Spanish Pronouns
Learn about Spanish pronouns, their usage, types, and how they change based on gender and number.
algo
something
The Spanish word 'algo' is used to denote an undefined, non-specific entity or thing. It can be used in different contexts just as 'something' is used in English, either for things you do not want to specify or things that are not known. It is widely used in both formal and informal communication.
Example sentences with algo →alguien
someone
The Spanish word for 'someone' is 'alguien'. It is used in a similar context to the English usage, referring to an unspecified or unknown person. For example, 'Hay alguien en la casa' translates to 'There is someone in the house'.
Example sentences with alguien →alguno
some
In Spanish, 'alguno' is used similarly to 'some' in English. It is used to refer to an indefinite quantity or number of things. The word can change form depending on the gender and number of the noun it refers to. For example, 'alguno' (singular, masculine), 'algunos' (plural, masculine), 'alguna' (singular, feminine), 'algunas' (plural, feminine).
Example sentences with alguno →allí
there
The Spanish word 'allí' translates to 'there' in English. It is typically used to point toward a specific place that is distant or to describe a location (either physically or figuratively). It can also be used to introduce a new piece of information or a set of circumstances. The usage of 'allí' is similar to how we use 'there' in English. For example, 'La casa está allí' means 'The house is there'.
Example sentences with allí →cierto
certain
The Spanish word 'cierto' is a common way to express certainty or affirm the truth of a statement in Spanish. It can also mean 'certain' or 'sure' in the sense of knowing something for certain. However, 'cierto' can also be used as an adjective meaning 'certain' or 'some' when referring to an unspecified amount or number of items. For instance, 'ciertas personas' means 'certain people' or 'some people'.
Example sentences with cierto →cual
which
The Spanish word 'cual' translates to 'which' in English. It's used in questions as well as in statements where you need to refer to one or more choice from a definite set. For instance, in sentence '¿Cuál es tu número?' it is asking 'Which is your number?'. However, please be cautious, as the usage of 'cual' may change based on the gender, number, and context of the statement or question.
Example sentences with cual →cualquier cosa
anything
The Spanish word 'cualquier cosa' translates to 'anything' in English. It can be used in a variety of contexts, but often to indicate that any kind of thing can happen, be achieved, or is possible. Similar to how it's used in English, 'cualquier cosa' can also be used in a negative context to imply that nothing in particular is wanted or acceptable.
Example sentences with cualquier cosa →cuyo
whose
The Spanish word for 'whose' is 'cuyo'. It can be used in sentences to express possession and is often followed by a noun. Depending on the gender and the number of the noun that follows, 'cuyo' can take the forms 'cuyo', 'cuya', 'cuyos' and 'cuyas'.
Example sentences with cuyo →donde
where
The word 'donde' is used in Spanish similarly to the English word 'where', typically in interrogative or relative clauses to refer to a place or location. It is commonly involved in idiomatic expressions and combined with prepositions, creating phrases like 'de donde' (from where) or 'a donde' (to where). However, unlike English, Spanish does not use it to introduce indirect questions.
Example sentences with donde →él mismo
himself
The Spanish word 'él mismo' translates to 'himself' in English. It is used to refer back to the subject previously mentioned. It is used when the action of the verb is done by the subject to the subject himself. The use is similar to English in that it can be used for emphasis or to explicitly refer to a certain person previously mentioned.
Example sentences with él mismo →ella misma
herself
The Spanish word 'ella misma' translates to 'herself' in English. It is a reflexive pronoun used when the subject of the sentence and the object of the verb are the same person. This can be used in a reflexive sense as in 'She does the work herself' ('Ella hace el trabajo ella misma'). It is also used to add emphasis to the subject.
Example sentences with ella misma →ellos
they
The Spanish word 'ellos' translates to 'they' in English and is used to refer to a group of males or a mixed-gender group of people. Please note that the equivalent feminine term, 'ellas', is used when referring to a group entirely composed of females.
Example sentences with ellos →ellos mismos
themselves
The Spanish word 'ellos mismos' is used in a similar way to the English word 'themselves'. It is a reflexive pronoun used when the subject in a sentence is doing something to or for themselves. For example, in the sentence 'Ellos se vistieron ellos mismos' translates to 'They dressed themselves'.
Example sentences with ellos mismos →eso
that
In Spanish, 'eso' is used to represent something that is not near the speaker but not as removed as something that might be referenced using 'aquellos' or 'aquellas'. It is a demonstrative pronoun, acting not only as a pointer but as a noun replacement to avoid redundancy or over-specification. However, 'eso' is also used in an idiomatic or abstract sense to mean 'the thing is,' or 'that's the problem,' amongst other things.
