Pronouns: Disjunctive

01

The Three Pronouns That Change

While most disjunctive pronouns look the same as their subject forms (like él, ella, nosotros), three of them have a unique form when used after a preposition.

1. yo → mí

The subject pronoun yo (I) becomes mí (me) after a preposition. Note the accent mark on mí to distinguish it from the possessive adjective mi (my).

• Este regalo es para mí.

  This gift is for me.

• Todos están hablando de mí.

  Everyone is talking about me.

2. tú → ti

The subject pronoun tú (you) becomes ti (you) after a preposition. Note that ti never has an accent mark, unlike the subject pronoun tú.

• Compré estos boletos para ti.

  I bought these tickets for you.

• No puedo ir a la fiesta sin ti.

  I can't go to the party without you.

3. Reflexive se → sí

The reflexive pronoun se becomes sí when it follows a preposition and refers back to the subject of the sentence. It is often followed by mismo, misma, mismos, or mismas for clarity.

• Él solo piensa en sí mismo.

  He only thinks about himself.

• Se compraron un regalo para sí mismos.

  They bought a gift for themselves.

02

The Special Case with 'Con'

The preposition con (with) is unique. When used with mí, ti, or sí, it combines to form a single word.

• con + mí → conmigo (with me)
• con + ti → contigo (with you)
• con + sí → consigo (with himself/herself/themselves)

• ¿Quieres ir al cine conmigo?

  Do you want to go to the movies with me?

• Mi perro siempre quiere estar contigo.

  My dog always wants to be with you.

• El director trajo los documentos consigo.

  The director brought the documents with him.

For all other pronouns, con remains a separate word.

• Prefiero hablar con él mañana.

  I prefer to speak with him tomorrow.

• Fuimos de vacaciones con ellos.

  We went on vacation with them.

03

Using Disjunctive Pronouns for Emphasis

In Spanish, it's very common to use a disjunctive pronoun with the preposition a at the beginning of a sentence to add emphasis or to clarify who is being talked about. This structure is often used with verbs like gustar (to like), encantar (to love), or interesar (to interest).

• A mí me gustan mucho los tacos.

  I really like tacos. (As for me...)

• A ti te toca sacar la basura.

  It's your turn to take out the trash.

• A ella no le dijeron nada.

  They didn't say anything to her.

04

Exceptions with 'Entre', 'Excepto', and 'Según'

A few prepositions behave differently, particularly with the first and second person singular pronouns.

With entre (between), you use the subject pronouns yo and tú instead of mí and ti.

• Entre tú y yo, creo que la idea no es buena.

  Between you and me, I don't think the idea is good.

• El secreto debe quedar entre tú y yo.

  The secret must stay between you and me.

With prepositions like excepto (except), salvo (except), and según (according to), usage can vary. In Mexico, it is very common to use the subject pronouns yo and tú.

• Todos fueron a la fiesta excepto yo.

  Everyone went to the party except me.

• Según tú, ¿quién va a ganar el partido?

  According to you, who is going to win the game?