Subject-Verb Agreement

Kurz erklärt

In Spanish, the verb changes to match its subject in person and number. This means that yo, tú, él/ella/usted, nosotros/nosotras, and ellos/ellas/ustedes usually take different verb forms. The ending often shows who performs the action, so the subject pronoun can be omitted when the meaning is clear.

Bildung

subject + matching verb form: yo hablo, tú hablas, ella habla, nosotros hablamos, ustedes hablan

Verwendung

• Use a singular verb form with one person or thing: Mi amiga trabaja.
• Use a plural verb form with a plural subject: Mis amigos trabajan.
• Use the ustedes form for both formal and informal plural ‘you’ in Latin American Spanish.
• Keep the same agreement when the subject pronoun is omitted: Vivimos aquí means ‘We live here.’

Beispiele

• Yo estudio español. — I study Spanish.
• Mi hermano cocina muy bien. — My brother cooks very well.
• Nosotros vivimos cerca. — We live nearby.
• Ustedes trabajan juntos. — You work together.

Typischer Fehler

❌ Nosotros trabaja aquí.

✅ Nosotros trabajamos aquí.

The verb must agree with nosotros. Use trabajamos, not the third-person singular form trabaja.

Merke

Match every verb to its subject. The verb ending often makes the subject clear.