Subject Pronouns in Spanish

Subject pronouns show who does an action. Spanish subject pronouns include yo (I), tú / usted (you, singular), él / ella (he / she), nosotros / nosotras (we), vosotros / vosotras / ustedes (you, plural), and ellos / ellas (they).

Unlike English, Spanish often omits the subject pronoun because the verb ending already tells you who the subject is.

Spanish	English
yo	I
tú	you, informal singular
él / ella / usted	he / she / you, formal singular
nosotros / nosotras	we
vosotros / vosotras	you plural, mainly in Spain
ellos / ellas / ustedes	they (masculine / feminine) / you plural

Tú vs. usted

Both tú and usted mean you when speaking to one person.

• tú is informal and is commonly used with friends, family, children, and people you know well.

• usted is more formal or respectful and may be used with strangers, older people, customers, or in more formal situations.

Although usted means “you,” it uses the third-person singular verb form, the same form as él and ella:

• Tú eres estudiante. — You are a student.

• Usted es estudiante. — You are a student.

Subject pronouns are often optional

Both sentences are correct:

• Yo trabajo aquí. — I work here.
• Trabajo aquí. — I work here.

The second version is often more natural because trabajo already shows that the subject is yo.

The same happens with other verbs:

• Estudiamos español. — We study Spanish.
• Viven en Madrid. — They live in Madrid.

Spanish usually uses an explicit subject pronoun when the subject needs to be clear or emphasized.

When to use a subject pronoun

Use a pronoun when you want to make the subject clear or show contrast.

• Yo estudio español, pero ella estudia inglés. — I study Spanish, but she studies English.
• Él vive en Madrid, pero yo vivo en Barcelona. — He lives in Madrid, but I live in Barcelona.

Nosotros vs nosotras, ellos vs ellas

Some plural subject pronouns have masculine and feminine forms:

• nosotros — we: all men or a mixed group
• nosotras — we: all women
• vosotros — you: all men or a mixed group
• vosotras — you: all women
• ellos — they: all men or a mixed group
• ellas — they: all women

For example:

• Ana + Marta → ellas
• Pablo + Carlos → ellos
• Ana + Pablo → ellos
• Ana + Marta + Pablo → ellos

In standard Spanish, a mixed group normally takes the masculine plural form, even if there is only one man in the group.

In everyday speech, you may occasionally hear speakers use a feminine form for a group that is overwhelmingly female even when a man is present. However, this is not the standard agreement rule. For learners, the safest rule is: mixed group → masculine plural.

Tú vs usted

Use tú for informal singular you, for example with friends, family, or people you know well.

Use usted for formal singular you.

• Tú trabajas aquí.
• Usted trabaja aquí.

Notice that usted uses the same verb form as él and ella:

• Tú trabajas.
• Él trabaja.
• Ella trabaja.
• Usted trabaja.

Similarly, ustedes uses the same verb form as ellos and ellas.

Vosotros vs ustedes

In Spain, vosotros / vosotras is commonly used for informal plural you.

• Vosotros estudiáis español.

Ustedes is used for formal plural you in Spain and for plural you in most of Latin America.

• Ustedes estudian español.

So a useful beginner rule is:

• Spain: vosotros = informal plural you; ustedes = formal plural you
• Most of Latin America: ustedes = plural you

Watch out: él vs el

Él with an accent means he:

• Él trabaja aquí. — He works here.

El without an accent means the:

• El libro está aquí. — The book is here.

See how subject pronouns match forms of the present tense, ser, and tener.

Quick rule

Spanish often drops subject pronouns because the verb ending already shows who is doing the action.

For plural pronouns, remember:

all female → feminine form
male or mixed group → masculine form