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Spanish Grammar Guidebook
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Subject Pronouns
(8th of 11) |
The subject pronoun which indicates who is doing the action generally precedes the verb. The forms are:
Nosotros and vosotros have feminine forms (nosotras, vosotras) when referring to a group made up entirely of women. If the group contains both males and females, the masculine form is used. Similarly, ellos can refer to a group made up of both men and women, while ellas refers to a group made up entirely of females. The Use of Subject Pronouns In English, the subject it is always mentioned: it is interesting, here it is, where is it?, etc. In Spanish, however, the subject pronoun it is rarely, if ever, expressed. The verb stands alone, and the subject it is understood: Es interestante, aquí está, ¿dónde está? etc. Because most verb endings in Spanish tell who is doing the action, it is not necessary to use the subject pronouns in most cases: Trabajo en esta compañia (the verb ending -o indicates that the subject of the sentence is I). Only when there is a chance of confusion, or if the speaker wants to emphasize who is doing the action, is the subject pronoun used: Ella es española, pero él es norteamericano (the verb es can have as a subject he and she); Yo quiero comer ahora (the yo is used only for emphasis, but is not necessary). |
Examples of Subject Pronouns
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