Unit 6.2
Subject Personal Pronouns: Presence and Absence
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Introduction
Pronouns [pronombres] are words that replace nouns (people, animals, facts or things) to avoid repetition.
Subject personal pronouns [pronombres personales sujetos] replace the subject to which they refer.
The subject personal pronoun is not always necessary and depents on the context of the sentence.
Form
Subject personal pronouns are obligatory in some contexts but can be omitted in others.
Presence of the subject personal pronoun
Subject personal pronouns are used:
- to resolve a possible ambiguity (in which case the verb is omitted);
- in the 3rd person because the verb form is the same (with indicative tenses);
- to refer to the “non-person” (person other than the interlocutors);
- to refer to a person present;
- to speak of a person not present and to avoid repetition of previously mentioned nouns.
Omission of the subject personal pronoun
The subject personal pronouns are omitted:
- with meteorological verbs (amanecer, atardecer, llover, nevar…);
- when the subject is understood by the conjugation of the verb;
- when the subject is understood thanks to the previous information.
Example
- ¿Tienes alguna afición? → ¿Quién, yo? → No, ella;
- Ella quiere ir de paseo, él ir de excursión;
- ¿Sabías que él nunca ha jugado al ajedrez?
- Ya conocemos los planes de él. ¿Tú qué planes tienes? (señala a alguien a su lado);
- Tengo una cita con Clara. Me está esperando abajo. (Ella).
Omitted:
- Iremos al parque de atracciones cuando amanezca;
- ¿Vienes al concierto de rock? (Tú);
- A Paco le encanta montar en bicicleta, y eso que es peligrosa. (La bicicleta).
Use
{See Subject Personal Pronouns, level A1}
Summary
Subject personal pronouns are used as the subject of the verb or to avoid repetition of the person or thing mentioned above. In Spanish, there are cases where the pronoun can be omitted.
For example:
— «Está lloviendo.» = There is no pronoun because there is no subject of the sentence (weather conditions);
— «Ayer estuve en el trabajo hasta las 10.» = No need for the pronoun «yo» because the subject is understood from the verb form.
Check the contents of the {Form} section. Then move on to the {Example} section, which shows you the usage in context.
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