Personal pronouns

Unit 17 (Unidad 17) Personal pronouns (Los pronombres personales) Level 1 1.1 Personal pronoun as subject (Pronombre personal como sujeto) 1.2 Personal pronoun as direct object (Pronombre personal como objeto/complemento directo) 1.3 Personal pronoun as indirect object (Pronombre personal como objeto/complemento indirecto) 1.4 Pronouns with prepositions / (disjunctive pronouns) (Pronombres con preposiciones / [pronombres disyuntivos]) 1.1 Personal pronoun as subject i The following personal pronouns are regularly used as the subject of a sentence: Yo compro una casa Ibuy a house T ´ u compras una casa Yo ubuy a house ´ El/Ella/Ud. compra una casa He/She/You buy(s) a house Nosotros/as compramos una casa We (males) / We (females) buy a house Vosotros/as compr´ais una casa Yo u (males) / You (females) buy a house Ellos/Ellas/Uds. compran una casa They (males) / They (females) / You buy a house ii A number of comments are to be made here. The first is that the yo / t ´u/nosotros/as / vosotros/as forms are not used very frequently since the verb endings make it clear who is being referred to. Secondly, if there is a mixture of males and females the masculine forms are used, i.e. nosotros, vosotros, ellos. The female forms nosotras, vosotras, ellas would only be used if females alone were referred to. The vosotros/as forms are not used in Spanish America and are replaced entirely by Uds. This is also true of Spanish spoken in the United States. This feature could be disconcerting for a Spanish speaker from Spain who would normally use the more friendly, intimate form vosotros/as. The present author who has experienced innumerable years of Iberian and Mexican Spanish still has some problems accommodating the Uds. form within an intimate or family situation. Conversely, Mexican speakers of Spanish find the vosotros/as forms antiquated and quaint. The younger Mexican generation would doubtless have difficulty using the corresponding verb form – platic ´ais (habl ´ais) (you speak), corr ´eis (you run), ped´ıs (you ask for), etc. – while forms of the preterit or 154 17 Personal pronouns imperfect subjunctive would doubtless be a mystery to them: hablasteis (you spoke), hablarais/hablaseis (you should speak). Needless to say, therefore, you are in good company if you have initial problems conquering some forms of the Spanish imperfect subjunctive. Finally, the t´u form is the familiar mode of address when you are speaking to someone you know (well), while the passage from the Ud./Uds. forms to this familiar t´u, and vosotros/as forms is much easier in Spain and Mexico than in France, for example, where the vous form, instead of tu, still holds considerable sway. In this sense, Spain and Mexico are similar to Italy (Lei to tu). (See level 2 for further treatment of the t´u and Ud. forms.) 1.2 Personal pronoun as direct object i The following personal pronouns are all in common use as direct objects. Note that these direct objects (and indirect ones), precede the verb, apart from with the infinitive, the positive imperative, and the gerund (see level 2.1). Ella me ve She sees me Ella te ve .you(one person) Ella lo/le ve .him/you/it (m.) Ella la ve .her/it (f.) Ella nos ve .us Ella os ve .you(more than one person) (not in M) Ella los/les ve .them/you (m., or m. and f.) Ella las ve .them/you (f.) ii The following comments are to be borne in mind. You cannot separate the direct object pronoun from the verb. In other words, you cannot put me/te, etc., in any other part of the sentence. Furthermore, as with the subject pronoun t´u, te refers to a person whom you are addressing and you know (well). Lo and le are both used for him and male you (whom you do not know well) but the use of lo is much more extensive, and is used over the whole of Spanish America and therefore includes Mexico, and many parts of Spain. Castilla La Vieja and northern Spain generally, together with the traditional literature of much of Spain, still adhere to the use of le for him as direct object, and you as direct object for a person you are addressing but do not know well. If you read much Spanish literature of the traditional kind you will find le comes more readily than lo. In a recent survey recorded by Manuel Seco (Dudas y dificultades de la lengua espa˜nola), by far the higher percentage of Spanish authors use the le form as opposed to the lo form. However, this problem should not be exaggerated for both are acceptable, although you will rarely, if at all, hear le for him / male you as direct object in Mexico or anywhere else in Spanish America. Lo is used for