ello
Lemma Details
Translation: it; that; this
Part of Speech: pronoun
Etymology: Ello comes from Latin 'illud', the neuter form of 'ille' meaning 'that'. This is part of the same Latin demonstrative pronoun family that gave English words like 'illusion' (something that appears to be something else). The evolution from Latin 'illud' to Spanish 'ello' shows the typical phonological changes where Latin double consonants simplified (ll → l) and final consonants were lost (d → ∅).
Commonality: 70%
Guessability: 30%
Register: neutral
Mnemonics
- Think of 'ello' as similar to saying ''ello there' (hello there) in English - it's pointing to something.
- Associate 'ello' with 'yellow' - imagine pointing to a yellow object when saying 'ello' to remember it means 'that' or 'it'.
Cultural Context
Unlike English 'it', 'ello' is not commonly used as a subject in everyday speech. It's more formal and typically appears in writing or formal speech, often with prepositions. Spanish speakers tend to omit subject pronouns or use demonstratives like 'esto' or 'eso' instead.
Easily Confused With
Explanation: 'Ello' is a neuter pronoun meaning 'it' or 'that', while 'él' is a masculine pronoun meaning 'he' or 'him'. 'Ello' refers to concepts, ideas, or situations, while 'él' refers to masculine nouns or male persons.
Confused word:
Él llegó tarde a la reunión.
He arrived late to the meeting.
Notes: 'Ello' is never used to refer to specific objects with gender in Spanish, only to abstract concepts or situations.
Mnemonic: 'Ello' ends in 'o' like the neuter demonstratives 'esto' and 'eso', while 'él' has an accent mark and refers to males.
Explanation: Both 'ello' and 'eso' can translate to 'that' or 'it', but 'ello' is more formal and abstract, while 'eso' is more common in everyday speech and can be used as a demonstrative ('that thing').
Confused word:
¿Qué es eso?
What is that?
Notes: 'Eso' can stand alone as a subject more naturally than 'ello', which often appears with prepositions.
Mnemonic: Think of 'ello' as more elevated and abstract (like in formal writing), while 'eso' is more concrete and everyday.