yo
/ˈʝo/
The English word 'I' is translated into Spanish as yo.
yo is used as a subject pronoun. In other grammatical positions, Spanish uses different words such as mí or me. Additionally, the letter 'I' itself can be referred to as i or i latina.
Meaning: personal pronoun (pron)
Which one should you use?
Using yo explicitly often serves to add emphasis or contrast the speaker with others.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The pronoun yo is frequently omitted in Spanish because the verb conjugation alone identifies the subject as 'I'.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈʝo/
Did you know?
- If you say yo too often in a Spanish conversation, you can sound unintentionally boastful or self-centered.
- While English requires 'I' to be capitalized, the Spanish yo is never capitalized unless it starts a sentence.
- The Latin root egō̆, from which yo descends, is also the ancestor of the English word 'ego'.
Examples in context
- Yo sí te amo.I do love you.This sentence is useful for expressing the phrase 'I do love you' using yo.Tatoeba #1246286 by marcelostockle, translation #71454 by CK
- Yo no vi nada.I saw nothing.This sentence is useful for expressing the phrase 'I saw nothing' using yo.Tatoeba #497573 by Shishir, translation #256395 by CK
- Yo no lo hice.I did not do it.This sentence is useful for expressing the phrase 'I did not do it' using yo.Tatoeba #625873 by Leono, translation #625872 by Leono
- Quiero ir al cine.I want to go to the movies.
- Hablo español.I speak Spanish.
- Tengo una mascota.I have a pet.
- Vos sabés mucho.You know a lot.
- Vos sos increíble.You are amazing.
- Usted puede confiar en mí.You can trust me.
- 1953 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Sofía and Javier are deciding what to eat.
- Sofía¿Quieres pizza, Javier?Do you want pizza, Javier?
- JavierNo, yo prefiero pasta.No, I prefer pasta.
- SofíaEstá bien, yo también quiero pasta.Okay, I want pasta too.
- JavierPerfecto, vamos al restaurante.Perfect, let's go to the restaurant.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “i” translations and entries yo, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries yo, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
