Spanish Reference Grammar - Verbs
Introduction to the Spanish verb
'Verbs are used to assert or state what is happening, or what is the case. They are sometimes called "doing words" or "action words", but they do not always show action: if we say "he is bone idle" or "he has stopped" there is not much action going on.
'Verbs also show the time when things are happening: this is called the tense of the verb.' (Language into Languages Teaching: SEED: University of Glasgow: 2001)
Subject pronouns
The subject pronouns are:
| Pronoun | English translation | |
| 1st person singular | yo | I |
| 2nd person singular (informal) | tú | you |
| 2nd person singular (formal) | usted | you |
| 3rd person singular | él/ella | he/she |
| 1st person plural | nosotros/as | we |
| 2nd person plural (informal) | vosotros/as | you |
| 2nd person plural (formal) | ustedes | you |
| 3rd person plural | ellos/ellas | they |
There are several differences between the use of the subject pronoun in Spanish and English.
Omitting the subject pronoun
In Spanish the subject pronoun is frequently omitted because, as in Latin, the ending of the verb will indicate the subject. However, if it is not clear who the subject is, then the pronoun has to be used, and it can also be used for emphasis.
Four versions of 'you'
There are four possible translations of the one English word 'you':
- tú
- vosotros
- usted
- ustedes
'Tú' is a second person singular and is used when speaking to one person whom you know well, eg a child, relation, friend, or animal. A good rule of thumb here is to use 'tú' if you would call a person by their first name.
'Vosotros', which has the feminine form 'vosotras' which is used for more than one feminine subject, is the plural of 'tú' and is a second person plural. It is used when talking to more than one person whom you know.
'Usted' is used when speaking formally to one person whom you might address by their title, eg Mr, Doctor, Professor, etc.
'Ustedes' is the plural form of 'usted'. 'Usted' always takes the same verb ending as 'él' and 'ella'; similarly in the plural 'ustedes' always takes the same verb ending as 'ellos' and 'ellas'.
In school
- In school, teachers would address individual pupils by 'tú', and groups of pupils by 'vosotros/as'.
- Pupils should address the teacher as 'usted'.
Words to mean 'we'
'Nosotros', the word for 'we', also has a feminine form ('nosotras') which is used if all subjects are feminine. However, as with 'vosotros', if one man and four women, for example, are the subject, the masculine would be used.
There is no word for 'it' in Spanish. Every noun, whether a person or object, is masculine or feminine.