If you’ve spent some time listening to people speak Spanish, you’ve probably noticed this. I’m talking about the way native speakers sometimes drop the subject in their sentences. It can look pretty weird to English speakers. But Spanish subject omission can be very easy to understand.
This is something that can happen even in the easiest sentences. Imagine something as simple as “I’m going home”. In English, you couldn’t say “Going home” the same way. The sentence would sound weird, incomplete. It is not clear “Who” is “Going home” in this scenario.
However, in Spanish, it is very different. Not only is it fine to say simply “Voy a mi casa” instead of “Yo voy a mi casa”. It is even more common and much more natural to use the shorter version. So, why does this happen? And how can you do it to sound more natural in Spanish? You will find all this and more answers right here.
What is a null subject language?
This means that the pronoun is not obligatory in the sentence. This might sound like a very confusing thing, especially for native English speakers. In English, it is expected to include the pronoun in the sentence.
The subject, that first pronoun, commonly is the person who does the action described in the sentence. In English, if we were to erase the pronoun from the sentence, there would be no way to know who is the subject and who does the action. So, can this possibly be ignored in Spanish?
There are many more null subject languages like Spanish. Some other languages that do this are Italian, Portuguese, and Japanese. In all of these cases, in one way or another, the subject of the sentence is implied, and not necessarily included in every sentence.
Why is Spanish subject omission possible?
Let’s take a look at another example. In English, you can say, “We are going to the party.” But it wouldn’t make sense to say “Are going to the party.” It doesn’t say who is performing the action.
In Spanish, however, “Vamos a la fiesta” is just enough. In fact, “Nosotros vamos a la fiesta” might even be redundant. If you say “Vamos” it is perfectly clear that the hidden pronoun was “Nosotros.”
Why? Here’s the reason: The subject is included in the verb conjugation. Take a look at it in the case of the verb “Ir”.
- Yo voy
- Tú vas
- Él / Ella va
- Nosotros vamos
- Ustedes van
Notice how the verb looks different in every single case. This means that judging by the form of the verb used in the sentence, the accompanying pronoun becomes obvious. Then, because it is obvious, it’s alright to erase it. And that’s what we call Spanish subject omission, see?
When do you have to use pronouns in Spanish?
Now you know why and how there is subject omission in Spanish. But that is not all. Just because Spanish is a null subject language, doesn’t mean this happens every time. There are exceptions and cases when you don’t have to ignore the pronoun. Take a look:
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For emphasis
Sometimes, the subject isn’t necessary in Spanish. Sometimes, native speakers use it to add emphasis to it. For example, to insist that this subject really is the one performing the activity described.
Example: “Hice mi trabajo” is normal sentence in Spanish. But, if you were being accused of not doing your work, you could say, “Yo hice mi trabajo.” Try reading both sentences out loud. You will notice the emphasis on the pronoun, even if it wasn’t necessary.
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For contrast
This is another kind of emphasis. Making emphasis on the pronouns is really useful when comparing the actions of two different subjects. Besides, when the sentence is about two different subjects, keeping the pronouns will help avoid confusion.
For example, when comparing opposite opinions. It is better to say “Yo no dije eso, fue él.” It sounds more impactful than saying “No dije eso, fue él.” Again, if you read it out loud, adding extra emphasis to the “Yo”, you will notice the difference.
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For clarity
As we just mentioned, pronouns are important to avoid confusion. If you are talking only about yourself, it’s best to make use of the Spanish subject omission.
For example: “Yo tengo mucho trabajo, yo voy a la oficina, y yo tengo una reunión.” Doesn’t sound natural at all. The pronoun “Yo” is very repetitive.
Instead, it’s much better to say: “Tengo mucho trabajo, voy a la oficina y tengo una reunión.” See? It flows much more naturally.
However, if your sentence includes two subjects, it’s different. For example, “Tengo mucho trabajo, tiene el día libre.” Doesn’t make much sense, does it? At least not easily.
So, in this case, it’s best to include the pronouns and say: “Yo tengo mucho trabajo, ella tiene el día libre.”
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In formal writing
This case is more about context than grammar. If you find yourself in a formal situation, it’s best to keep your Spanish sentence structure complete. It’s still good to avoid the constant repetition observed in previous cases. But it’s not necessary to omit the subject in every sentence.
For example, during a work meeting, “Estamos dedicados al proyecto” does sound more casual than a more serious “Nosotros estamos dedicados al proyecto.”
Tips for learning Spanish subject omission
At this point, you understand what is a null subject language and Spanish as one of them. But knowing this fact isn’t enough. It is time to put this knowledge into use. It can be intimidating to feel like you are breaking grammar rules by not including the subject. So, here are some tips you can use:
- Avoid repetition. Using the pronouns in every other sentence isn’t too bad. It’ll just be too noticeable if it happens in every single sentence. So watch out for this specifically.
- Listening practice. Listening to native speakers is part of everyone’s learning process. But, next time you are listening to natives speak, in real conversations, movies, or a podcast, focus on this. Notice when they use the subject and when they don’t.
- Study verb conjugation. It’s okay, you still don’t have to focus too much on grammar over conversational Spanish. But if you want to master this topic, it’s a good idea to take some time to study verb conjugation. You will see how sometimes the verb will imply the subject so you don’t have to use it.
- Constant practice. This is always great advice. The more you speak Spanish, the more you’ll notice things like that. You will naturally feel when you are being repetitive. Soon, you’ll start to drop the unnecessary subject without even realizing.
All that is left is to put these tips to use! Spanish as a null subject language is very interesting, but it doesn’t have to be difficult. Everyone can learn how to master the Spanish subject omission. It’s just a matter of taking the time to understand it and practicing it.
This is the type of thing that takes time and patience. But you will see it is definitely worth it. Start trying it out, and you will notice how you sound more and more natural in Spanish. This is how you speak real Spanish like native speakers!
