Pronouns

• A pronoun is a word that takes the place of a noun or another pronoun.

Grammarians classify pronouns into several types, including the personal pronoun, the demonstrative pronoun, the interrogative pronoun, the indefinite pronoun, the relative pronoun, the reflexive pronoun, and the intensive pronoun.

• A personal pronoun refers to a specific person or thing and changes its form to indicate person, number, gender, and case.

• PERSON . The subjective personal pronouns are

"I," "you," "she," "he," "it," "we," "you," "they.“

I am happy. Yo estoy contento/a. You are sad. Tú estás triste. He is rich. Él es rico. She is poor. Ella es pobre We are strong. Nosotros somos fuertes They are weak. Ellos son débiles. It is big. Es grande. They are small. Ellos son pequeños.

Voy al cine i am going to the movies

I wrote to charles and and jane, and she answered me.

Les escribí a Carlos y a Juanita, y ella me contestó.

• Both languajes distingish masculine from feminine in 3sg. Forms . The reason ,but otherwise english lacks gender distictions in inconsistent.

• Contransting with he and she, english has an it, or actually several its

It`s 68 degrees outside . Hace 20 grados afuera.

It`s obvius it`ill snow. Está claro que va a nevar.

He snores; does it bother you?Yes, but i don’t complain about it.

El ronca; te molesta (ello)?Si, pero no me quejo de ello.

The direct object is the person or thing that receives the action of the verb in a sentence. To find the direct object in a sentence, ask the question Who? or What?

• The Spanish direct object pronouns are as follows:

• 1st person me   me  nos us• 2nd person te you os you• 3rd person masc. lo him, you, it los them,

you• 3rd person fem .laher, you, it las Them,

you

he most difficult thing to remember about direct object pronouns is this: they usually go in front of the verb in Spanish.

• I'm eating it. - Lo como.

• He knows her. - La conoce.

• I love you. - Te quiero.

• You love me. - Me quieres.

Neuter Direct Object Pronoun Lo is the Spanish neuter direct object pronoun, used to mean "it" when referring to something non-specific or with no gender, such as an idea, adjective, situation, or clause.

Note that lo is also the masculine direct object pronoun, which refers to something or someone specific.

Compare:• Debiera ir a la tienda, pero lo olvidé.I was supposed to go to the store, but I

forgot [to go].vs • Juan me dio una pluma, pero la olvidé en

el autobús.Juan gave me a pen, but I forgot it [the pen] on the bus.   

• No parece feliz, pero lo es.She doesn't seem happy, but she is [happy].vs 

• La felicidad es muy importante. Búscala todos los días.

Happiness is very important. Seek it [happiness] every day.   

• Como es rico, lo tiene fácil.Since he's rich, he has it easy.

vs 

• Me gusta la natación. Es fácil hacerla.I like swimming. It's easy to do. 

• Indirect object pronouns are the words that replace the indirect object, which is usually a person.

• The Spanish indirect object pronouns are as follows:

• 1st person me me  nos us• 2nd person te you os you• 3rd person le him, her, you, it les them,

you

Like direct object pronouns, Spanish indirect object pronouns are placed in front of the verb.

• I'm talking to him. - Le hablo.

• He writes to them - Les escribe.I'm giving the bread to you. - Te doy el pan.

• She answered me - Ella me contestó.

• A demonstrative pronoun points to and identifies a noun or a pronoun. "This" and "these" refer to things that are nearby either in space or in time, while "that" and "those" refer to things that are farther away in space or time.

singular masculi

ne

plural masculi

ne

singular feminin

e

plural feminin

e

singular neuter

éste (this)

éstos (these)

aquéllos (those)

éstas (these)

esto (this)

ése (that)

ésos (those)

ésa (that)

ésas (those)

eso (that)

aquél (that)

aquéllos (those)

aquélla (that)

aquéllas (those)

aquello (that)

Examples: Quiero esta flor. No quiero ésa. (I want this flower. I don't want that one.)

Me gustan esas casas. No me gustan aquéllas. (I like those houses. I don't like those over there.)

• Me probé muchas camisas. Voy a comprar ésta. (I tried on many shirts. I'm going to buy this one.)

• Me probé muchos sombreros. Voy a comprar éste. (I tried on many hats. I'm going to buy this one.)

• Neuter pronouns: The neuter pronouns are never used to substitute for a specific noun. They are used to refer to an unknown object or to an idea or concept that isn't specifically named. (If you would have occasion to use a neuter plural, use the plural masculine form.) The use of eso is extremely common to refer to a situation that has just been stated.

