In Spanish we use the personal pronouns:
él for he,
ella for she, and
usted for you (formal). We often see them before the
verb.
Él va a su casa.
He goes to his house.
Ella cierra el libro.
She closes the book.
Usted necesita ordenar cheques.
You need to order checks.
Just like yo and tú, these are optional with verbs because the verb ending tells us who does something. They might be used for emphasis or when it might be confusing without them.
Él quiere dormir.
He wants to sleep.
Quiere dormir.
He wants to sleep.
Ella tiene ochenta uvas.
She has eighty grapes.
Tiene ochenta uvas.
She has eighty grapes.
¿Cómo se llama usted?
What's your name?
¿Cómo se llama?
What is your name?
When in doubt if there is confusion, use él, ella, or usted in the sentence.
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