Prepositional Pronouns For Intermediate learners
What Are Prepositional Pronouns?
Prepositional pronouns (pronombres personales tónicos de preposición) are pronouns that follow a preposition (like a, de, con, para, sin, por). In Spanish, some pronouns have special forms when they appear after prepositions:
Subject pronoun | Prepositional pronoun | |
|---|---|---|
First person singular | yo | mí |
Second-person singular | tú | ti |
Second-person singular (formal) | usted | usted |
Third-person singular | él/ella | él/ella |
First-person plural | nosotros/as | nosotros/as |
Second-person plural (informal) | vosotros/vosotras | vosotros/vosotras |
Second person plural | ustedes | ustedes |
Third-person plural | ellos/as | ellos/as |
As you can see, most prepositional pronouns have the same form as the corresponding subject pronouns, except for first and second-person informal pronouns. Here are some examples:
Este regalo es para mí.
This gift is for me.
Todo depende de ti.
Everything depends on you.
Ella está hablando de él.
She is talking about him.
Voy al cine con ellos.
I'm going to the cinema with them.
Reflexive Prepositional Pronoun
If the subject of the sentence and the complement of the preposition refer to the same person or people, the reflexive prepositional pronoun "sí" is used instead of "usted," "ustedes," "él," "ella," "ellos," or "ellas." The form "sí" is used for both singular and plural subjects and does not change according to gender or number. When the subject and the complement refer to different people, the regular prepositional pronouns are used instead.
Él habló de sí.
He talked about himself.
Deben confiar en sí.
They have to trust in themselves.
Elena and Pablo are discussing their friends' plans and confidence. Notice how they use "sí" when the person referred to after the preposition is also the subject of the sentence.
Do you think Marta is ready for the exam?
Yes, she has a lot of confidence in herself.
That's great! And her brother?
He's also confident in himself.
Then they're both ready.
Complete the sentence: "Carlos siempre piensa en ___ mismo."
él
ti
sí
mí
Which sentence correctly means "They believe in themselves"?
Ellos creen en ellos.
Ellos creen en sí mismos.
Ellos creen en ti mismos.
Ellos creen en mí mismos.
The Preposition "Con"
"Con" is a useful preposition in Spanish which causes some changes in the form of first and second-person prepositional pronouns as well as the reflexive form "sí." When used after "con," the first person prepositional pronoun attaches to the preposition and changes to "conmigo" while the second-person pronoun changes to "contigo." Additionally, if the object of "con" is the reflexive "sí," it changes to "consigo". But keep in mind that if the subject and object of "con" are not the same, the regular form of the prepositional pronoun (él, ella, etc.) must be used after "con." Check out the examples:
¿Quieres venir conmigo?
Do you want to come with me?
¿Puedo contar contigo?
Can I count on you?
Siempre lleva su cuaderno consigo.
He always carries his notebook with him.
Here, the subject "he" and the complement of the preposition "him" are the same person, so the reflexive form "consigo" is used.
Voy al cine con ellos.
I'm going to the cinema with them.
Here, the subject "I' and the complement of the preposition "them" are not the same, so the regular prepositional pronoun is used.
Laura and Diego are making plans for the weekend. Notice how they use "conmigo" and "contigo" to talk about spending time together.
Diego, do you want to go to the market with me tomorrow?
Of course. I like spending time with you.
Perfect! Is your sister coming too?
Yes, she wants to come with us. She always carries a bag with her.
Great. Then I'll see you at ten.
You want to invite your friend to study with you. Which sentence is correct?
¿Quieres estudiar con mí?
¿Quieres estudiar conmigo?
¿Quieres estudiar con yo?
¿Quieres estudiar contigo?
Which sentence correctly means "I enjoy talking with you" when addressing one friend informally?
Me gusta hablar con ti.
Me gusta hablar conmigo.
Me gusta hablar contigo.
Me gusta hablar con tú.
Exceptions
There are a few prepositions that require use of the same form as the subject pronoun in all cases. This means "yo" and "tú" are used instead of "mí" and "ti" after these prepositions. These include:
entre
según
excepto
menos
salvo
For example:
Entre tú y yo, no me gusta esa película.
Between you and me, I don't like that movie.
Según tú, no hay problema.
According to you, there is no problem.
Sofía and Marcos are discussing their plans for a group project. Notice how they use "tú" and "yo" after prepositions that allow the subject-pronoun forms.
Marcos, who's going to prepare the presentation?
Between you and me, we can finish it today.
Good idea. Does everyone agree?
In your opinion, which part needs more work?
The introduction. But we can improve it together.
Complete the sentence: "___ tú y yo podemos resolver este problema."
Para
Entre
Sin
De
Which sentence correctly means "According to me, the plan is good"?
Según mí, el plan es bueno.
Según yo, el plan es bueno.
Según conmigo, el plan es bueno.
Según me, el plan es bueno.
Summary
Spanish prepositional pronouns are used after prepositions such as "a", "de", "para", "sin", "por", and "con".
- Special singular forms: "Mí" replaces "yo" and "ti" replaces "tú" after most prepositions.
- Other forms: Pronouns such as "usted", "él", "ella", "nosotros", "nosotras", "vosotros", "vosotras", "ustedes", "ellos", and "ellas" normally retain the same forms as their corresponding subject pronouns.
- Reflexive prepositional pronoun: "Sí" is used after a preposition when a third-person or formal-address referent is coreferential with the subject. It has the same form for singular and plural subjects and does not distinguish gender.
- With con: "Conmigo" means "with me," "contigo" means "with you" informally, and "consigo" is the reflexive form meaning "with himself," "with herself," "with themselves," or "with yourself/yourselves" in formal address.
- Exceptions: After certain prepositions and related expressions, including "entre" and "según", the forms "yo" and "tú" are used rather than "mí" and "ti" in the constructions taught in this lesson.
In this final conversation, Elena and Pablo are planning a weekend trip with friends. Notice how they use ordinary prepositional pronouns, reflexive forms, special constructions with "con", and exceptions such as "entre" and "según".
Pablo, do you want to organize the trip with me?
Of course. I can always count on you.
Perfect. Who's coming with us?
Marta and Luis. Marta wants to bring her sister with her.
Great. And Luis? Have you spoken with him?
Yes. He says everything depends on you and me.
Well, between you and me, we can organize everything.
I agree. In your opinion, what's the best destination?
For me, the best option is to go to the mountains.
Perfect! Then I'll speak with them this afternoon.
Quiz:
Completa la tabla.
| Pronombre sujeto | Pronombres tónicos |
|---|---|
tú | |
yo | |
él | |
nosotros |
¿Cuál frase es correcta en español?
No quiero salir con tú esta noche.
No quiero salir con ti esta noche.
No quiero salir con te esta noche.
No quiero salir contigo esta noche.
Elige la opción correcta para completar la frase:
"Marta siempre lleva las llaves _______"
con ella.
con sí.
consigo.
con su misma.
Completa cada frase con el pronombre correcto.
Ella siempre habla de
misma. (ella)
Vamos a cenar con
después del trabajo. (ellos)
El secreto está entre
. (tú y yo)
El mensaje es solo para
. (yo)
Elige la opción correcta.
Entre ti y mí, todo está bien.
Entre tú y yo, todo está bien.
Entre te y me, todo está bien.
Entre te y mi, todo está bien.
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