Who is doing what?
Subject pronouns name the person doing the action: I, you, he … Spanish has three persons, each in the singular and the plural. Your single English you becomes four words: tú, usted, vosotros and ustedes.
The full set
| Person | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| 1st person | yo (I) | nosotros / nosotras (we) |
| 2nd person, informal | tú (you) | vosotros / vosotras (you all) |
| 2nd person, formal | usted (you) | ustedes (you all) |
| 3rd person | él / ella (he / she) | ellos / ellas (they) |
The pronoun usually disappears
English sentences need a subject: Speak Spanish would be an order, so you must say I speak or she speaks. Spanish does not work that way, because the verb ending already names the person: hablo can only mean I speak, hablas can only mean you speak.
Bare verb vs. emphasis
No pronoun — the normal case
Hablo español.
I speak Spanish.
Vivimos en Madrid.
We live in Madrid.
With pronoun — emphatic
Yo hablo español.
I speak Spanish (the others don't).
Nosotros vivimos en Madrid.
We live in Madrid (as opposed to them).
Two ways to say you — tú and usted
Modern English has one you for everybody: your boss, your dog and your best friend. Spanish keeps two: familiar tú and respectful usted. Both are translated as you, so you choose by looking at who you are talking to, not by translating.
tú vs. usted
tú — familiar
Friends, family, people your own age, children. Verb in the second person singular.
¿Tienes tiempo?
Do you have time?
¿Cómo estás?
How are you?
usted — respectful
Older people, strangers, customers, anyone at work you don't know well. Verb in the third person singular.
¿Tiene usted tiempo?
Do you have time?
¿Cómo está usted?
How are you?
You all — vosotros or ustedes
English has no standard plural you, so speakers invent one: you all, y'all, you guys. Spanish has real ones, and which you use depends on where you are. In Spain you say vosotros to friends and ustedes formally; in Latin America ustedes covers both. Ustedes takes the third person plural, vosotros the second person plural.
Spain vs. Latin America
| Several people | Spain | Latin America |
|---|---|---|
| Friends, family (you all) | vosotros | ustedes |
| Strangers, customers (you all) | ustedes | ustedes |
Vosotros sois geniales.
You are great. (Spain)
Ustedes son geniales.
You are great. (Latin America)
¿Ustedes hablan inglés?
Do you speak English? (several people, formal)
