0.2.2 Prounouns & Origins Flashcards Preview

Note that the Spanish abbreviation has two “E’s” and two “U’s”, since the words represented by the letters are plural.

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.

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.

from - de.

Note that the preposition de can mean both “from” and “of”.

Mexico - México.

Note that the “x” in Spanish is pronounced like a “j”. Some people even spell the country as Méjico.

Mexican - mexicano (or mejicano).

(You could have also said “una muchacha” mexicana instead of chica, as they are roughly synonyms.)

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.
• Vosotros is mostly just used in Spain. Latin American Spanish uses Uds. even in informal settings
• Nosotros, vosotros, and ellos change to nosotras, vosotras, and ellas if the groups they refer to consist of only females. If there’s even just one male (or the group is ambiguous), use nosotros, vosotros, or ellos.

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

You are - Tú eres.

ser (to be)

• yo soy
• tú eres
• él/ella/ud es
• nosotros somos
• vosotros sois
• ellos/ellas/uds son

Translation: “Are you American?” / “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.

He/She is - es.

ser (to be)

• yo soy
• tú eres
• él/ella/ud es
• nosotros somos
• vosotros sois
• ellos/ellas/uds son

Spain - España.

Remember that, in Spanish description questions, the subject (e.g. Juanita) often comes after the adjective.

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

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).

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?”

Translation: “Hello, where are you from?” / “I’m from the U.S., and you?” / “I’m Spanish.”