Pronouns Flashcards
What are the subject pronouns and when they are needed?
Singular:
I - yo
You - tú
He/it - él
she/it - ella
you(formal) - usted (Vd)
Plural:
we- nosotros
You - vosotros
they (masculine or a mix of masculine and feminine) - ellos
they (feminine) - ellas
you (formal) - ustedes (Vds)
Rarely used except:
- when they are needed for clarity
Ella ya es estudiante pero él ha dejado de estudiar
She is still a student but he has finished studying
- for emphasis
Yo estoy de acuerdo, pero ¿que opinas tú?
I agree, but what do you think
What are direct object pronouns and when do you use them?
Singular:
I - me
you - te
he/it - lo(le)
she/it - La
you (formal) - lo(le), La
Plural:
we - nos
you - os
they(masc + masc + fem) - los (les)
they (fem) - las
you (formal) - los (les), las
- in Spanish the words for him/ her or it are lo (masculine) and la (feminine)
- in some areas of Spain, le is used instead of lo for male people only
- La is always used for female people and feminine nouns
- remember to use the same pronouns for usted and ustedes as you would use for the third person
What is the position of direct object pronouns?
usually come in front of the verb
Ya lo oigo - I can hear him/ it
Le llamaré esta tarde, señor - I’ll call you this afternoon, sir
However when they are used with a gerund or an infinitive they can be tacked on to the end:
Las estamos escuchando or Estamos escuchándolas -We are listening to them
No puedo hacerlo en seguida - I can’t do it immediately
No quiero escucharte - I don’t want to listen to you
In positive commands they have to be tackled on to the end, usually means an accent is needed on the verb to keep the stress in the right place.
Mírame - watch me
Escúchala - listen to it
But in negative compounds they stay in their usual position, in front of the verb
No lo escuches - don’t listen to it
When there is more than one verb the object pronoun can go before the first verb or be tacked on to the second one
La están mirando or están mirándola - they are watching it/ her
