pronombre
/pɾoˈnombɾe/
The English word "pronoun" is pronombre in Spanish.
A pronombre is a word used instead of a noun or noun phrase. In Spanish, this includes various types such as the subject pronoun yo (as in Yo tengo hambre), the object pronoun me (as in Juan me vio) and the demonstrative pronoun este (as in Este es mi coche).
What does it mean word for word?
The word pronombre is a compound consisting of the prefix pro-, meaning "for" or "in place of" and nombre, meaning "name".
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Argentina, the term pronombre is widely used in all contexts, whether the situation is formal or informal.
How does it change in a sentence?
To form the plural pronombres, you add -s to the end of the word.
How do you pronounce it?
/pɾoˈnombɾe/
Did you know?
- Because Spanish is a pro-drop language, the subject pronombre is often omitted entirely because the verb ending already reveals who is performing the action.
- The pronombre tú is often replaced by usted to show respect, but in some regions like Colombia, usted is used even between close friends and family.
- The Spanish word nombre for 'name' shares the same root as the English word 'enumerate', which means to count or list things one by one.
Examples in context
- El pronombre «hen» está aprobado en Suecia.The pronoun "hen" has been approved in Sweden.This sentence shows how to use the word pronombre in a sentence about Swedish language approval.Tatoeba #5990757 by indef, translation #4446049 by olof
- ¿Qué pronombre prefieres?Which pronoun do you prefer?This sentence uses pronombre to ask about a preference.Tatoeba #5990756 by indef, translation #3973419 by coynejeremy
- No sé por qué el pronombre "I" del inglés aparece siempre en mayúscula.I don't know why the English pronoun "I" always appears with a capital letter.This sentence uses pronombre when discussing the English language.Tatoeba #1465956 by marcelostockle, translation #3493580 by Objectivesea
- El profesor explicó el uso del pronombre en la oraciónThe teacher explained the use of the pronoun in the sentence
- No entendí bien el pronombre, ¿me lo puedes explicar?I didn't quite understand the pronoun, could you explain it to me?
- Yo tengo hambreI am hungry
- Juan me vioJuan saw me
- Me lavo las manosI wash my hands
- Este es mi cocheThis is my car
- 3 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two students are discussing a grammar exercise in a library.
- Mateo¿Este pronombre es correcto?Is this pronoun correct?
- LucíaSí, ese pronombre está bien.Yes, that pronoun is fine.
- MateoGracias, Lucía.Thanks, Lucía.
- LucíaDe nada, Mateo.You're welcome, Mateo.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry pronombre, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries pronombre, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
