Spanish Conversation · Level 7
87 words
Spanish word
él
Pronunciation
IPA/el/
Meaning
- pronounhe
Example
Él habla español.
He speaks Spanish.
More examples
No puedo vivir sin él.
I can't live without him.
Core concept
A man already mentioned or known in the conversation.
Common phrases
con él
with him
sin él
without him
para él
for him
como él
like him
él mismo
himself
Similar words
yo: Person speaking in the conversation, identifies or emphasizes the speaker.
tú: Familiar singular addressee in the conversation, addresses one person informally.
ella: Woman already mentioned or known in the conversation, adds emphasis or clarifies who is meant.
ellos: Multiple people already mentioned or known in the conversation, identifies that group.
Definition in Spanish
Se usa para referirse a un hombre ya mencionado o conocido en el contexto.
Word origin
From Latin ille, developed via Romance into the masculine third-person pronoun in Old Spanish and later given an acute accent to distinguish it from the article el.
Usage tips
- Spanish commonly omits subject pronouns because verb endings show the subject, so él appears mainly to add emphasis, contrast, or to clarify who is meant.
Opposites
- ellashepronoun