How To Say ‘They’ in Spanish 4 Different Ways

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The direct translations of “they” are ellos and ellas. But this isn’t the only way to say “they” in Spanish. In this guide, you’ll see how to use the common subject pronouns ellos/ellas, when you can omit the subject pronoun and let the verb form imply “they,” and how to use the impersonal and passive se to mean “they.” 

Which option you choose will depend on the plural noun you’re referring to, whether the subject is known or general, and the structure and formality of your sentence. You’ll also learn how to communicate in Spanish the singular “they” often used in English. 

The subject pronouns ellos/ellas

Both ellos and ellas are Spanish subject pronouns that directly translate to “they” in English. They are both plural and can take the place of a plural noun that has been previously mentioned, helping to avoid awkward repetition in a sentence. 

• Ayer hablé con mis padres. Ellos van de viaje el mes que viene. = Yesterday I talked with my parents. They‘re going on a trip next month. 

Note that the word ellos stands for mis padres in the second sentence. 

Ellas is used when the plural noun is exclusively feminine. This could refer to a group of women and girls, or less typically to a feminine plural noun. According to standard Spanish grammatical gender rules, ellas is not used when the group includes men, boys, or masculine nouns. If you were referring to a mixed group of both masculine and feminine nouns, you would use the masculine plural form.

Other Spanish subject pronouns

Subject pronouns including “they” in Spanish are essential knowledge for learners, as they provide a scaffold for understanding many grammar points including how to conjugate Spanish verbs in all different tenses, how to form possessive adjectives, and more. 

Omitting the subject pronoun of a conjugated verb

Sometimes, you can omit the subject pronoun where you would have to use “they” in English. Compare these examples:  

• Bob y Jodi son mis vecinos. Bob y Jodi son creativos porque Bob y Jodi son artistas. = Bob and Jodi are my neighbors. Bob and Jodi are creative because Bob and Jodi are artists. 

This example sounds overly repetitive and unnatural. It would be much more common to use ellos in the follow-up sentence. In fact, you can even omit the subject pronoun altogether since the conjugated verb form son means “they are” in Spanish. 

• Bob y Jodi son mis vecinos. Ellos son creativos porque son artistas. = Bob and Jodi are my neighbors. They are creative because they’re artists. 

Using the impersonal or passive se

The word se is used in a few structures where English speakers might say the word “they.” 

Occasionally, there is no specific subject related to a statement, but it expresses a general, unknown, or unidentified subject. “They” is just one possible translation in English. Others might be “one” or “people,” or simply the English passive voice, such as se usan pronombres (pronouns are used). 

• Se come bien en esta ciudad. = They eat well in this city.
• Se dice que va a nevar. = They say it’s going to snow. 
• Se venden libros. = They sell books.
• Se habla español. = They speak Spanish. 
• Se ofrece un descuento el jueves. = They offer a discount on Thursdays. 

Is there a singular ‘they’ in Spanish? 

In standard Spanish, the third-person singular subjects are él/ella (he/she). Because the verb is conjugated the same way to match either él or ella, it is natural to omit the pronoun in many sentences where an English singular “they” would be common.

• Si alguien olvida su móvil, puede volver mañana. = If someone forgets their phone, they can come back tomorrow. 
• Dijo que no está permitido aparcar aquí. = He/she/someone/they said parking isn’t allowed here. 

As Spanish continues to evolve, elle is used as one alternative for a non-binary singular human subject. The RAE has acknowledged its use in some linguistic circles for those who don’t identify with either gender, but also asserts that its use is not asentado (established).

Spanish pronouns with double “l” such as ella, ellos, and ellas can be tricky for learners at first. Avoid confusion and pronounce them like a native speaker by double-checking your pronunciation with Rosetta Stone’s TruAccent speech recognition engine.