Subject pronouns (yo, tú, él, etc.) 1

Subject pronouns are usually omitted — Spanish verbs are conjugated with distinctive endings for each person, so the subject is already clear without the pronoun: Hablo español (more natural than Yo hablo español). Subject pronouns are included for emphasis, contrast, or when the context is genuinely ambiguous — especially for él/ella/usted which share the same verb form.

Tú vs usted — register matters — Tú is informal: use with friends, family, peers, children. Usted is formal: use with strangers, elders, and in professional contexts. Getting this wrong sounds rude (too informal) or stiff (too formal). In much of Latin America, usted is also used affectionately between family members.

Vosotros vs ustedes — In Spain, vosotros/as is the informal plural you; ustedes is formal. In Latin America, vosotros is not used — ustedes serves as both formal and informal plural. This means Latin Americans learn a simpler system (no vosotros forms), but Spanish learners in Spain must master both.