elle
/ˈeʝe/
elle is the Spanish gender-neutral pronoun used to refer to a person who does not identify as exclusively male or female.
The pronoun elle is used to refer to people who identify as non-binary or gender-neutral.
Which one should you use?
While él refers to a male and ella refers to a female, elle is used to avoid assigning a specific gender.
How does it change in a sentence?
When using elle as a subject, adjectives referring to that person should also use the neutral -e ending, such as elle es amable or elle es inteligente.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈeʝe/
Did you know?
- The use of elle is often accompanied by the use of x or @ in written text, such as 'amigx' or 'amig@', to represent gender neutrality in a way that goes beyond just the pronoun.
- Because elle is a relatively recent linguistic development, it is not yet officially recognized by the Real Academia Española, the institution that regulates the Spanish language.
- The use of elle and the -e ending is part of a wider linguistic movement called lenguaje inclusivo, which aims to challenge the traditional rule that masculine forms act as the default for mixed groups.
Examples in context
- Elle vive en una casa pequeña.Elle lives in a small house.
Example conversation
Mateo and María are talking about a new coworker.
- Mateo¿Conoces a la nueva persona del equipo?Do you know the new person on the team?
- MaríaSí, elle es muy inteligente y creativa.Yes, elle is very intelligent and creative.
- MateoMe alegra que elle esté aquí.I am glad that elle is here.
- MaríaYo también, Mateo.Me too, Mateo.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry elle, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