objects, i.e. things which are masculine. Le is not possible here. Theremarks on le and lo also apply to the plurals les and los, although los is more common, even in Spain, than les with the meaning of you/them as plural direct object. La refers to a female person = her, and to objects which are feminine. It is also used when addressing a female you do not know well. Nos covers both males and females. There is no distinctive female form. The same may be said for os. Os is not used in Spanish America and is replaced by los,or 155 ASTUDENT GRAMMAR OF SPANISH las, the corresponding object pronoun forms of the subject pronouns ellos/ellas/ Uds. Los and las are used for masculine and feminine objects, respectively. Further examples with all the combinations: Ellos me esperan They are waiting for me Ellos te esperan They are waiting for you (one person whom you know well) Ellos le esperan They are waiting for you (one male person whom the speaker does not know well) / They are waiting for him (only in certain northern and central parts of Spain) Ellos lo esperan They are waiting for him (in all Spanish America and much of southern Spain) Ellos la esperan They are waiting for her Ellos la esperan They are waiting for you (one female person whom the speaker does not know well) Ellos lo esperan They are waiting for you (one male person whom the speaker does not know well, over much of southern Spain and all Spanish America) Ellos lo esperan They are waiting for it (masculine noun) (e.g. un tren = train) Ellos la esperan They are waiting for it (feminine noun) (e.g. una comida = meal) Ellos nos esperan They are waiting for us Ellos os esperan They are waiting for you (more than one person whom the speaker knows well, and in Spain, not Spanish America) Ellos les esperan They are waiting for them (male persons, or male(s) and female(s), in central and northern Spain) Ellos los esperan They are waiting for them (male persons which can include female persons and used in southern Spain and all Spanish America) (also used everywhere for masculine objects, e.g. trenes = trains) Ellos los esperan They are waiting for you (male persons, which can include female persons, whom the speaker may or may not know well, in all Spanish America) Ellos las esperan They are waiting for them (female persons or feminine objects) Ellos las esperan They are waiting for you (female persons whom the speaker does not know well in southern Spain, and knows or does not know well in all Spanish America) 156 17 Personal pronouns 1.3 Personal pronoun as indirect object Thefollowing personal pronouns as indirect objects are all in common use: Ella me ense˜na el libro She shows the book to me Ella te ense˜na el libro She shows the book to you (singular) Ella le ense˜na el libro She shows the book to him/her/you (singular) Ella nos ense˜na el libro She shows the book to us Ella os ense˜na el libro She shows the book to you (plural) Ella les ense˜na el libro She shows the book to them/you (plural) Yo u will notice that le,asanindirect object, covers (to / for) him, her and the non-familiar form for you. Os is used as the familiar plural form for you. It is not used in Spanish America. It is replaced by les.The one felicitous result in these indirect forms is that they are much simpler than the direct forms. At least, no room for complaint here, compared to 1.2 immediately above. 1.4 Pronouns with prepositions (disjunctive pronouns) i Pronouns used after prepositions are as follows: para m´ı, para ti, para ´el, para ella, para ello, para Ud., para s´ı, para nosotros/as, para vosotros/as, para Uds., para ellos, para ellas (but see level 2.3). ii These pronouns are used after a range of prepositions such as a, ante, contra, de, dentro, hacia, por, sin, tras (see unit 23 on prepositions for the full range) Examples Hablan de m´ı They speak of me Lo hago por ti Idoitforyou Voy por ´el Iamgoing (to get) him Se dirige hacia ella He makes his way towards her Puedes ir sin m´ı Yo u can go without me El detective va tras ella The detective goes behind her When used with con (with), the pronoun is modified and is attached to con in the following three cases: ¿Quieres ir conmigo? Do you want to go with me? Voy contigo Iamgoing with you Mi hermana est´a enfadada consigo My sister is angry with herself Exercises Level 1 i Replace the noun by a pronoun as in the example Compro el peri´odico > Lo compro a Hago el ejercicio d Cierro el libro b Limpio el coche e Compro el boleto (M)/elbillete c Barren el patio f Venden el sill´on 157 ASTUDENT GRAMMAR OF SPANISH gOyenelruido i Rompo el vaso hTocamos