Pronouns in Spanish
27 words Spanish words on the topic “pronouns”: yo — I, tú — you (informal), usted — you (formal), él — he. 27 words can be played from recordings.
27 words on the topic
- yoISpanish speakers usually drop it: the verb ending already says who acts. Yo is kept for emphasis
- túyou (informal)Tú with the accent is 'you'; tu without it is 'your'. Same trick as sí and si
- ustedyou (formal)The polite 'you', for strangers and elders. Its verb goes in the third person: usted es is literally 'you is'
- élheÉl with the accent is 'he'; el without it is the article 'the'. The same pair as tú and tu
- ellasheThe plural ellas is for women only; ellos covers men and any mixed group
- nosotrosweWe has a feminine form: a group of only women is nosotras. One man shows up and it's nosotros again
- ellostheyEllos for men and mixed groups, ellas only for women. A single man is enough to switch to ellos
- mimyIt doesn't change for gender: mi padre and mi madre alike. In the plural it's mis
- tuyourNo accent means 'your'; the accented tú means 'you'. One little mark changes the whole word
- nuestroourThe one possessive that changes for gender: nuestra casa, but nuestro coche
- vuestroyour (plural)Alive only in Spain. In Latin America 'your' is su — the same word as 'his' and 'her'
- suhis, her, theirOne word covers 'his', 'her', 'their' and the polite 'your'. When it's unclear whose, Spanish adds de él, de ella, de ellos
- propioownSpanish usually manages with su alone. Propio is added for emphasis — the English 'own' in 'my very own'
- mismomyselfIt follows the person doing it alone: yo mismo, ella misma. Before a noun the same word means 'the very same'
- todoallIt demands an article after it: todo el día, toda la noche — 'all day', 'all night'
- cada unoeach oneCada sits before a noun; cada uno stands in place of one: 'each of them'
- cualquieraanyBefore a noun it loses its final a: cualquier día — 'any day', but cualquiera de ellos — 'any of them'
- estethisThe first of three steps: este is near me, ese is by you, aquel is way over there
- aquelthat (over there)The farthest of the three. Ese is what's by the listener, aquel is what's far from both of you
- talsuchIn exclamations así or tan are more common: tan caro — so expensive. Tal keeps to set phrases like que tal?
- otroanotherNo article goes before it: otro café, never un otro café. One of the most common slip-ups
- ningunononeBefore a noun it loses the -o: ningún problema. After a verb it demands a second no: no tengo ninguno
- alguiensomeoneAlways about a person and always genderless. Its pair is nadie, no one
- algosomething (a thing)About a thing, not a person. Before an adjective it means somewhat: algo caro — a bit pricey
- ninguno denone of themWhen the set is known. When it isn't, plain nadie: nadie vino — nobody came
- nadanothingAfter a verb it demands no before it: no veo nada. The double negative in Spanish is the rule, not a slip
- esethat (near you)Spanish splits 'this and that' into three: este is by me, ese is by you, and aquel — far from the both of us
How it sounds in a sentence
A word list is a blank. Conversation is made of sentences, and these are the ones the words fit into most often.
- Hoy pago yo, mañana pagas túToday I pay, tomorrow you do
- ¿Y tú qué opinas?And what do you think?
- ¿Usted es el padre de Marta?Are you Marta's father?
- Él trabaja en el mercadoHe works at the market
- Ella vive en la calle de al ladoShe lives on the next street
- Nosotros vamos en metro, es más rápidoWe're going by metro, it's faster
What is worth knowing about these words
yo — I. Spanish speakers usually drop it: the verb ending already says who acts. Yo is kept for emphasis
tú — you (informal). Tú with the accent is 'you'; tu without it is 'your'. Same trick as sí and si
usted — you (formal). The polite 'you', for strangers and elders. Its verb goes in the third person: usted es is literally 'you is'
él — he. Él with the accent is 'he'; el without it is the article 'the'. The same pair as tú and tu
Test yourself
First by ear — the way you will meet the word in conversation. Click the speaker and pick the translation.
- What is this word?
It is yo — I.
- What is this word?
It is mi — my.
- What is this word?
It is todo — all.
- What is this word?
It is ninguno — none.
- What is this word?
It is tú — you (informal).
Now the other way around: recall the spelling from the meaning. That is harder, and therefore more useful.
- How do you say “I” in Spanish?
Spanish speakers usually drop it: the verb ending already says who acts. Yo is kept for emphasis
- How do you say “my” in Spanish?
It doesn't change for gender: mi padre and mi madre alike. In the plural it's mis
- How do you say “all” in Spanish?
It demands an article after it: todo el día, toda la noche — 'all day', 'all night'
- How do you say “none” in Spanish?
Before a noun it loses the -o: ningún problema. After a verb it demands a second no: no tengo ninguno
- How do you say “you (informal)” in Spanish?
Tú with the accent is 'you'; tu without it is 'your'. Same trick as sí and si
How to learn the set instead of just reading it
I, you, we, they. There is a handful of them, they turn up in every sentence, and politeness rides on them: most of these languages keep a formal “you” apart from a familiar one, and choosing the wrong one is noticed faster than a mispronounced word.
A list is read in a minute and forgotten in a day. What works: hide the translation, try to recall, get it wrong — and come back to the same words tomorrow.
- Recalling beats re-reading. Covering the translation and trying to remember it does more than reading it ten more times.checked many timesAdesope, Trevisan & Sundararajan, 2017, Review of Educational Research 87(3) · 188 experiments, 272 comparisons. g = 0.61; against plain re-reading 0.51, against passive review 0.93.
- This holds not only in experiments but in ordinary classrooms, with real students.checked many timesMawson & Kang, 2025, Behavioral Sciences 15(6):771 · 22 studies, d = 0.54 (confidence interval 0.31–0.77). The authors warn that individual studies disagree widely.
Frequently asked
How do you say “I” in Spanish?
«yo». Spanish speakers usually drop it: the verb ending already says who acts. Yo is kept for emphasis. It is one of 27 words in the set “pronouns” — the rest are in the table above.
How many pronouns do you need to start?
A dozen is enough. The set of 27 words on this page covers nearly every everyday case on the topic — but it is best taken a few at a time, not all at once.
Is there audio?
Yes, 27 words on this page can be played — click the speaker next to the word. The sound works on any phone, and nothing needs to be installed.