ellos
/ˈeʝos/
The English phrase 'they/them' can be translated into Spanish as ellos.
The gender-neutral pronouns elle and elles are used in many Spanish-speaking contexts as gender-neutral alternatives to the masculine él/ellos and feminine ella/ellas. Additionally, in formal settings, one can refer to a non-binary person by using the phrase la persona followed by a third person singular verb.
Meaning: non-binary person (noun)
Which one should you use?
While ellos is the traditional masculine plural, elle is the non-binary singular pronoun used to refer to a person of unspecified or non-binary gender. For a group of non-binary people or a mixed-gender group in non-binary inclusive language, the plural form elles is used.
How does it change in a sentence?
The non-binary plural form of 'they/them' is elles, which is used to refer to a group of non-binary people or a mixed-gender group in non-binary inclusive language.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈeʝos/
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often assume ellos is the direct equivalent of the singular 'they', but in traditional Spanish, ellos is strictly the masculine plural 'they'.
Did you know?
- To avoid gendered pronouns in writing, some people use the @ symbol or an x in words like tod@s or todxs to encompass both masculine and feminine forms.
- The non-binary pronoun elle is part of a broader movement called lenguaje inclusivo which often replaces the masculine 'o' with 'e' in other words, such as amigue instead of amigo.
- In some spoken dialects of Spanish, speakers avoid gendered pronouns entirely by omitting the subject, relying on the verb ending to convey the action.
Example conversation
Javier and Lucía are discussing a new coworker.
- Javier¿Cómo quieres que me refiera a Alex?How do you want me to refer to Alex?
- LucíaAlex es una persona no binaria y usa ellos.Alex is a non-binary person and uses they/them.
- JavierEntiendo, gracias por decirme.I understand, thanks for telling me.
- LucíaDe nada, es importante respetar su identidad.You're welcome, it is important to respect their identity.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry ellos, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
