SPANISH PRONOUNS

Spanish pronouns are essential words that replace nouns in a sentence, helping to avoid repetition and clarify who or what is being referred to in various contexts.

In Spanish, there are six categories of pronouns.

Let’s have a look at them.

INTRODUCTION

In Spanish, pronouns are words used to refer to persons, animals, or things without having to name them. 

A characteristic that clearly defines a pronoun in Spanish – and that distinguishes them from common nouns – is their inherent ability to reference something specific, as in the example:

Play Este es mi coche.

This is my car.

In the example above, “este” (this) is the pronoun that points to a specific object, “coche” (car), distinguishing it from other possible objects.

The Real Academia Española (the foremost authority in the Spanish language) classifies pronouns into six main categories, each with a specific use and purpose: personal, demonstrative, interrogative, exclamatory, relative, and indefinite.

PERSONAL PRONOUNS

In Spanish, Pronombres Personales (Personal Pronouns) are words that designate the participants in the discourse, including the people and objects being discussed.

Personal Pronouns change form to show who is speaking (first person), who is being spoken to (second person), or who or what is being spoken of (third person).

They also vary according to gender (masculine/feminine) and number (singular/plural).

The structure is:

Examples:

DEMONSTRATIVE PRONOUNS

In Spanish, Pronombres Demostrativo (Demonstrative Pronouns) are words that are used to indicate the location of something or someone in relation to the speaker or the listener, like for example:

Play Esto no me gusta.

I do not like this.

In the example above, esto (this) points to something close to the speaker.

Demonstrative Pronouns are categorized according to how near or far something is from the speaker or listener, either in space or time.

The distance these pronouns refer to does not necessarily have to be physical and can be figurative as well.

Demonstrative Pronouns can change depending on the gender and number

Let’s see a few examples:

INTERROGATIVE PRONOUNS

In Spanish, Pronombres Interrogativos (Interrogative Pronouns) are words that are used to formulate questions, like for example:

Play ¿Quién viene a cenar?

Who is coming to dinner?

Interrogative pronouns are usually placed at the beginning of a question and are followed by a verb. 

EXCLAMATIVE PRONOUNS

In Spanish, Pronombres Exclamativos (Exclamative Pronouns) are used to express strong emotions such as surprise, disbelief, or admiration, among others. For example:

Play ¡Qué dices, eso no puede ser!

What are you saying, that can’t be!

Pronombres Exclamativos are similar to interrogative pronouns but are used instead to express exclamations rather than questions. The following are categorized as exclamatory pronouns:

quién, qué, cuánto, cuál

Pronombres Exclamativos always carry an accent to further indicate their use in an exclamatory context.

RELATIVE PRONOUNS

In Spanish, Pronombres Relativos (Relative Pronouns) are words that are used to title relative clauses. These relative clauses provide information about a noun mentioned prior and act as a connecting word between ideas or clauses, like in the example:

Play El libro que leo.

The book I am reading.

In the example above, que (in this context translates to ‘that’), connects the main clause “el libro” (the book) to the subordinate clause “leo” (read), and is used to introduce more information on the noun previously mentioned “libro”.

Pronombres Relativos are categorized either as simple or complex relative pronouns:

Let’s see a few examples:

INDEFINITE PRONOUNS

In Spanish, Pronombres Indefinidos (Indefinite Pronouns) are quantifying words that are used to refer to unspecified people or objects. Meaning, they are used when the speaker does not need to specify or does not know the exact quantity or identity. For example:

Play Alguien entró en tu oficina ayer.

Someone entered your office yesterday.

These are some of the most commonly used Pronombres Indefinidos:

algo, alguien, alguno, cualquiera, más, mucho, nada, nadie, pocos, varios

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