Catherine, él es Joel.
Catherine, this is Joel.
In an introduction, él tells everyone right away that you're talking about a man. English says this is Joel, and Spanish says él es Joel.
Spanish vocabularyA1 · Beginner
How to say "he" in Spanish
él
pronounfeminine: ellaplural: elloswritten with an accent
"He" in Spanish is él, with an accent on the e. Without the accent, el means "the". Spanish often leaves él out, because the verb already shows who you mean: Se llama Mateo. Es de aquí.
Hear "él" in real scenes
An introduction and a quick explanation. Each video starts and stops on that line.
Él es un comediante.
He's a comedian.
Someone at the office doesn't know the old star, so a coworker quickly explains what he does for a living.
From The Office · Spanish audio
He, him, his: the whole family
One man, five forms, depending on his job in the sentence.
| English | Spanish | Example |
|---|---|---|
| he | él | Él es Mateo. He's Mateo. |
| him (direct object) | lo (in Spain also le) | Lo veo mañana. I'll see him tomorrow. |
| (to) him | le | Le escribo un correo. I'm writing him an email. |
| with him, for him | con él, para él | Voy con él. I'm going with him. |
| his | su, sus | su coche his car, sus libros his books |
Tip: Su can also mean her, your or their. When that's unclear, say el coche de él, his car.
Grammar: él and when to use it
Four rules for talking about a man.
Él or el
With the accent, él is he: Él es inglés. Without it, el is the: el chico. Both sound exactly the same.Leave it out
The verb ending already points to him: Se llama Mateo. Es de aquí. Bring in él when he's new to the conversation or it's unclear.Use it for contrast
Add él to compare people or to point someone out: Yo soy de Madrid, pero él es inglés.After a preposition
Him stays él after con, para, de and a: con él, para él, de él. Unlike the article, de él never shrinks to del.Example sentences
Sentences from the Wordy Spanish course. Tap to listen.
Él es Mateo.
He's Mateo.
Él es de aquí.
He's from here.
No, él es inglés.
No, he's English.
Él es su dueño.
He's its owner.
Common mistakes
Mistakes learners make with this word, and how to fix them.
✗El es Mateo
✓Él es Mateo
Without the accent, el is the article the. The pronoun he always carries the accent.
✗Es del (meaning it's his)
✓Es de él
The article el merges with de into del. The pronoun él never does.
✗Él se llama Mateo. Él es de aquí.
✓Se llama Mateo. Es de aquí.
Once everyone knows who you mean, repeating él sounds stiff. Let the verb carry it.
Practice: 3 quick exercises
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1 of 3 · Watch and choose
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The other 29 exercises on this topic are in the app.
How to remember it
Think of the accent on él as a hat. He's a person, so he wears a hat, while the article el goes bareheaded.
Questions about "he" in Spanish
How do you say he in Spanish?
Él, with an accent on the e. Without the accent, el means the.
How do you say "he is" in Spanish?
Él es for who he is or where he's from: Él es inglés. Él está for where he is or how he feels: Él está en casa.
How do you say him in Spanish?
After a preposition, él: para él, con él. As an object, lo or le: Lo veo, Le escribo.
Do you always need él in Spanish?
No. When it's clear who you mean, the verb alone is enough: Es de aquí means he's from here.
