pronouns Flashcards
(102 cards)
Subject pronoun: I
I am her sister.
Yo
“yoh”
Yo soy su hermana.
Subject pronoun: You (singular, informal)
You are very intelligent.
Tú (singular, informal)
“too”
Tú eres muy inteligente.
Subject pronoun: He
He works at a bank.
Él
“ehl”
Él trabaja en un banco.
Subject pronoun: You (singular, formal)
You are very kind.
Usted
“oos-tehd”
Usted es muy amable.
Subject pronoun: She
She sings very well.
Ella
“eh-yah”
Ella canta muy bien.
Subject pronoun: We
We are going to the movies.
Nosotros
“noh-soh-trohs”
Nosotros vamos al cine.
3rd person
Subject pronoun: You (plural)
You all are my friends.
Ustedes
“oos-teh-ehs”
Ustedes son mis amigos.
Subject pronoun: You (plural, masculine, Spain)
You all are my best friends.
Vosotros
“boh-soh-trohs”
Vosotros sois mis mejores amigos.
Subject pronoun: You (plural, feminine, Spain)
You all are organizing the party.
Vosotras
“boh-soh-trahs”
Vosotras estáis organizando la fiesta.
Subject pronoun: They (masculine)
They are studying for the exam.)
Ellos
“eh-yohs”
Ellos están estudiando para el examen.
Subject pronoun: They (feminine)
They are very talented.
Ellas
“eh-yahs”
Ellas son muy talentosas.
Direct Object pronoun
For example, if you say “I like the apple” and you want to substitute “apple” for a pronoun, you’d replace “apple” with the pronoun “it.” The sentence then becomes “I like it.”
A direct object pronoun is an object pronoun that receives the action of the verb directly.
For example:
I am buying a watermelon (direct object). → I am buying it (direct object pronoun).
He comprado una casa → La he comprado
How to use Direct Object pronoun
Using direct object pronouns with people
When using direct object pronouns with people in Spanish, simply replace the person with the appropriate pronoun, matching the gender and number, before the verb.
* Tu hermano odia nosotros → Tu hermano nos odia. (Your brother hates us.)
Using direct object pronouns with items
Similarly, to use direct object pronouns with items in Spanish, just replace the item with the appropriate pronoun before the verb.
- He comprado una casa → La he comprado
Using direct object pronouns in sentences with infinitives or gerunds
Now, there’s one exception to the rules above: When a pronoun is replacing an object that follows a verb in its infinitive or gerund form, it can be placed before the conjugated verb or attached to the end of an infinitive or gerund:
* Sentence: Estoy escuchando a* mi maestra. (I’m listening to my teacher.)
With direct object pronoun: La estoy escuchando. or Estoy escuchándola. (I’m listening to her.)
**
Direct Object pronoun: Me
My mom called me.
Me
“meh”
Mi mamá me llamó.
Direct Object pronoun: You (singular, informal)
I saw you in the park.
Te
“teh”
Te vi en el parque.
**
Direct Object pronoun: Him / it (masculine)
I have known him for a long time.
Lo
“loh”
Lo conozco desde hace mucho tiempo.
Direct Object pronoun: Her / it (feminine)
I saw María in the park. I greeted her.
La
“lah”
Vi a María en el parque. La saludé.
Direct Object pronoun: Us
We were invited to the party.
Nos
“nohs”
Nos invitaron a la fiesta.
**
Direct Object pronoun: You (plural, informal, Spain)
I saw you all in the store.
Os
“ohs”
Os vi en la tienda.
Direct Object pronoun: You / them (plural, feminine)
I delivered them this morning.
Las
“Lahs”
Las entregué esta mañana.
Direct Object pronoun: You (plural, informal, masculine)
I heard you all singing.
Los
“lohs”
Los escuché cantar.
Direct Object Pronouns vs. Indirect Object Pronouns in Spanish
Object pronouns are divided into direct object pronouns and indirect object pronouns.
So what exactly is the difference between these two types of object pronouns?
Well, a direct object pronoun receives the action of the verb directly. Going back to the watermelon sentence, when you decide to buy a watermelon, you’re directly buying it. There’s nothing between the action of buying and the watermelon.
If you say “I am writing an email to Laura,” you aren’t writing Laura, you are writing an email. The email will then be the direct object, but Laura will be indirectly affected because she will be receiving that email, so she’s the indirect object.
If we were to replace all the nouns with pronouns, we would get something like the following:
I am writing an email (direct object) to Laura (indirect object). → I am writing it (direct object pronoun) to her (indirect object pronoun).
**
Indirect Object Pronouns: To me
My mom gave me a gift.
Me
“Meh”
Mi mamá me dio un regalo.
Indirect Object Pronouns: To you
I lent you my book.
Te
“Teh”
Te presté mi libro.
