él
Lemma Details
Translation: he; him
Part of Speech: pronoun
Etymology: Derived from Latin 'ille' (that, that one), which was used as a demonstrative pronoun in Classical Latin and later evolved into personal pronouns in Romance languages. The connection to English is through the Indo-European pronominal system, though English 'he' comes from Germanic roots rather than Latin.
Commonality: 95%
Guessability: 60%
Register: neutral
Mnemonics
- Think of the 'l' in 'él' as standing tall like a man (he).
- The accent mark points up like a man's hat.
Antonyms
Cultural Context
Unlike English, Spanish often omits subject pronouns when the subject is clear from context or verb conjugation. 'Él' is typically used for emphasis, contrast, or clarity.
Easily Confused With
Explanation: 'Él' (with accent) is the personal pronoun meaning 'he' or 'him', while 'el' (without accent) is the definite article meaning 'the' for masculine singular nouns.
This word:
Él tiene un libro.
He has a book.
Confused word:
El libro es interesante.
The book is interesting.
Notes: The accent mark on 'él' serves to distinguish it from the definite article 'el', which is never stressed.
Mnemonic: The accent mark on 'él' points to a person (he), while 'el' without accent points to a thing (the).