Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
In formal or legal contexts, you might encounter the term sujeto/a. For informal situations, chico/a is used to mean a guy or a girl.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Spain, you may hear tío/a to refer to a person in a way similar to dude or guy and chaval/a to mean a kid or youngster. In Central American countries like Honduras, El Salvador and Nicaragua, the slang term maje is commonly used to mean dude or mate.
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun persona is grammatically feminine. This means that even when you are referring to a male, you must use the feminine article, such as una persona. To refer to multiple people, the plural form is personas.
How do you pronounce it?
/peɾˈsona/
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly use the masculine article un with persona when referring to a man. Because the noun is always grammatically feminine, you must always use una persona regardless of the person's gender.
Did you know?
- The word persona descends from the Latin persōna, which originally referred to the masks worn by actors in ancient theater.
- Spanish has a specific legal concept called persona jurídica, which refers to a 'legal person' or corporate entity that has rights and duties.
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, calling someone una persona can feel quite distant or even cold, as if you are talking about a stranger or a clinical subject.
Examples in context
- Él vino en persona.He came in person.This example shows how to use persona in the phrase en persona.Tatoeba #1328388 by Shishir, translation #317728 by CK
- No soy una persona.I'm not a person.This example demonstrates the use of the phrase una persona.Tatoeba #2068278 by Shishir, translation #9495971 by DJ_Saidez
- La persona no vino.The person didn't come.This example shows how to use persona as the subject of a sentence.Tatoeba #7591199 by arh, translation #9593927 by DJ_Saidez
- ¡Hola! ¿Eres la persona encargada de las reservas?Hello! Are you the person in charge of the reservations?
- El individuo en cuestión deberá comparecer ante el tribunal.The individual in question must appear before the court.
- El sujeto implicado en el incidente fue arrestado.The person involved in the incident was arrested.
- Me encanta la gente que conocí durante mi viaje.I love the people I met during my trip.
- El tío que me vendió los boletos fue muy amigable.The guy who sold me the tickets was very friendly.
- La chica que conocí en Barcelona era realmente inteligente.The girl I met in Barcelona was really smart.
- 698 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Alejandro and Sofía are talking about a new coworker at the office.
- AlejandroEs una persona muy amable.She is a very kind person.
- SofíaSí, ella es una buena persona.Yes, she is a good person.
- AlejandroMe cae muy bien esa persona.I really like that person.
- SofíaYo también confío en esa persona.I trust that person too.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “person” translations and entries persona, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries persona, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
