Guide to Mastering the 9 Types of Spanish Pronouns

Languages use pronombres (pronouns) to avoid repeating a noun. Understanding how to use pronouns…

Languages use pronombres (pronouns) to avoid repeating a noun. Understanding how to use pronouns like él (he), los (them), los nuestros (ours), éste (this), yo (I), la tuya (yours), and more will allow you to express yourself more fluently and navigate conversations with ease.

In this guide, you’ll explore nine types of Spanish pronouns that you’ll encounter in everyday speech, how to use them, and when to omit them. Plus, you’ll learn how Rosetta Stone can accelerate your mastery of different types of Spanish pronouns without you needing to memorize too many rules.

What are the types of Spanish pronouns? 

A pronoun is simply a substitute for a noun, including names of people, places, things, and ideas. They refer to someone or something without repeating the word that’s already known.

These categories of pronouns serve different purposes in a sentence, though they all avoid repetition. 

Subject pronouns in Spanish 

Los pronombres sujetos (subject pronouns) are used as a substitute for the thing or person performing the verb (action of the sentence). They are arguably the first type of pronouns in Spanish that you should focus on. 

The subject pronoun answers the question “Who is doing the action?”

• Robert y yo cocinamos. = Robert and I cook. 
• ¿Quién cocina? = Who cooks? 
• Nosotros cocinamos. = We cook. 

• Nosotros estudiamos español. = We study Spanish.
  

• Yo trabajo en una escuela. = I work in a school.
  

• ¿Tú nadaste? = Did you swim? 
  

• Ellas trabajan juntas. = They work together. 
  

Notes on Spanish subject pronouns

• They are often omitted if the subject is obvious from the context. 
• Vos is used in place of tú in some regions and Spanish dialects.
• There is no gender neutral “it,” but él/ella can be used if necessary to substitute for an inanimate object.
• Don’t forget the accent marks on él (he) and tú (you), because without them they change in meaning to el (the) and tu (your). 

See the in-depth guide about Spanish subject pronouns for more examples and information. 

Direct object pronouns in Spanish

Direct object pronouns replace the direct object—the thing or person receiving the action—in a sentence.

It answers the question “What or who are you + verb (-ing)?”

• Invito a Marco y Pedro. = I invite Marco and Pedro.
• ¿A quién invitas? = Who do you invite? 
• Los invito. = I invite them. 

To make it easier to remember, the direct object pronouns are presented in the table alongside their corresponding subject pronouns. 

• Mi sobrino y mi sobrina nos visitan hoy. = My nephew and my niece are visiting us today. 
  

• Quiero comprarla. = I want to buy it. 
  

• Ayúdame, por favor. = Help me, please.
  

• Si llueve, no lo regaré; pero si no llueve, sí. = If it rains, I won’t water it; but if it doesn’t rain, yes.
  

• Sí, quiero meterlos en esta.= Yes, I want to put them in this. 
  

• ¿Nos puede fotografiar? = Can you photograph us? 
  

Notes on Spanish direct object pronouns

• They can be placed before a conjugated verb in a sentence. 
• They can also be attached to the end of an infinitive verb or command form. 
• In phrases like me gusta (I like it), there is no translation of the word “it.” The structure of the Spanish verb gustar works differently than the verb “to like” English. 

See the in-depth guide about Spanish direct object pronouns for more examples and information. 

Indirect object pronouns in Spanish

Indirect object pronouns replace the indirect object in a sentence, which is the person or thing “to whom” or “for whom” the action is done. The indirect object is what is indirectly, not directly, affected by the verb. 

It answers the question “Who or what are you + verb (-ing) it to?”

• Deanna me dio un libro, pero yo le di un cuaderno. = Deanna gave me a book, but I gave her a notebook. 
• ¿A quién le diste el cuaderno? = To whom did you give the notebook? 
• Le di el cuaderno a Deanna. = I gave it to Deanna. 

As you can see in these examples, the English translations may not include the word “to.”

• ¿Me lees un libro? = Will you read a book to me? 
  

• Sí, me gustaría ir a tu fiesta.= Yes, it would be pleasing to me to go to your party. 
  

• Mi madre me dio este libro cuando yo era niña.= My mother gave this book to me when I was a little girl.
  

• Es cortés abrirles la puerta a las personas que están detrás de ti. = It is polite to open the door for (them) the people who are behind you. 
  

• Le recomiendo que visite las ruinas. Aquí tiene un folleto. = I recommend (to you) that you visit the ruins. 
  

• Sí, puedo recomendarles una película. = Yes, I can recommend a movie to you. 
  

• Nos gusta venir juntos al centro comercial. = It is pleasing to us to come to the mall together.
  

