Subject Pronouns Overview

Subject pronouns identify who performs the action of a verb. In Spanish they correspond to English I, you, he, she, we, and they, but Spanish has more forms because it distinguishes formal and informal address, and marks gender in the plural.

The full set

The table below shows the complete inventory of Spanish subject pronouns. Pay attention to which ones are used in Latin America versus Spain.

PersonSingularPlural
1styo (I)nosotros / nosotras (we)
2nd informaltú (you) / vos (you, voseo)ustedes (you all) — Lat. Am. / vosotros, vosotras — Spain
2nd formalusted (you)ustedes (you all)
3rdél (he) / ella (she)ellos / ellas (they)

Agreement with the verb

Every Spanish verb ending carries information about the subject. The pronoun and the verb ending must agree in person and number.

Yo hablo español.

I speak Spanish.

Nosotras vivimos en Lima.

We (feminine group) live in Lima.

Ellos trabajan mucho.

They work a lot.

Spanish is "pro-drop"

Because the verb ending already identifies the subject, Spanish speakers usually omit the subject pronoun. Including it is optional and is done for emphasis, contrast, or clarity.

Hablo español.

I speak Spanish. (Yo is omitted.)

Yo hablo español, pero ella habla francés.

I speak Spanish, but she speaks French. (Contrast: both pronouns are included.)

See When to Omit Subject Pronouns for details.

Latin America uses ustedes for everything plural

One of the biggest differences between Latin American and Peninsular Spanish is in the plural "you" form. In Latin America, ustedes is used for both formal and informal plural, with no distinction. Spain reserves vosotros / vosotras for the informal plural.

Niños, ¿ustedes quieren helado?

Kids, do you (all) want ice cream? (Latin America: ustedes used with children — perfectly informal.)

Señores, ¿ustedes necesitan ayuda?

Gentlemen, do you need help? (Latin America: same ustedes, formal context.)

For a full comparison, see Vosotros vs Ustedes.

Gender in the plural

The 1st and 3rd person plural pronouns have masculine and feminine forms. Use the masculine form for mixed-gender groups — this is the traditional, grammatically required default.

MasculineFeminineMeaning
nosotrosnosotraswe
ellosellasthey

Mis amigas y yo somos nosotras.

My (female) friends and I are 'nosotras' (we, all female).

María y Juan son ellos.

María and Juan are 'ellos' (they, mixed group → masculine plural).

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In Latin America, the singular you is split between tú (familiar) and usted (formal), plus vos in several countries. But the plural is simple: always ustedes, regardless of formality.

Usted takes third-person verb forms

Even though usted and ustedes mean "you," they grammatically behave like third-person pronouns. The verb conjugates as if the subject were él, ella, ellos, or ellas.

Usted trabaja aquí.

You (formal) work here. — same verb form as 'él trabaja'.

Ustedes trabajan aquí.

You all work here. — same verb form as 'ellos trabajan'.

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Historically, usted is a contraction of vuestra merced ("your grace"), which is why it uses third-person verb agreement — you were literally talking about someone's grace, not to them.

It, they (inanimate)

Spanish has no word for "it" as a subject. Inanimate things are simply the implied subject of the verb — or referred to with él, ella, ellos, ellas when they need to be emphasized.

Es interesante.

It is interesting. (No subject pronoun — 'it' is implicit.)

Las clases son difíciles; ellas requieren mucho trabajo.

The classes are hard; they require a lot of work.

Summary

  • Spanish subject pronouns: yo, tú/vos, él/ella/usted, nosotros/as, vosotros/as (Spain), ellos/ellas/ustedes.
  • Verbs agree with subjects in person and number.
  • Pronouns are usually dropped because verb endings already identify the subject.
  • Latin America uses ustedes for all plural "you," formal or informal.
  • Usted and ustedes take third-person verb forms.

Continue to Tú vs Usted to learn when to use each singular "you."

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