Prepositional Object Pronouns of Spanish

Prepositions in Spanish need an object to be complete, just as they do in English. For example, a sentence such as "I am going to" or "Voy a" doesn't make much sense. That object can be a noun or a pronoun (or sometimes a verb functioning as a noun).

Most of the pronouns used with prepositions in Spanish are the same as the subject pronouns, but they are different in the first- and second-person singular. Otherwise their use is fairly straightforward, as indicated in the following list:

The Prepositional Pronouns of Spanish

mí—me

• Es un regalo para mí. (It is a gift for me.)
• Salieron sin mí. (They left without me.)
• Tienen una falta de respeto hacia mí. (They have a lack of respect toward me.)

ti—you (singular familiar)

• Hablan de ti. (They are talking about you.)
• No valía nada mi vida antes de ti. (My life before you was worthless.)
• El regalo es para ti. (The gift is for you.)

usted—you (singular formal)

• Las flores son para usted. (The flowers are for you.)
• Ella no tolera fumar alrededor de usted. (She doesn't put up with smoking around you.)
• Siempre pensamos en usted. (We are always thinking about you.)

él, ella—him, her

• Corrieron hacia él. (They ran toward him.)
• Fue escrito por ella. (It was written by her.)
• Muchas veces hablaban con ella. (They spoke with her often.)

nosotros, nosotras—us

• Vienen tras nosotros. (They are coming after us.)
• Andan al lado de nosotros. (They are walking beside us.)
• Queremos que trabajes con nosotras. (We want you to work with us.)

vosotros, vosotras—you (plural familiar)

• No estoy contra vosotros. (I am not against you.)
• Salgo sin vosotros. (I am leaving without you.)
• Es el mejor para vosotras. (It is the best thing for you.)

ellos, ellas—them

• El coche no es para ellos. (The car isn't for them.)
• Salgo con ellas. (I am leaving with them.)
• Sin ellos no podemos vivir. (We can't live without them.)

Reflexive Prepositional Pronouns

When the object of a preposition is the same as the subject of the verb coming before a prepositional phrase the pronoun sí is used when the verb is in the third person. In other words, sí is the equivalent of "himself," "herself," or "themselves" when it comes after a preposition. Although not common, sí can also be the equivalent of the formal "yourself" or "yourselves" after a preposition.

When used this way, sí is frequently followed by mismo or one of its feminine or plural equivalents.

Sí when used in this way should not be confused with sí, the word for "yes" or an adverb of affirmation.

• La madre que no se ama a sí misma nunca se siente feliz. (The mother who doesn't love herself never feels happy.)
• Sólo trabajaran para sí mismos. (They are working only for themselves.)
• El egoísta sólo piensa en sí mismo. (The egotist thinks only about himself.)

Two Exceptions

There are two main exceptions to the above usages:

The Con- Contractions

When used with con (usually translated as "with") the forms conmigo, contigo, and consigo are used instead of con mí, con ti, and con sí, respectively.

• Voy contigo. (I'm going with you.)
• ¿Vas conmigo? (Are you going with me?)
• Se llevó su equipaje consigo. (She took her luggage with her.)

Prepositions Using Subject Pronouns

The following six prepositions are used with the subject pronouns yo and tú instead of mí and ti, respectively: entre (usually translated as "among" or "between"), excepto ("except"), incluso ("including" or "even"), menos ("except"), salvo ("except"), and según ("according to"). Also, hasta is used with the subject pronouns when it is used with roughly the same meaning as incluso.

• Es la diferencia entre tú y yo. (It's the difference between you and me.)
• Muchas personas incluso/hasta yo creen en las hadas. (Many people including me believe in fairies, or many people, even I, believe in fairies.)
• Todos excepto/menos/salvo tú creen en las hadas. (Everybody except you believes in fairies.)
• Es la verdad según yo. (It's the truth according to me.)

Key Takeaways

• Prepositional pronouns are pronouns used at the objects of prepositions.
• The subject and prepositional object pronouns are identical, except that mí is the object form of yo, and ti is the object form of tú.
• Several prepositions including entre and según are used with subject pronouns in all instances.