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      Learn Spanish pronouns

      What are pronouns in Spanish grammar? Pronouns are words that take the place of a noun or refer to a noun.

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      Learn Spanish pronouns usage and find out pronouns types, examples and common mistakes. Learn Spanish the most effective way and reach your language goals faster: take private Spanish lessons or Spanish classes online from the comfort of your own home!

      Spanish pronouns by category

      Here are how-to guides for every type of word you'll find when you learn Spanish pronouns. Check out the dedicated categories:

      Demonstrative pronouns indicate how near or far one or more things are.

      Indefinite pronouns refer to a general person, place, or thing rather than a specific one.

      Personal pronouns replace nouns or noun phrases in subject or object position.

      Relative pronouns introduce relative clauses.

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      Frequently asked questions

      The different types of Spanish pronouns are:

       

      1. Subject pronouns

       

      Spanish subject pronouns replace the subject of a sentence – the person, place, or thing that is either doing something or being something. All verbs need to be conjugated to match.

       

      E.g. Yo (I), ella (she), or nosotros (we)

       

      1. Prepositional pronouns 

       

      When Spanish pronouns yo (I) or tú (you) are used after a preposition in Spanish, they change. 

       

      • Yo becomes “mí”
      • Tú becomes “ti”

       

      The only exception to this change is when the preposition “con” (with) is used. In this instance, “yo” becomes “conmigo” and “tú” becomes “contigo”.

       

      All the other Spanish pronouns remain the same.



      1. Direct object pronouns 

       

      Spanish direct object pronouns are used to replace a noun in a sentence so it’s not repeated more than once. Direct object pronouns replace the subject that’s receiving the action of the verb being used.

       

      E.g. La (her), nos (us), las (them)

       

      1. Indirect object pronouns 

       

      Spanish indirect object pronouns are used when describing to whom or for whom an action is done. They’re the receivers of the action of the verb.

       

      E.g. me (to/for me), nos (to/for us), les (to/for them)

       

      1. Reflexive pronouns

       

      Reflexive pronouns in Spanish are used when an action is being done to oneself. Some Spanish verbs are naturally reflexive, others can be transformed into a reflexive verb simply by adding the ending -se.

       

      E.g. te (yourself), nos (ourselves), se (themselves)

       

      1. Relative pronouns

       

      Spanish relative pronouns are used to relate Spanish nouns to one another in a sentence. 

       

      E.g. Que (that, which, who, or whom), quien (who or whom)

       

      1. Possessive pronouns

       

      Spanish possessive pronouns answer the question, “Whose is it?”. They replace the noun of an item that’s owned by someone or something.

       

      E.g. el tuyo (yours), el nuestro (ours), or los nuestros (ours)

       

      1. Indefinite pronouns

       

      Spanish indefinite pronouns are used to refer to a non-specific entity, like “someone” or “anyone.” They’re pronouns that apply to the unknown, non-specific, or irrelevant. 

       

      E.g. alguien (someone/somebody), nada (nothing), cualquiera (anyone/anybody)




      Subject pronouns in Spanish refer to the subject of a sentence – the person, object or place being discussed or performing the action of the verb.

       

      For example, in the sentence “She is eating a cake”, “She” is the subject, and “eating” is the verb.

       

      Here are the Spanish subject pronouns:

       

      Yo - I

      Tú (informal) / Usted (Formal) - You

      Él - He

      Ella - She

      Nosotros / Nosotras - We

      Vosotros / Vosotras - You (Plural, Informal)

      Ustedes - You (Plural, Formal)

      Ellos / Ellas - They

      Direct object pronouns in Spanish

       

      In Spanish, direct object pronouns stand in for nouns when it is clear who or what is being talked about. This saves us from having to repeat the noun.

       

      Spanish direct object pronouns can’t be used on their own (without a verb) or after a preposition such as “a” or “de”.

       

      In Spanish, the direct object pronoun usually comes before the verb, except when giving instructions and orders.

       

      ¿Me oyes?

      Can you hear me?

       

      Acompáñanos

      Come with us.

       

      Indirect object pronouns in Spanish

       

      Indirect object pronouns stand for the noun that is the recipient of the verb's action.

       

      You can usually test whether an object is a direct object or an indirect one by asking questions.

       

      An indirect object answers the questions “who/what ... to?” or “who/what ... for?”, and a direct object answers the questions “what” or “who”. 

       

      Taking this sentence:

       

      María ha comprado una casa para su madre.

      Maria has bought a house for her mother.

       

      We use the indirect object pronoun “le” to replace the noun “her mother”.

       

      Maria has bought her a house.

      María le ha comprado una casa.