• Yo os compré café.= I bought coffee for you. 

Notes on Spanish indirect object pronouns

• The placement in the sentence is the same as direct object pronouns. They can go before the conjugated verb or attached to the end of an infinitive verb or command form. 
• In phrases like me gusta (I like), the “liked” object is actually the subject in Spanish, and the “me” translates to “to me” and is the indirect object. 
• English doesn’t always include “to” or “for” in the translations.
• If there is an indirect object in the sentence, include the indirect object pronoun even if the indirect object is explicitly mentioned.

Indirect vs. direct object pronouns in Spanish

To tell whether the sentence requires a direct vs. indirect object pronoun, identify which type of object it is. Ask yourself if the recipient of the verb (the action) is being acted upon directly, or if the person/object is being indirectly affected by the action. 

• Le tiro la pelota a Teddy. = I throw the ball to Teddy. 

In this case, the ball is the direct object since it is being thrown. Teddy is the indirect object, because he is indirectly affected by the ball being thrown to him. 

For more explanations and examples, see the in-depth guide on indirect object pronouns. 

Spanish reflexive pronouns

Reflexive pronouns indicate that the object of the verb is the same as the subject of the verb. In other words, the subject is performing an action on itself. 

• Yo me veo en el espejo. = I see myself in the mirror.
• Ella se pregunta, “¿Dónde estoy?” = She asks herself, “Where am I?” 

• Me llamo Elena. = I call myself Elena. 
  

• Me cepillo los dientes después de desayunar. = I brush my teeth after having breakfast. 
  

• Debes cepillarte los dientes dos veces al día. = You must brush your teeth twice a day.
  

• Yo conocí a mi esposo hace diez años. Sin embargo, nos acabamos de casar.= I met my husband ten years ago. Nevertheless, we just got married (to each other).
  

• Ella se maquilla en el carro. = She puts on makeup in the car. 
  

• Los niños se ponen los calcetines. = The children put their socks on. 
  

• ¿Cuándo os conocisteis tú y papá? = When did you and Dad meet (each other)? 

Notes on Spanish reflexive pronouns

• The pronouns are very similar to both direct and indirect object pronouns. 
• You can tell that a verb is reflexive when the infinitive includes “-se,” like llamarse (to call oneself). 
• Many verbs for personal care and routines use reflexive pronouns, because the body parts involved are a part of the subject, such as cepillarse (to brush oneself). 
• Verbs can be used reflexively in Spanish even if it’s not translated as such in English. For example, neither concentrarse (to concentrate) nor comunicarse (to communicate) use “oneself” in the English translations, but they are used reflexively in Spanish. 
• The reflexive pronoun is required when using reflexive verbs in Spanish, but the subject pronoun can be omitted. 
• In the third-person plural, the verb could be “reciprocal,” as in both subjects are acting upon each other, like se ayudan (they help each other). The pronoun is identical to the reflexive pronoun se. 

For more insight into using these pronouns, see the in-depth guide on Spanish reflexive pronouns.

Spanish prepositional object pronouns

Prepositional object pronouns are used after Spanish prepositions such as para (for), and sin (without). They are almost all identical to the subject pronouns, except mí (me) and ti (you).

• Este regalo es para ti. = This gift is for you. 
• Sin mí, no puedes entrar. = Without me, you can’t enter. 

When using the preposition con (with), the forms are conmigo (with me), contigo (with you), and consigo (with him/herself)

• ¿Quieres bailar conmigo? = Do you want to dance with me? 
• Sí, bailaré contigo. = Yes, I will dance with you. 

• Es peligroso para mí comer frutos secos porque soy alérgica a ellos. = It’s dangerous for me to eat nuts because I’m allergic to them. 
  

• ¿Hay suficiente espacio aquí para nosotros? = Is there enough space here for us? 
  

• Desafortunadamente no puedes venir conmigo de vacaciones. ¡Te extrañaré! = Unfortunately, you can’t come with me on vacation. 
  

• Señora Sánchez, una clienta dejó un mensaje para usted. = Mrs. Sanchez, a client left a message for you. 
  

• Verá el océano delante de usted. = You will see the ocean ahead of you. 
  

Notes on Spanish prepositional object pronouns

• Most of them are identical to subject pronouns in Spanish except for mí and ti. 
• Mí (me) has an accent to differentiate it from mi (my), which is a possessive adjective. 
• After the following Spanish prepositions, yo and tú are used instead.
  • entre (between) 
  • menos (minus)
  • excepto (except)
  • salvo (except) 
  • según (according to)

Spanish relative pronouns

Relative pronouns link to information that provides additional information about a noun. They mean “the one/ones that” in English and their form depends on the gender and number of the noun that they’re replacing.

