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Pronouns stand in for people and take the role of subject in a sentence. Personal pronouns replace people, animals, or things. They refer to people according to their role in a sentence, having said this we can order them as follows:

 

PERSON WHO CONVEYS THE MESSAGE

• YO > first person singular
• NOSOTROS > first person plural

 

PERSON TO WHOM THE MESSAGE IS ADDRESSED

• TÚ > second person singular (familiar - friendly)
• VOSOTROS > second person plural (familiar - friendly)
• USTED > second person singular (formal - staid)
• USTEDES > second person plural (formal - staid)

 

PEOPLE WHO WE SPEAK ABOUT IN THE MESSAGE

• Él / Ella > third person singular
• Ellos / Ellas > third person plural

 

NOTES:

1._"VOS" is another pronoun equivalent to "YOU" in English. It is used to refer to a well-known and very confident person. Although it is used in many Spanish-speaking countries, it is necessary to keep in mind that for some people it is a disrespectful way to refer to someone, however in Argentina it is used normally. In other countries where it is used you must have be very careful, as it is accepted by some people and not others.

 

2._"TÚ" or "USTED", you can use both either to refer to a person. One thing to keep in mind is that native Spanish speakers use USTED when they refer to an unfamiliar person or when referring to the parents of their friends; this is just a matter of culture.

 

Finally, and it is almost madatory to use USTED when you give a title to the person to whom you´re referring, for example if you put señor (Sir), señora (Mrs), señorita (Miss), doctor (doctor), profesor (professor), etc. to a name, using the form of USTED is more appropriate.

 

    e.g.

• Señor Ramirez, puede venir acá por favor. (Mr. Ramirez, can you come here please.)
• Señorita Rodríguez, ¿Me trae un café por favor? (Miss Rodriguez, could you bring me a coffee please?)

 

3._"USTEDES" or "VOSOTROS": VOSOTROS is used only in Spain, in the rest of Spanish-speaking countries USTEDES is used.

 

WHEN PRONOUNS ARE SUBSTITUTED?

You must put personal pronouns (especially those of third person > él, ella, ellos, ellas and the forms of usted and ustedes) in front of the verb to emphasize and identify the person to whom the verbal action refers, once identified it is no longer necessary.

 

e.g.

• Ella no asistió a la fiesta, pero (ella)mandó regalo. (She didn't attend the party, but she sent a gift.)
• Yo nací, (yo)crecí y aún (yo)vivo aquí. ( I was born, grew up and still live here.)