We mentioned pronouns in the previous chapter and used them with verbs. In this chapter, we will take a closer look at pronouns that we used and then take a look at other types of pronouns.
Tú vs Usted
The difference between "tú" and "usted" is that "usted" is the formal way of saying "you" in spanish, while "tú" is the informal way of saying "you".
Formal: Usted tiene dos hermanas. (You have two sisters.)
Informal: Tú tienes dos hermanas. (You have two sisters.)
"usted" is used when you are talking to someone like your boss, teacher, professor, or a stranger. "tu" is used when talking to someone like your sister, brother, mom, dad, or a friend.
Ustedes vs Vosotros
Ustedes seems like the plural version of "usted", but it's actually the plural version of "tu". "ustedes" is used when informally addressing a group of people. "vosotros" is the plural version of "usted" and is used when formally addressing a group of people.
Formal: Vosotros estáis aprendiendo español. (You all are learning Spanish.)
Informal: Ustedes estan aprendiendo español. (You all are learning Spanish.)
Ellos vs Ellas
If you are talking about a group of girls or women, you refer to them as "Ellas". Saying "ellas" is kind of like saying "those women" or "those girls". "Ellos" is used when you are talking about a group of boys or men. It is also used when a group consists of people from both genders. Therefore, saying "ellos" is kind of like saying "those men", "those boys", or "those people".
When talking about women/girls: Ellas hablan español. (They speak Spanish.)
When talking about men/boys: Ellos hablan español. (They speak Spanish.)
When talking about people from both genders: Ellos hablan español. (They speak Spanish.)
When the pronoun is the object
The "subject" of a sentence is what performs the action of the sentence. The "object" of a sentence is what receives the action. For example, in "I love them", "I" is the subject while "them" is the object. And in "They love me", "They" is the subject while "me" is the object. "me" is the object form of "I", and "them" is the object form of "they". Here is the object form of each spanish pronoun:
Pronoun
yo:
tú:
El/Usted:
Ella:
Nosotros:
Vosotros:
Ellos/Ellas /ustedes:
Object Form
me
te
le
la
Nos
vos
les
In english, pronouns that are in object-form go AFTER the verb. But in spanish, pronouns that are in object-form go BEFORE the verb. The pronouns below that are in object-form are highlighted in red.
Yo te amo. (I love you.)
Tú me amas. (You love me.)
El maestro nos ayuda. (The teacher helps us.)
Él les ayuda. (He helps them)
Ella me está llamando. (She is calling me.)
Yo la estoy llamando. (I am calling her.)
Demonstrative Pronouns
Here are some demonstrative pronouns in Spanish:
esto (this), estos (these), eso (that), esos (those)
Esto abre la puerta. (This opens the door.)
Estos abren la puerta. (These open the door.)
Eso abre la puerta. (That opens the door.)
Esos abre la puerta. (Those open the door.)
esto, estos, eso, and esos can also be used with nouns.
The "o" in "esto" and "eso" needs to be changed to "e" when the word is used with a masculine noun and "a" when it's used with a feminine noun.
Este hombre (This man)
Esta mujer (This woman)
Ese hombre (That man)
Esa mujer (That woman)
The "o" in "estos" and "esos" needs to to be changed to "a" when the word is used with a feminine noun, but the letter does not need to be changed the word is used with a masculine noun.