el piano j Bebo el caf´e ii Replace the noun by a pronoun as in the example Canto una canci´on > La canto aToco la guitarra f Estudiamos la lecci´on bPongo la mesa g Aplico la regla cDoy una charla h Queman la salsa d Abren la puerta i Tomas la carne e Hacen la faena j Com´eis el pan (not in M) iii Replace the noun by a pronoun as in the example Ella barre las habitaciones > Las barre a Nosotros abrimos las ventanas f ¿Comes t´uchocolates? b Uds. lavan (M) los platos g Yo prefiero los caballos c Ellos friegan los cacharros h Ellas traen las llaves d Ellas arreglan las rec´amaras (M)iNosotras necesitamos los platos eT´u aprendes las lecciones j Uds. compran los sarapes (M) iv Answer the questions as in the example ¿Por qu´enocompras un peri´odico? > Lo compro a ¿Por qu´enovendes la casa? b ¿Por qu´enopagas las facturas? c ¿Por qu´enopreparas las arvejas (M)/los guisantes? (peas) d ¿Por qu´enocomes la cena? e ¿Por qu´enoestudias las novelas? f ¿Por qu´enovisitas la ciudad? g ¿Por qu´enogastas el dinero? h ¿Por qu´enoescribes el ejercicio? i ¿Por qu´enoaceptan los regalos? j ¿Por qu´enoaprenden los idiomas? v Replace the indirect object (noun) by a pronoun, as in the example (Bear in mind that, in this exercise, a Spanish speaker prefers to repeat the indirect object as a pronoun before the verb, as in the example. See Level 2.2.Inthis sense, you have a very artificial exercise here.) (Le) doy el libro al chico > Le doy el libro a Ense˜no el carro (M)alamigo b Da el regalo a la madre c Llevan el paquete a los estudiantes d Muestra la p´agina a la compa˜nera e Trae los platos al padre f Compran las tazas a las madres vi Answer the questions as in the example ¿Lo haces para m´ı? > Lo hago para ti a ¿Lo compras para ´el? c ¿Las arreglan sin ti? b ¿Lo venden por m´ı? d ¿La terminas conmigo? 158 17 Personal pronouns e ¿Los acaba con ellos? i ¿Las venden por nosotras? f¿Lo haces sin m´ı? j ¿Va por m´ı? g ¿Hablan de m´ı? k ¿Est´a enfrente de ellos? h ¿Los compran por ellas? l ¿Se sienta encima de vosotros? (Wow! That’s painful!) vii Paired activity Objective –Touse the pronouns lo/le/la and los/les/las before the verb Method –Amakes up a simple sentence with a subject, a verb and a noun, or nouns, as object. B converts the noun into a pronoun and puts it before the verb. If you are smart, you can change the verb ending as well Examples A: (Yo) Abro la puerta B: (T´u) La abres A: Cierras el libro B: Lo cierro A: Borro el pizarr´on B: Lo borras A: Hacemos las tareas B: Las hacen Use verbs like: leer, hacer, cerrar, abrir, barrer (to sweep), coser (to sew), dar, preferir, tocar, limpiar, ver, aprender, llevar, querer, comprar, vender Level 2 2.1 Order of pronouns (when there are more than one) (Orden de los pronombres [cuando hay m ´ as de uno]) 2.2 Redundant pronouns (Pronombres redundantes) 2.3 Further remarks on disjunctive pronouns (M ´ as comentarios a pronombres disyuntivos) 2.4 Further remarks on second person pronouns (singular and plural) (M ´ as comentarios a los pronombres de segunda persona – singular y plural) 2.1 Order of pronouns (when there are more than one) i The most common order is as follows: le les se te me lo os nos la los las The most important feature in this list is that le and les become se when combined with another pronoun in this group. 159 ASTUDENT GRAMMAR OF SPANISH Ejemplos Te lo dije ayer I told you yesterday Nos los mandaron el a˜no pasado They sent them to us last year Me lo comunic´oenseguida She communicated it to me immediately Se lo dije ayer I told her/him/them/you yesterday Se la dimos We gave it to her/him/them/you Se las dieron They gave them to you/her/him/them Se me escapa la fecha Thedate escapes me Note that in the first example the pronoun lo is necessary, as also in, for example: Se lo pregunt ´ eayer= I asked him/her/you/them yesterday (about it) ii Pronouns precede all finite verbs except the affirmative imperative where the pronoun is attached to the end of the verb. Note that in the examples of pronouns attached to the verb a written accent is placed over the appropriate vowel to retain the stress: ¿Me entiendes? Do you understand me? Lo har´ema˜nana I’ll do it tomorrow La escribir´e esta tarde I’ll write it this afternoon ¡No me digas! Yo u don’t say! ¡No la escribas! Don’t write it! But: ¡Escr ´ ıbela! Write it! ¡Escr ´ ıbesela! Write it to her! ¡M ´ andasela! Send it to him/her! ¡D ´ amelos! Give them to me! iii Pronouns are attached to the infinitive and the present participle, but never to the past participle, as happens in Italian: vi´endolo/la seeing it/him/her/you d´andolo giving it al abrirla