Spanish · Greetings & Essentials

"He" in Spanish: él

él

Say it: ehlpronoun/el/

He in Spanish is él. Él needs a written accent. Without the accent, el is the masculine the.

Pointing someone out

Él es mi hermano.
He is my brother.
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How to pronounce él

Say it

ehl

/el/

ehl. One syllable. Same vowel as Spanish e in mesa, not English eel.

"He" in Spanish: quick reference

SpanishEnglish
élhe

Stressed subject pronoun.

él es…he is…

Introducing or describing a man.

él tambiénhe too

Including him in agreement.

él nonot him / he doesn't

Contrast.

How to use él in real life

  1. 1Pointing someone out

    Él es mi hermano.

    He is my brother.

    Él es introduces a man.

  2. 2Contrast

    Yo camino. Él toma el bus.

    I walk. He takes the bus.

    Él marks contrast.

  3. 3Agreement

    Él también quiere pizza.

    He wants pizza too.

    Él también adds him to the plan.

Mistakes English speakers make with él

Incorrect: El es médico.

Correct: Él es médico.

Subject él needs the accent. El without accent is the.

Incorrect: Él soy mi amigo.

Correct: Él es mi amigo.

With él use es, not soy. Soy is only for yo.

Good to know

Spanish often drops él when the verb already shows he. Add él for clarity or contrast. Never confuse él with the article el in writing.

Try it in a ChatPal conversation

Talking about a classmate

  1. ChatPal

    ¿Quién llegó primero?

    Who arrived first?

  2. You

    Él llegó a las ocho.

    He arrived at eight.

  3. ChatPal

    ¿Él trae el libro?

    Is he bringing the book?

  4. You

    Sí. Él lo tiene.

    Yes. He has it.

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"He" in other languages

FAQ

Common questions about "He" in Spanish

Él or el?

Él (accent) means he. El means the. The accent is required.

Must I always say él?

No. Verb forms often show he. Add él for emphasis.

How do you pronounce él?

Ehl. Short e, not English eel.

Object form?

Subject is él. Object forms are lo or le.

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