Personal pronouns
In Spanish, pronouns are often dropped because the verb already shows who's acting. But it's still useful to learn them up front — otherwise you'll mix up él and ella, or tú and usted. Spanish has separate forms of 'you' for friends/family vs. polite/formal address.
Singular
yo = I. tú = you (informal — friends, kids, family). usted = you (formal — to one person, an elder, in shops). él = he. ella = she. Unlike English, there's no 'it' as a subject pronoun — every noun is masculine or feminine.
Plural
nosotros = we (or nosotras if everyone's female). vosotros = you all (informal, used only in Spain; nosotras is the feminine version). ustedes = you all (formal in Spain; in Latin America it's the only plural 'you'). ellos = they (men or mixed group). ellas = they (women only).
When to drop the pronoun
If the verb ending makes the subject clear, drop the pronoun. Instead of Yo soy María a Spanish speaker says Soy María. Pronouns come back for emphasis or contrast: ¿Tú o yo? = 'You or me?'
Basic greetings
Hola = hi. Buenos días = good morning / good day (literally 'good days'). Buenas tardes = good afternoon (after noon). Buenas noches = good evening / good night. Adiós = goodbye. Hasta luego = see you later. ¿Cómo estás? = how are you? ¿Cómo te llamas? = what's your name?
