When To Use or Omit Subject Pronouns in Spanish

When To Use or Omit Subject Pronouns in Spanish Subject pronouns in Spanish are a lot like medicine - theyre often essential, but their use should be avoided when theyre not necessary. Overuse of subject pronouns - the equivalent of words such as he, she and they - is common among English speakers learning Spanish. Its important to remember that in Spanish the verb forms often make subject pronouns unnecessary, and when thats the case the pronouns shouldnt be used unless theres a reason to. When To Not Use Subject Pronouns Here is a sampling of sentences where pronouns are unnecessary. In all these examples, the context or verb forms make clear who is performing the action of the verb. Voy al supermercado. I am going to the supermarket. (The verb voy can refer only to the person speaking.) ¿Adà ³nde vas? Where are you going? (The verb vas necessarily refers to the person being spoken to.)Roberto no est en casa.  ¿Fue al supermercado? Roberto isnt at home. Did he go to the supermarket? (Standing alone, the second sentence might be unclear about who the subject is. But in context, it is obvious that Roberto is being referred to.)Nieva. It is snowing. (Nevar, the verb for to snow, is used only  in the third-person singular form and doesnt need an accompanying subject.) What Are the Subject Pronouns? Of course, not all sentences will be as clear as those are without explicit reference to the subject. Here are the subject pronouns in Spanish with their English equivalents: yo - Ità º - you (informal or familiar singular)usted - you (formal singular)à ©l, ella - he, shenosotros, nosotras - we (the first form refers to a group of males or males and females, while the second form refers to females only)vosotros, vosotras - you (informal or familiar plural; the first form refers to a group of males or males and females, while the second form refers to females only; this pronoun is seldom used in most parts of Latin America)ustedes - you (formal plural)ellos, ellas - they (the first form refers to a group of males or males and females, while the second form refers to females only) See the lesson on tà º and usted for distinguishing which form of you should be used. Note that there is no pronoun listed for it as a subject; in sentences where wed use the subject it in English, the use of the third-person verb nearly always makes a pronoun unnecessary. When To Use Subject Pronouns To avoid ambiguity: Context doesnt always make clear who the subject is, and some verb forms are ambiguous. Yo tenà ­a un coche. (I had a car. Out of context, tenà ­a could mean I had, you had, he had or she had. If the context makes the subjects clear, the pronouns normally wouldnt be used.) Juan y Marà ­a son alumnos. Él estudia mucho.  (John and Mary are students. He studies a lot. Without the pronoun, it is impossible to tell whom the second sentence refers to.) For emphasis: In English, unlike Spanish, we often use verbal stress to emphasize a pronoun. For example, if a strong emphasis is placed on the I in I am going to the supermarket, the understood meaning of the sentence might be I (and not somebody else) am going to the supermarket or possibly I am going to the supermarket (and Im proud of myself). In Spanish, one could similarly add an emphasis by using the grammatically unnecessary pronoun: Yo voy al supermercado. Similarly, haz tà º lo que tà º quieres could be understood as you do what you want (and see if I care). Change of subject: When contrasting two subjects, the pronouns are frequently used. Yo estudio y à ©l escucha el està ©reo. Im studying and hes listening to the stereo. Nosotros somos pobres, pero à ©l es rico. (Were poor, but hes rich.) Note that in English you might use intonation - putting stress on were and hes - to add emphasis. But such stress in Spanish would be unnecessary, as using the pronouns takes care of adding the emphasis. Usted and ustedes: Even where not strictly necessary, usted and ustedes are sometimes included and can add a degree of politeness.  ¿Cà ³mo est (usted)? How are you? Espero que (ustedes) vayan al cine. I hope you are going to the movies.