How do you say “he” in Spanish? Él is the third person subject pronoun for “he.” But did you know él can also be translated to “it” or “him” depending on the context?
This guide covers everything you need to know to master the word él (he) as a subject pronoun, how to write it accurately, when it’s ok to leave it out altogether, and when it might mean something slightly different depending on what you’re referring to or how you use it.
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Él is the subject pronoun ‘he’ in Spanish
Subject pronouns replace nouns as the grammatical subject of the sentence (who or what is doing the main action or verb of the sentence). The word él means “he” in Spanish and is a third-person, singular pronoun you use instead of a name when the subject is known.
- Él es muy guapo. = He is very handsome.
They are useful to avoid repetition of a Spanish noun. Just like in English, you can say “he” instead of a name. For instance, this example sounds choppy and unnatural:
- Mario es bajo pero Mario es fuerte. Mario puede correr rápido. Mario juega baloncesto. = Mario is short but Mario is strong. Mario can run fast. Mario plays basketball.
Replacing the name “Mario” with él, as we might use “he” in English, or even dropping it altogether once we’ve established Mario as the subject, sounds much more natural.
- Mario es bajo, pero él es fuerte. Él puede correr rápido. Juega baloncesto. = Mario is short, but he is strong. He can run fast. He plays basketball.
Other subject pronouns in Spanish
Familiarizing yourself with these Spanish subject pronouns is essential. Not only are they used in sentences, but they are the anchors for learning to conjugate Spanish verbs in all different tenses.
| Spanish Subject Pronoun | English Meaning | Grammar Features |
| yo | I | singular |
| tú | you | singular, informal |
| usted | you | singular, formal |
| él | he | singular, masculine |
| ella | she | singular, feminine |
| nosotros | we | plural, masculine or mixed group |
| nosotras | we | plural, feminine |
| vosotros | you | plural, masculine or mixed group, informal, only used in Spain |
| vosotras | you | plural, feminine, informal, only used in Spain |
| ellos | they | plural, masculine or mixed group |
| ellas | they | plural, feminine |
Él vs. el
The subject pronoun él requires an accent. Spelled without it, el means “the.” It’s fairly easy to type accents on any computer or phone to avoid confusion.
- Él es el nuevo profesor. = He is the new teacher.
- Él tiene el mapa. = He has the map.
You can leave out él with a conjugated verb
You can sometimes drop él altogether, as the conjugated verb form will indicate the subject in Spanish.
- Es mi vecino. = He is my neighbor.
- Rafa es nuestro guía. Es de Barcelona. = Rafa is our guide. He is from Barcelona.
Sometimes él means ‘it’
Él can also mean “it” in reference to an object, if the word for that object is a masculine singular noun, even though it is more common to omit it.
- ¿Dónde está mi libro? Él está en la mesa. = Where is my book? It is on the table.
- Mi coche es muy viejo. Él no funciona bien. = My car is very old. It doesn’t work well.
Él can also mean ‘him’
If él is used as an object pronoun or after a preposition, it can mean “him.”
- Lo vi a él, pero no a ella. = I saw him, but not her.
- Es un regalo para él. = It is a gift for him.
Common phrases using él
Now that you’ve learned how to say “he” in Spanish, master a few examples and phrases. Remember, it might be just as common to leave out él when the subject is known to the listener or reader.
Describing another person
Form phrases such as “he is from” in Spanish using él to give details about a man or boy.
| Spanish | English |
| Él es de… | He is from… |
| Él es mi padre/hermano/primo/hijo. | He is my father/brother/cousin/son. |
| Él se llama… | He is called/his name is… |
| Él tiene # años. | He is # years old. |
| Él vive en… | He lives in… |
Other phrases with ‘he’
There are a few specific uses of “he” in Spanish that may differ from él or how it’s phrased in English. One example is the verb gustar (to like), which doesn’t technically use “he” in the same way.
| Spanish | English |
| “El que madruga, Dios lo ayuda.” | “He who rises early, God helps.” |
| ¿Es macho o hembra? | Is it a he or a she? (use with animals) |
| ¿Es niño o niña? | Is it a boy or a girl? (use with people) |
| Le gusta… | He/she likes…/…is pleasing to him/her. |
| “Quien ríe el último ríe mejor.” | “He who laughs last laughs best.” |
Rosetta Stone’s proven methods can help you learn more proverbs, verbs that work like gustar, and phrases using “he” in Spanish.
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