) ustedes (Uds.) él ellos 3rd person ella ellas

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