on opening it para entenderlo/le to understand him/it iv Pronouns may also precede an auxiliary verb, as well as being attached to the infinitive. Notice the written accent in the second example of all the five cases. Why is this? Te lo voy a explicar / Voy a explic ´ artelo Iamgoing to explain it to you Lo sigui´oleyendo / Sigui´oley ´ endolo She continued to read it Los suelen traer / Suelen traerlos por la tarde They usually bring them in the afternoon No te las puedo dar / No puedo d ´ artelas I can’t give them to you Se los quiero mandar / Quiero mand ´ arselos hoy I want to send them to him/her/them/ you today 160 17 Personal pronouns 2.2 Redundant pronouns i Even when an object is expressed by a noun or a disjunctive pronoun, a pronoun is needed in Spanish in the following cases a When a direct or indirect object is placed before the verb: AJuan no le gust´olacomida John didn’t like the meal Am´ı me encanta la ´opera Ilove opera A ella le interesa el Siglo de Oro She is interested in the Golden Age ii Very often, when an indirect object is a person or animal. As in the above cases, the repetitious nature of the pronoun may seem strange, and even unnecessary, but it is a strong feature of the Spanish language: Le di el collar a la chica Igave the necklace to the girl Le rob´oelcoche al hombre He stole the car from the man Se lo vendi´oami amigo She sold it to my friend Se lo ense˜n´oalalumno He showed it to the pupil Le dio el hueso al perrito She gave the bone to the dog Se lo envi´ealbanco I sent it to the bank iii When emphasis is needed, repetition also occurs: Se lo di a ella, no a ´ el Igaveittoher, not to him Te llamaron ati(y no a tu hermano) They called you (and not your brother) D´asela a ella Give it to her 2.3 Further remarks on disjunctive pronouns i After a preposition, choice between yo (subject), m´ı (object), t´u (subject) and ti (object) varies. As we have seen, the object form is used in most cases (para mi, detr ´as de ti) but the subject form occurs after como (as, like), salvo (save), excepto (except) and seg ´un (according to) (como yo/t ´u, seg ´un yo/t ´u). ii There is a choice when two pronouns follow a preposition. The subject form tends to be used in these cases although the preposition may be repeated. seg´un t´uyyo according to you and me para ella y yo for her and me delante de ti y yo before you and me seg´un t´uyseg´un yo according to you and me detr´as de ella y detr´as de m´ı behind her and (behind) me 2.4 Further remarks on second person pronouns (singular and plural) The traditional labels ‘familiar’ and ‘polite’ do not adequately capture the political and social circumstances in which pronouns are used today. Since the death of Franco and 161 ASTUDENT GRAMMAR OF SPANISH the beginning of the democratization process, t ´ u and vosotros/as have ousted Ud. and Uds. to a very large extent, except in very formal circumstances. It is unthinkable to use anything but t ´ u and vosotros (not vosotros in M) in the following circumstances: a addressing children and animals, God b among relatives, friends of whatever age, workmates, soldiers of the same rank (but not across the ranks), colleagues in the same profession. However, you may come across in some country areas and small towns of Mexico the use of Ud(s). by children when addressing their parents. This usage is fading and need not trouble you. Just recognize it, and let the author know if you ever hear it! T ´ u is always used in the sense of one,oryou (general). It is normal to use t ´ u and vosotros (vosotros not in M) in the following circumstances: a among young people (i.e. students), whatever the circumstances b among people of different ages in almost any informal situation, as at a party c addressing priests d wherever it is desirable to establish a friendly atmosphere, even in semi-formal situations as in a bank, restaurant, shop e in public speeches, especially politicians (and particularly on the left) to their audiences f in advertisements where someone is trying to sell you something (this is standard procedure now, and a cunning psychological device?) g when a person addresses a stranger who is indulging in an activity the person disapproves of. If someone touches a car, for example, possibly with some evil intention, you could certainly hear the owner call out: ¡Oye! T´udelachaqueta / chamarra (M), ¿Qu´e haces all´ı? (You with that jacket, what are you doing?) or ¡Qu´ıtate de all´ı! (Clear off ! / Beat it!). This is a practice you should not imitate in your early incursions into Spanish-speaking countries. It is not going too far to