Spanish · Greetings & Essentials

"She" in Spanish: ella

ella

Say it: EH-yahpronoun/ˈe.ʝa/

She in Spanish is ella. Ella pairs with third-person verbs like es and tiene. Drop ella when the verb is already clear.

Introduction

Ella es mi profesora.
She is my teacher.
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How to pronounce ella

Say it

EH-yah

/ˈe.ʝa/

EH-yah. Stress EH. Latin American ella usually has ll like English y.

"She" in Spanish: quick reference

SpanishEnglish
ellashe

Stressed subject pronoun.

ella es…she is…

Introducing or describing a woman.

ella tambiénshe too

Including her.

ella nonot her / she doesn't

Contrast.

How to use ella in real life

  1. 1Introduction

    Ella es mi profesora.

    She is my teacher.

    Ella es names a woman.

  2. 2Plans

    Ella llega más tarde.

    She arrives later.

    Ella clarifies who arrives.

  3. 3Contrast

    Yo pido tacos. Ella pide sopa.

    I order tacos. She orders soup.

    Ella marks contrast.

Mistakes English speakers make with ella

Incorrect: Ella soy mi amiga.

Correct: Ella es mi amiga.

With ella use es. Soy belongs to yo.

Incorrect: Ella tiene hambre ella.

Correct: Ella tiene hambre. / Tiene hambre.

Say ella once. Doubling ella sounds odd.

Good to know

Ella is dropped often in natural speech. Keep ella when several people are in the story. The ll in ella usually sounds like y in Latin America.

Try it in a ChatPal conversation

Waiting for a friend at a café

  1. ChatPal

    ¿Dónde está Ana?

    Where is Ana?

  2. You

    Ella viene en cinco minutos.

    She's coming in five minutes.

  3. ChatPal

    ¿Ella quiere café o té?

    Does she want coffee or tea?

  4. You

    Café. Ella siempre pide café.

    Coffee. She always orders coffee.

This is a sample. In ChatPal you have this conversation out loud and get feedback on what you say.

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"She" in other languages

FAQ

Common questions about "She" in Spanish

How do you pronounce ll in ella?

Like English y in Latin American ella: EH-yah.

Must I say ella every time?

No. Verb endings often show she. Add ella for clarity.

Ella vs lo/la?

Ella is subject she. La/le can be object her.

Capitalization?

Lowercase ella unless it starts the sentence.

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