ella
/ˈeʝa/
The Spanish word for 'she' is ella.
ella is a subject pronoun used to refer to a female person. In many Spanish sentences, ella is often omitted if the subject is already clear from the context or the verb conjugation.
Meaning: person (pron)
Which one should you use?
The masculine counterpart to ella is él, which means 'he'. If you are referring to a group of only females, you should use the plural form ellas.
How does it change in a sentence?
ella is a subject pronoun used for a female person. The plural form is ellas, which is used specifically when referring to a group consisting entirely of females.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈeʝa/
Did you know?
- If a group contains one hundred women and only one man, the plural 'they' changes from ellas to the masculine ellos.
- In some Caribbean dialects, the double l in ella is pronounced as a 'j' or 'h' sound, making it sound like eja.
- The word ella is a direct descendant of the Latin word illa, which was used to point out a person who was distant from the speaker.
Examples in context
- Ella no es alta.She is not tall.This sentence is useful for describing a person's height using ella.Tatoeba #755928 by marcelostockle, translation #437589 by MikeDee
- Ella fue con él.She went with him.This sentence is useful for describing movement using ella.Tatoeba #1258440 by marcelostockle, translation #887593 by CK
- Ella aún le ama.She still loves him.This sentence is useful for describing feelings or affection using ella.Tatoeba #1296690 by marcelostockle, translation #887408 by CK
- ¿Dónde está ella?Where is she?
- Ella es mi mejor amiga.She is my best friend.
- Ella trabaja en la oficina.She works in the office.
- Ella estudia medicina.She studies medicine.
- Ella es inteligente y amable.She is intelligent and kind.
- Ella tiene el cabello largo.She has long hair.
- Ella es una mujer exitosa.She is a successful woman.
- Ella trabaja como profesora.She works as a teacher.
- 7387 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Daniel and Elena are talking about a mutual friend.
- Daniel¿Dónde está María?Where is María?
- ElenaElla está en la oficina.She is in the office.
- Daniel¿Regresa pronto?Is she coming back soon?
- ElenaSí, ella vuelve en diez minutos.Yes, she returns in ten minutes.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “she” translations and entries ella, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ella, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