say that Ud. and (in Spain) Uds. are used only: a in very formal, public situations (a ceremony, for example) b when writing to strangers (booking a hotel room for example) c to old people not known to the speaker d wherever it is desired to show respect Compared to usage of tu and vous in France where there was a temporary flowering of the tu form following the social upheavals of 1968, which has now withered away, the t ´ u and vosotros/as formshave taken on a new vigor. Most of the foregoing comments on Uds. as used in Spain do not of course apply to the Spanish American countries where vosotros/as no longer obtains. Aword of caution When visiting a Spanish-speaking country in your early days, you should not automati- cally embark on the t ´ u form,when a person uses t ´ u to you and is much older. Just wait and see how the conversation or relationship unfolds. Examples with t ´ u and vosotros/as El pueblo espa˜nol os recibe satisfecho y consciente de la alta significaci´on que este acto encierra (Speech of King Juan Carlos to visiting diplomats) ¿Has probado el nuevo turbo? ¡C´omprate un Chevrolet! (Have you tried the new turbo? Buy a Chevrolet!) 162 17 Personal pronouns Cuando pases por la biblioteca ¿me recoges los libros? When you go to the library, could you collect my books? O Dios, ay´udame a aprobar todos mis ex´amenes O Lord, help me to get through all my exams Oiga, Se˜nor, ¿sabe d´onde est´aelPaseo de la Castellana? Excuse me, do you know where the . is? A note on vos In a large part of South America – Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay and the area which goes from Chiapas in southern Mexico to Colombia – although here it is sporadic, vos is used instead of t ´ u.Itcan exist side by side with t ´ u in Colombia (in and around Cali for instance), Ecuador and Chile. The corresponding verb forms are: tom ´ as (you take), com ´ es (you eat), viv ´ ıs (you live), hac ´ es (you do). In some parts of Central America, Mexico and elsewhere, it is considered uncultured. Some Mexicans, for example, have the obscure idea that vos is some deformed version of vosotros. Such an attitude is not the case in Argentina. You will certainly come across it if you study Argentinian literature and civilization, so you should be aware of its existence. In this context should be mentioned another colorful lingering feature of Spanish of bygone eras. Vuestra Merced + verb in the third person (Your grace) is still used in parts of Colombia. Interestingly enough, Vuestra merced derives from Old Castilian which finally leads to Usted/Ud. Exercises Level 2 i Cambia el orden de las palabras, reemplazando el nombre por un pronombre como en el ejemplo Me da un libro > Me lo da aTeregalo un coche f Te llevar´e los guantes bLedio una m´aquina fotogr´afica g Le he dado el regalo cMeense˜naron su nuevo auto (M)hLeped´ıunfavor dLedevolv´ıeldinero i Me mandaron las tarjetas eTeregres´e(M)ellibro ayer j Les sugiri´ounpaseo ii Cambia la posici ´on / ubicaci ´on (M) del pronombre como en el ejemplo Me van a visitar > Va navisitarme aTevoy aayudar f Se la iba a recomendar b Les/los van a castigar g Se lo quer´ıa proponer cSelovan a decir h Me lo evit´oprometer dMelovan a prohibir i Se lo impidieron hacer eTelovoy agarantizar j Me lo logr´o mandar iii Cambia en afirmativo el orden negativo como en el ejemplo ¡No lo hagas! > Hazlo a ¡No lo mandes! b ¡No lo escribas! c ¡No se las escriban! d ¡No me lo des! e ¡No se los devuelvas! 163 [...]... a e n Pero, al final, lo que me preocupaba no era donde est´ bamos sino la pregunta: “¿Me permite a Ud tutearte?” Una pregunta de gran profundidad psicol´ gica que me atorment´ por mucho o o 164 17 Personal pronouns tiempo ¿No s´ lo decirnos a los dos Uds., en lugar de vosotros, sino tambi´ n decirme a m´ Ud o e ı ´ y tu dentro de la misma frase? Como cualquier extranjero, no acabo de entenderlo RB/JPL... selos! a ¡Esp´ renme! e f g h i j ¡Ll´ venselo! e ¡V´ monos! a ¡Sal´ denlos! u ¡Arr´ glalo! e ¡C´ ntalo! a ´ v Aqu´ tienes una anecdota graciosa en la cual se trata del uso constante de los ı pronombres personales, sobre todo tu, Ud., vosotros, y Uds (en negrilla (M) / ´ negrita = bold) Explica el problema de estos pronombres en lo que se refiere a una ´ ´ situacion que va evolucionando hacia circunstancias . 17 (Unidad 17) Personal pronouns (Los pronombres personales) Level 1 1.1 Personal pronoun as subject (Pronombre personal como sujeto) 1.2 Personal pronoun. well in all Spanish America) 156 17 Personal pronouns 1.3 Personal pronoun as indirect object Thefollowing personal pronouns as indirect objects are all