Example sentences with eso →esos
those
The Spanish word 'esos' is used as a demonstrative adjective to indicate specific items, objects, people, or places that are at a certain distance from the speaker and listener. It can also be used as a pronoun in the absence of a noun. It corresponds to the English word 'those' and is often used in contexts such as 'those are my friends', in Spanish would be 'esos son mis amigos'. It's important to notice that 'esos' is suitable for masculine nouns, while 'esas' is used for feminine ones.
Example sentences with esos →esto
this
The Spanish word 'esto' is used similarly to the English word 'this', it's a demonstrative pronoun that is gender neutral. It's often utilized to refer to a singular thing or idea that is close in space or time, or to something that's being introduced in the discourse. Compared to its English counterpart, 'esto' does not change based on gender or plural form, making it slightly simpler in usage.
Example sentences with esto →estos
these
The Spanish word 'estos' stands for 'these' in English. It is used as a demonstrative adjective in Spanish, referring to nearby things or people within the speaker's sight. For example, 'estos libros' can be translated as 'these books'. The word undergoes gender and number agreement so it can change to 'estas', 'este', or 'esta' depending on the noun it modifies.
Example sentences with estos →mismo
same
The Spanish word 'mismo' is used to indicate that something is identical. We use it when we are referring to something that is not different or changes. For example, 'La misma chica' which means 'The same girl'. Yet it can also be used for emphasis, such as 'Yo mismo lo hice' translates to 'I did it myself'. The context of the sentence usually determines its precise meaning.
Example sentences with mismo →muchos
many
The Spanish word 'muchos' is used to represent the English word 'many' and is typically used in the same way to describe or quantify a large number of people or things. For example, 'muchos estudiantes' translates to 'many students'.
Example sentences with muchos →nada
nothing
The Spanish word 'nada' is often used in similar contexts as we use 'nothing' in English. It can represent the absence of something or a lack of response. It's also used in expressions such as 'de nada' meaning 'you're welcome'. Please note that in negative sentences in Spanish, double negation is grammatically correct, so 'nada' can be used in those instances as well.
Example sentences with nada →nadie
nobody
The Spanish word 'nadie' represents 'nobody' in English. It's used when referring to no person or no one in a certain context. For example, if you want to say 'Nobody is here', you can say 'Nadie está aquí' in Spanish.
Example sentences with nadie →otro
other
The Spanish word 'otro' is used much like the English word 'other'. It indicates an additional item or alternative option. Just like in English, 'otro' can be used either before the noun to express another one of something ('quiero otro café', meaning 'I want another coffee'), or after the noun to provide differentiation between two or more objects ('esta casa y la otra', meaning 'this house and the other one').
Example sentences with otro →que
what
The Spanish word 'que' is used as 'what' in English during interrogative sentences to ask questions or as a relative pronoun in statements. It can be used at the beginning of a sentence or even in between, similar to how 'what' is used in English. For example, ¿Qué quieres decir? meaning 'What do you want to say?'
Example sentences with que →su
their
The Spanish word for 'their' is 'su'. It is used to denote possessive aspects in a similar way as in English. Particularly, 'su' indicates that a noun belongs to them. However, it's important to note that Spanish doesn't make a distinction between his, her, its, your (formal) and their, using 'su' for all of these, so the exact meaning depends on the context.
Example sentences with su →todo
everything
In Spanish, 'todo' is used to refer to 'everything' or 'all'. It can be used as an adjective or a pronoun. For example, 'Lo se todo' translates to 'I know everything'. Remember, it may change slightly based on the gender and number of the noun it modifies.
Example sentences with todo →todos
everyone
The Spanish word 'todos' is used to refer to all the people in a group. It is used in the same contexts as the English word 'everyone'. For example, in the sentence 'Everyone is here', the Spanish translation would be 'Todos están aquí'. Note that 'todos' also agrees in gender and number, if you are talking about a group of females it changes to 'todas'.
Example sentences with todos →tu
your
The Spanish word 'tu' is equivalent to the English word 'your'. It is used as a possessive adjective modifying a noun, indicating ownership or association. Note that 'tu' does not change to agree with gender, but it does change for number, 'tus' for plural. Also, Spanish makes a distinction between singular and plural ('tu' and 'vuestro'), and familiar and formal ('tu' and 'su'), which English does not make.
Example sentences with tu →tú mismo
yourself
The Spanish word 'tú mismo' can be directly translated to 'yourself'. It is often used when referring to the person in question. It is used in many different contexts, in line with how the term 'yourself' is used in English - to refer back to the subject of a sentence or clause.
Example sentences with tú mismo →yo mismo
myself
The Spanish equivalent for 'myself' is 'yo mismo'. It is commonly used in written and spoken Spanish to express actions that an individual does to or for themselves. Just like its English counterpart, 'yo mismo' is used for emphasis or to express that the subject is conducting the action on themselves or alone.
Example sentences with yo mismo →