ellas
/ˈeʝas/
The Spanish word ellas means "they" when referring to a group of females.
ellas is the third-person plural pronoun used to refer to a group of females. It is the feminine way to say "they" in English.
Which one should you use?
Use ellas specifically when the group being referred to consists entirely of females. If the group contains at least one male, you should use ellos instead.
How does it change in a sentence?
ellas is the feminine plural form of the third-person pronoun. Its singular counterpart is ella, which means "she". In a sentence, the words following the pronoun must agree in gender and number, such as in the phrase Ellas están contentas con su trabajo.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈeʝas/
Did you know?
- While ellas refers to females, Spanish speakers may use the masculine ellos to refer to a mixed-gender group of a thousand women and just one man.
- In rapid, colloquial speech, the 's' at the end of ellas is often aspirated or dropped entirely in many Caribbean and Southern Spanish dialects, making it sound more like ella.
- The word ellas is a direct descendant of the Latin word illās, which served as the accusative feminine plural of the pronoun ille.
Examples in context
- Ellas están estudiando para el examen.They are studying for the exam.
- Hoy voy a salir con ellas al cine.Today, I'm going to the movies with them.
- Ellas son mis amigas.They are my friends.
- Ellas son mis mejores amigas.They are my best friends.
- ¿Viste a las niñas? Ellas están en el parque.Did you see the girls? They are in the park.
- Ellas ganaron el partido de fútbol.They won the soccer match.
Example conversation
Mateo and Elena are looking at a photo of some female friends.
- Mateo¿Quiénes son ellas?Who are they?
- ElenaEllas son mis hermanas de la universidad.They are my sisters from college.
- MateoParecen muy simpáticas.They look very nice.
- ElenaSí, ellas son muy divertidas.Yes, they are very fun.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry ellas, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ellas, CC BY-SA 4.0.
