Personal Subject Pronouns

(Los pronombres personales de sujeto)

The subject pronouns

yo = I t = you (Los pronombres de sujeto)
Unlike the English I, yo is only capitalized at the beginning of a sentence. T is the proper form of address for close friends and colleagues, family members, children, and God. It is sometimes called the familiar you. Usted is the proper form of address for everyone not included in the previous paragraph. It is sometimes called the formal you. It is abbreviated Ud. or Vd.

Yo is used when I refer to myself: Yo soy profesor. T is used to address someone else directly: T eres estudiante.

usted = you
Usted is another way to address someone else directly: Usted es doctor.

The subject pronouns

(Los pronombres de sujeto)

l = he
l is used when we talk about a male person: l es mi amigo.

Ella is used when we talk about a female person: Ella es mi hermana.

ella = she

The subject pronouns

(Los pronombres de sujeto) nosotros = we Nosotros has a feminine form, nosotras,
Nosotros is used when I refer to others and include myself in the group: Nosotros somos norteamericanos.
which is used when the speaker and all other members of the group are female. If a single male (or more than one) joins the group, the form reverts back to nosotros. Vosotros also has a feminine form, vosotras, which is used to address a group consisting entirely of females. It is the plural equivalent of t and is used exclusively in Spain, never in the Americas. Again, as with nosotros, if one or more males join the group, the form reverts back to vosotros.

vosotros = you (all)

Vosotros is used to address a group of people: Vosotros sois espaoles.

The subject pronouns

(Los pronombres de sujeto) ustedes = you (all)
Ustedes is another way to address a group of people: Ustedes son muy amables.

Ustedes is, of course, the plural form of usted and is used throughout the Hispanic world as such. However, since Spanish speakers in the Americas do not use vosotros, it serves also as their plural of t. It is abbreviated Uds. or Vds.
Note: Modern English has no plural of you, so English speakers are obliged to say you all (or in the deep south, yall). Others may use you guys or in some areas youse, but none of these is considered acceptable in a formal sense.

The subject pronouns

(Los pronombres de sujeto) ellos = they
Ellos is used when we talk about a group of people, either all males or a mixture of males and females: Ellos son mis compaeros de clase.

ellas = they
Ellas is used when we talk about a group comprised exclusively of females: Ellas son mis hermanas. Just as with nosotros and vosotros, if a male is added to the group, the form reverts to ellos.

Of course, English has no feminine form for they.

The subject pronouns: a summary yo person t person usted (Ud.) l person ella nosotros / nosotras (vosotros / vosotras) ustedes (Uds.) ellos ellas

FIN