Subject Pronouns
To build sentences in Spanish, start with the people taking action. Here are the singular subject pronouns:
- yo (I)
- tú (you, informal)
- él (he)
- ella (she)
The Verb "ser" (to be)
In Spanish, use the verb ser to talk about lasting attributes, such as who someone is (their identity or profession) and where they are from.
Here is how ser changes to match singular subjects:
| Subject | Verb | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| yo | soy | I am |
| tú | eres | you are |
| él / ella | es | he / she is |
Let's see this in action to state someone's profession:
| I am a student. | Yo soy estudiante. |
| You are a doctor. | Tú eres doctor. |
To talk about where someone is from, combine the verb ser with the word de (from):
| He is from Mexico. | Él es de México. |
| She is from Colombia. | Ella es de Colombia. |
Dropping the Subject Pronoun
In English, you always have to say "I" or "you." In Spanish, the verb itself changes for each person (soy, eres, es). Because the verb gives away who is doing the action, Spanish speakers usually drop the subject pronoun completely!
You can simply say:
| I am from Mexico. | Soy de México. |
| You are a teacher. | Eres profesor. |
However, when you want to emphasize a contrast between two people or avoid confusion, you can keep the pronouns in the sentence:
| I am a teacher and you are a student. | Yo soy profesor y tú eres estudiante. |