Dropping subject pronouns

Explication

Spanish is a 'pro-drop' language: the verb ending already identifies the subject, so the subject pronoun is normally left out. Hablo español means 'I speak Spanish' on its own; ¿Vienes? means 'Are you coming?' No pronoun is needed or expected by default.

You add the pronoun only for a reason: contrast (yo cocino y tú lavas), emphasis (¡yo no fui!), or to disambiguate forms that are identical across persons — the imperfect, conditional, and present subjunctive share the él/ella/usted ending, so yo/él hablaba may need the pronoun for clarity.

Over-using subject pronouns is the classic written 'accent' of English speakers: starting every sentence with yo sounds insistent or self-centered in Spanish. When in doubt, drop it — the verb is already doing the work.

Exemples

Règles liées

• Subject pronouns: yo, tú, vos, él...