0.2.2 Pronouns & Origins Flashcards
basic pronouns; Ser (basic present); more basic question formation
Translate to Spanish:
The United States
(The U.S.)
los Estados Unidos
“the U.S.” = los E.E.U.U.
Note that the Spanish abbreviation has two “E’s” and two “U’s”, since the words represented by the letters are plural.
Translate to Spanish:
an American boy
(from the U.S.)
un muchacho estadounidense
“American” (from the U.S.) = estadounidense.
This adjective does not change based on gender.
Note that Spanish speakers also often use norteamericano (“North American”) interchangeably with estadounidense, even though both Canada and Mexico are technically part of North America.
Also note that many Spanish-speakers still refer to people from the U.S. as just americanos, even though many people frown upon this, since technically “the Americas” spans all of North and South America.
Translate to Spanish:
an American
una estadounidense
Note how, in Spanish, you can just take an adjective and make it into a noun by adding an article. e.g. norteamericana (adj.) –> una norteamericana (noun).
You can’t always do this in English, but in Spanish it’s pretty safe. (e.g. “big” = grande –> “the big one” = el grande)
Also note that nationalities are not capitalized in Spanish.
Translate to Spanish:
a woman from the United States
una mujer de los Estados Unidos
“from” = de
Note that the preposition de can mean both “from” and “of”.
Translate to Spanish:
a man from Mexico
un hombre de México
“Mexico” = México
Note that the x in Spanish is pronounced like a “j”. Some people even spell the country as Méjico.
Translate to Spanish:
a Mexican girl
una chica mexicana
“Mexican” = mexicano (or mejicano)
(You could have also said “una muchacha mexicana instead of chica, as they are roughly synonyms.)
Translate to Spanish:
I
yo
Translate to Spanish:
you
(informal)
tú
Translate to Spanish:
he
él
él has an accent on the é, to distinguish it from the definite article el.
Translate to Spanish:
she
ella
Translate to Spanish:
you
(formal)
usted
usted is often abbreviated Ud. when written. The abbreviated form Ud. always has a capitalized U.
Translate to Spanish:
we
nosotros / nosotras
nosotros, vosotros, and ellos change to nosotras, vosotras, and ellas if the groups they refer to consist of only women. If there’s even just one male (or the group is ambiguous), use nosotros, vosotros, or ellos.
Translate to Spanish:
you all
(informal)
vosotros / vosotras
- vosotros is mostly just used in Spain. Latin American Spanish uses ustedes even in informal settings
- nosotros, vosotros, and ellos change to nosotras, vosotras, and ellas if the groups they refer to consist of only women. If there’s even just one male (or the group is ambiguous), use nosotros, vosotros, or ellos.
Translate to Spanish:
they
ellos / ellas
nosotros, vosotros, and ellos change to nosotras, vosotras, and ellas if the groups they refer to consist of only women. If there’s even just one male (or the group is ambiguous), use nosotros, vosotros, or ellos.
Translate to Spanish:
you all
(formal)
ustedes
usted is often abbreviated Ud. when written, and ustedes is often abbreviated Uds. The abbreviated forms Ud. and Uds. always have a capitalized U.
Translate to Spanish:
- I
- you (informal)
- he
- she
- you (formal)
- we
- you all (informal)
- they
- you all (formal)
- I - yo
- you (informal) - tú
- he - él
- she - ella
- you (formal) - usted
- we - nosotros / nosotras
- you all (informal) - vosotros / vosotras
- they - ellos / ellas
- you all (formal) - ustedes
These core personal pronouns are critical for you to internalize. Here are some key other facts to remember:
- él has an accent on the é, to distinguish it from the definite article el.
- usted is often abbreviated Ud. when written, and ustedes is often abbreviated Uds. The abbreviated forms Ud. and Uds. always have a capitalized U.
- vosotros is mostly just used in Spain. Latin American Spanish uses ustedes even in informal settings
- nosotros, vosotros, and ellos change to nosotras, vosotras, and ellas if the groups they refer to consist of only women. If there’s even just one male (or the group is ambiguous), use nosotros, vosotros, or ellos.
Translate to Spanish:
I am American.
Yo soy estadounidense.
“I am” = Yo soy
The word soy is the first-person singular form of the verb ser (“to be”). We say that the root form ser is the verb’s “infinitive”.
ser (to be)
- yo soy
- tú eres
- él/ella/ud es
- nosotros somos
- vosotros sois
- ellos/ellas/uds son”
Translate to Spanish:
You are handsome.
Tú eres guapo.
“You are” = Tú eres
ser (to be)
- yo soy
- tú eres
- él/ella/ud es
- nosotros somos
- vosotros sois
- ellos/ellas/uds son
[What is being said in the audio recording?]
Mujer: ¿Eres estadounidense?
Hombre: No, soy mexicano.
Translation:
Woman: “Are you American?”
Man: “No, I’m Mexican.”
Note that, in Spanish, you can totally omit the personal pronoun, especially tú or yo, since the unique conjugation of the verb (eres or soy) already conveys precisely whom you’re talking about.
Translate to Spanish:
Juanita is Mexican.
Juanita es mexicana.
“he/she is” = es
ser (to be)
- yo soy
- tú eres
- él/ella/ud es
- nosotros somos
- vosotros sois
- ellos/ellas/uds son
Translate to Spanish:
Is Juanita American?
–> No, she’s from Spain.
Es estadounidense Juanita?
–> No, es de España.
“Spain” = España
Remember that, in Spanish description questions, the subject (e.g. Juanita) often comes after the adjective.
Translate to Spanish:
Ma’am, are you from Spain?
Señora, ¿es Usted de España?
“You are” (formal) = Ud. es
Remember that we use Ud. (rather than tú) as a sign of respect for an elder or superior. The word “Ma’am” in English gave away that we were addressing someone out of respect.
ser (to be)
- yo soy
- tú eres
- él/ella/ud es
- nosotros somos
- vosotros sois
- ellos/ellas/uds son
Translate to Spanish:
She is Spanish.
(from Spain)
Ella es española.
“Spanish” (from Spain) = español
Like in English, Spanish uses the same word (español) to refer to both the nationality and the country. The context usually makes it clear enough that there is rarely confusion (especially when referring to a female Spaniard, since the adjective changes to española).
Translate to Spanish:
Where is he from?
¿De dónde es él?
“where” = dónde.
Note that in Spanish, you cannot end a sentence with a preposition (like we informally do in English).
Instead, you’d invert the question to be more like the English equivalent “From where is he?”
