Two subjects joined by y
Two subjects joined by y take a plural verb. If one of them is yo, use the nosotros form; if one is tú (and there is no yo), the vosotros form; with usted (and no yo), the ustedes form.
| subjects | verb |
|---|---|
| mi hermano y yo | vamos (nosotros) |
| Ana y tú, tú y Carmen | tenéis, sois (vosotros) |
| usted y su marido | están (ustedes) |
| My brother and I go to the same gym. | Mi hermano y yo vamos al mismo gimnasio. |
| Ana and you have to come to the wedding. | Ana y tú tenéis que venir a la boda. |
| You and your husband are invited. (formal) | Usted y su marido están invitados. |
Subjects after the verb
With gustar and encantar the subjects come after the verb, and two of them still make it plural.
| I like tea and coffee. | Me gustan el té y el café. |
| I love cinema and theater. | Me encantan el cine y el teatro. |
When the verb comes first you will also hear the singular (Me gusta el té y el café); the plural is the safe choice.
ni … ni and o
With ni … ni, both singular and plural are correct; before the verb, the plural is the more usual one. With o, the singular is common when only one of them is meant, but the plural is correct too.
| Neither Luis nor Ana has come today. | Ni Luis ni Ana han venido hoy. |
| Neither my father nor my mother will come. | No vendrán ni mi padre ni mi madre. |
| My father or my mother will call you. | Te llamará mi padre o mi madre. |
Los españoles comemos…
A plural noun can take a nosotros or vosotros verb when the speaker or the listener belongs to the group. English says we Spaniards; Spanish needs no pronoun.
| We Spaniards have lunch at two. | Los españoles comemos a las dos. |
Common mistake
- Tú y Carmen son iguales → Tú y Carmen sois iguales: with tú, the verb takes the vosotros form.