• Examples: ¿Qué es esto? (What is this [unknown object]?)

• Ésto es bueno. (This [referring to a situation rather than a specific object] is good.)

• El padre de María murió. Por eso, está triste. (Mary's father died. Because of that, she's sad.)

• Tengo que salir as las ocho. No olvida eso. (I have to leave at eight. Don't forget that.)

• New pos

• Interrogative pronouns are the same as the relative pronouns, only they are written with an accent:

• ¿Quién,-es? (who, whom?) • ¿Cuál,-es? (which?) • ¿Qué? (what?) • ¿Cúyo,-a,-os,-as? (whose?) • ¿De quién,-es[1]? (whose?) • ¿Cuánto,-a,-os,-as? (how much, how many?)

• Cuál when interrogative is used without the definite article which must accompany it when it is a relative pronoun. Quién, interrogative, is never an adjective. Let's look at a few examples:

• ¿Quién vino a verme? - Who came to see me?• ¿Cuál arreglo le gusta á usted más? - Which

arrangement do you prefer?• ¿Cúyo es este lápiz? - Whose is this pencil?

• ¿De quién es este lápiz? - Whose pencil is this?

• ¿De quién recibió usted la consignación de madera? - From whom did you receive the consignment of timber?

• ¿A quiénes nos refieren ustedes para informes? - To whom do you refer us for information?

• ¿Cuánto me cobrará? - How much will you charge me?

Cuál (which) is often used instead of the English "what", as:

• ¿Cuáles son sus intenciones? - What are your intentions?

• Qué is used in exclamatory sentences--"what a", as:

• ¡Qué lástima! - What a pity!¡Qué bonitos angelitos! - What nice little angels!

PRONOMBRE PRONOUN Example

alguien someone, somebody, anyone, anybody

Necesito a alguien que pueda escribir. (I need someone who can write.) ¿Me llamó alguien? (Did anybody call me?)

Pronombre PRONOUN Example

algo something Veo algo grande y blanco. (I see something big and white.) ¿Aprendiste algo esta tarde? (Did you learn something this afternoon?)  

Pronombre

PRONOUN

Example

alguno, alguna, algunos, algunas

one, some (things or people)

Puedes suscribirte a alguno de nuestros servicios. (You can subscribe to one of our services.) ¿Quieres alguno más? (Do you want some more?) Voy a estudiar con algunas de las madres. (I'm going to study with some of the mothers.) Algunos quieren salir. (Some want to leave.)

Pronombre PRONOUN

Example

cualquiera anybody, anyone

Cualquiera puede tocar la guitarra. (Anyone can play the guitar.)

Pronombre

PRONOUN Example

mucho, mucha, muchos, muchas

much, many Me queda mucho por hacer. (I have much left to do.) La escuela tiene mucho que ofrecer. (The school has much to offer.) Somos muchos. (There are many of us. Literally, we are many.)

Pronoun Pronombre Example

nada nothing Nada parece cierto. (Nothing seems certain.) No tengo nada. (I have nothing.)

PRONOUN Pronombre Example

nadie nobody, no one Nadie me cree. (Nobody believes me.) No conozco a nadie. (I know nobody.)

PRONOUN Pronombre Example

ninguno, ninguna

none, nobody, no one

Ninguna de ellas va al parque. (None of them are going to the park.) No conozco a ninguno. (I know nobody.)

PRONOUN Pronombre Example

otro, otra, otros, otras

another, other one, another one, other ones, others

Quiero otro. (I want another one.) Los otros van al parque. (The others are going to the par

Pronombre

PRONOUN Example

todo, todos, todas 

everything, all, everyone

Él comió todo. (He ate everything.) Todos van al parque. (All are going to the park.)

Pronombre

PRONOUN Example

uno, una, unos, unas

one, some Uno no puede creer sin hacer. (One cannot believe without doing.) Unos quieren ganar más. (Some want to earn more.) Comí uno y deseché el otro. (I ate one and threw away the other.)

mine el míolos míos

la míalas mías

yours (tú) el tuyolos tuyos

la tuyalas tuyas

his/hers/its/yours (Ud.)

el suyolos suyos

la suyalas suyas

ours el nuestrolos nuestros

la nuestralas nuestras

yours (vosotros) el vuestrolos vuestros

la vuestralas vuestras

theirs/yours (Uds.) el suyolos suyos

la suyalas suyas

• Mi hermano está aquí; ¿dónde está el tuyo? My brother is here; where's yours?