• De todas sus películas, la que hizo con Anya Taylor-Joy es mi favorita. = From all his movies, the one that he made with Anya Taylor-Joy is my favorite. 
• No como tacos generalmente, pero los que vende Lucas son deliciosos. = I don’t generally eat tacos, but the ones that Lucas sells are delicious.
• La que preparó mi abuela estaba deliciosa. = The one that my grandmother prepared was delicious.

Learn the 6 types of relative pronouns in Spanish in more detail and how they are used with the complete guide. 

Spanish indefinite pronouns

Indefinite pronouns refer to non-specific people or things, like “someone” or “nothing.” This is a partial Spanish pronouns list to refer to general nouns.

• Es cortés traer algo a una boda. = It’s polite to bring something to a wedding. 
  

• Es cortés traer flores cuando se visita a alguien en el hospital. = It’s polite to bring flowers when one visits someone in the hospital. 
  

• No hay nada debajo de la cama. = There’s nothing under the bed. 
  

• Nadie sabe cuántos peces hay en el océano. = No one knows how many fish are in the ocean. 
  

Possessive pronouns in Spanish

Spanish possessive pronouns indicate ownership or possession, replacing a specific noun with words like “mine,” “yours,” “his” and “theirs.”  They will vary based on the gender and number of the noun they are replacing. 

• Me gusta este coche. El mío es más pequeño. = I like this car. Mine is smaller.
• Me gusta esta lámpara. La mía es más alta. = I like this lamp. Mine is taller.
• No necesito estos cuadernos. Los míos están en mi mochila. = I don’t need these notebooks. Mine are in my backpack. 
• Tus fotos son preciosas. Las mías no son tan bonitas. = Your pictures are beautiful. Mine aren’t as pretty. 

This Spanish pronouns chart can help you choose which possessive pronoun you need. 

• Aquí hay demasiados carros. No puedo encontrar el mío.= There are too many cars here. I can’t find mine. 
  

• Me gustan esas. Las suyas son más grandes que las mías. = I like those ones. Yours are bigger than mine. 
  

• ¡Miren aquel carro! El suyo está más sucio que el nuestro.= Look at that car over there. His is dirtier than ours! 
  

Spanish demonstrative pronouns

Demonstrative pronouns in Spanish correspond to the English pronouns “this” and “these,” and are used to point out specific people or things.

• Esa silla es la tuya y esta es la mía. = That chair is yours and this one is mine.
• Mis zapatos son más grandes que estos. = My shoes are bigger than these ones. 

The forms are the same as demonstrative adjectives, but are used in place of the noun, not along with it. They vary in gender and number to match the noun they are replacing. 

While you may encounter these words in older texts with accent marks included over their first letter, the Real Academia Española (RAE) no longer recommends the accent mark.

How do you use more than one type of pronoun in a sentence? 

As you’ve seen in several examples, you can use multiple types of pronouns in the same sentence. When you need to use more than one, they will be in this order: 

1. Reflexive
2. Indirect
3. Direct

Pronouns can be placed before a conjugated verb in a sentence. 

• Me lo dijiste. = You told me it. 
• Me las compré. = I bought them for myself. 
• Te la voy a comprar. = I’m going to buy it for you. 

Or the pronouns can be attached to the end of an infinitive verb. 

• Vas a decirmelo. = You’re going to tell me (it). 
• Voy a comprármelas. = I’m going to buy them for myself. 
• Puedo mostrartela. = I can show it to you. 

When to replace le with se

If you’re using both the indirect object le and a direct object, the le changes to se, which sounds more natural in the sentence. You’ll never hear “le lo” or “le las” together. 

• Se lo conté. = I told it to him. 
• Se las regaló. = She gifted them to her. 
• Tienes que mostrárselas. = You have to show them to him. 

Key takeaways about Spanish pronouns

There is a lot of information about Spanish pronouns of all kinds. You’ll make progress fastest by noticing these helpful words in authentic contexts like conversations and phrases, which is how Rosetta Stone works to promote learning that lasts. 

• Spanish pronouns replace a noun in a sentence when it’s already known or stated.
• The type of pronoun you need depends on the function in the sentence, including whether it’s replacing a subject, an object, part of a verb used reflexively, or following a preposition, among others. 
• Some pronouns correspond with subject pronouns, so it’s helpful to learn that chart first. 
• Other pronouns vary in gender and number depending on the noun they’re replacing. 
• Spanish grammar rules like word order are an important part of mastering Spanish pronouns, so it’s best to learn them within meaningful sentences.

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