• Me gustan mis libros y ella prefiere los suyos.I like my books and she prefers hers.

• Tus ideas son buenas, pero las mías son mejores.

Your ideas are good, but mine are better.

• Estas plumas, ¿son las vuestras o las nuestras? 

These pens, are they yours or ours?

• Habla a tu padre; yo hablaré al mío. Talk to your dad; I'll talk to mine.

• Él disfruta de su curso, pero yo no disfruto del mío. 

He's enjoying his class, but I'm not enjoying mine.

• Reflexive pronouns are used in both Spanish and English whenever the subject of a verb is also its object. In other words, reflexive pronouns are used when the subject of a sentence is acting on itself. An example is the me in me veo (and the corresponding "myself" in "I see myself"), where the person seeing and the person seen are the same.

Pronombre

Pronouns Examples

me myself Me lavo. (I am washing myself.) Voy a elegirme. (I am going to choose myself.)

te yourself (informal)

¿Te odias? (Do you hate yourself?) ¿Puedes verte? (Can you see yourself?)

se himself, herself, itself, themselves, yourself (formal), yourselves (formal), each other

Roberto se adora. (Roberto adores himself.) La niña prefiere vestirse. (The girl likes to dress herself.) La historia se repite. (History repeats itself.) Se compran los regalos. (They are buying themselves gifts, or they are buying each other gifts.) ¿Se afeita Ud.? (Do you shave yourself?)

nos ourselves, each other

Nos respetamos. (We respect ourselves, or we respect each other.) No podemos vernos. (We can't see each other, or we can't see ourselves.)

os yourselves (informal), each other

Es evidente que os queréis. (It's obvious that you love each other, or it's obvious you love yourselves.) Podéis ayudaros. (You can help yourselves, or you can help each other.)

• Just like in English, a Spanish relative pronoun links a dependent/relative clause (i.e., a clause that cannot stand alone) to a main clause. This lesson is a comparative summary of the Spanish relative pronouns que, quien, el que, el cual, and donde. Depending on context, the English equivalents are who, whom, that, which, whose, or where.

.

• Quien can only refer to people, while que can refer to people or things. Other than that, they are interchangeable in the subject and direct object position

• El profesor va a ayudarnos. Él vive en Barcelona. El profesor, quien / que vive en Barcelona, va a ayudarnos. The teacher, who lives in Barcelona, is going to help us.

• Las chicas quieren trabajar juntas. Ellas son hermanas.Las chicas, quienes / que son hermanas, quieren trabajar juntas.The girls, who are sisters, want to work together.

• Voy a comprar el libro. Él tiene cien páginas.Voy a comprar el libro que tiene cien páginas.I'm going to buy the book that has 100 pages.

• La mujer es muy inteligente. Vivo con ella. La mujer, con quien vivo, es muy inteligente. The women, with whom I live, is very smart (or The woman I live with is very smart).

• Los estudiantes están aquí. Hablaba de ellos.Los estudiantes, de quienes hablaba, están aquí.The students about whom I was talking are here (or The students I was talking about are here).

•   

El cual and el que may refer to people or things. El que and el cual

are nearly always* interchangeable and have two uses: 1. In nonrestrictive clauses (where the relative pronoun does not limit

the person or thing it replaces), el que/cual can be both the subject and the object:

• El profesor va a ayudarnos. Él vive en Barcelona. El profesor, el que / cual vive en Barcelona, va a ayudarnos. The teacher, who lives in Barcelona, is going to help us.

• Las chicas quieren trabajar juntas. Ellas son hermanas.Las chicas, las que / cuales son hermanas, quieren trabajar juntas.The girls, who are sisters, want to work together.

2. El que/cual can simultaneously replace a human antecedent and be the object of a preposition:

• Ana quiere al hombre. Yo lo vi.Ana quiere al hombre al que / cual yo vi.Ana loves the man (that) I saw.

• Las chicas no han llegado. Mi hermano trabaja con ellas.Las chicas con las que / cuales mi hermano trabaja no han llegado.The girls with whom my brother works haven't arrived.

• Los estudiantes están aquí. Hablaba de ellos.Los estudiantes de los que /cuales hablaba están aquí.The students about whom I was talking are here (or The students (who) I was talking about are here).