Mi in Spanish: Key Points

‘Yo’, ‘mi’, ‘mí’, and ‘me’ are different types of Spanish pronouns for the first person singular. However, they all have different functions. Here are some roles to keep in mind:In the following sections, you’ll learn the specific situations where you must use each one of these Spanish words.

Mi vs Mí

Mi vs mí are distinguished by the absence or presence of an accent mark. The accent not only indicates a difference in pronunciation, but also changes these words’ meanings. Mi without an accent is the singular Spanish possessive adjective for ‘yo’. As a r...

When to Use Me in Spanish

In Spanish, me is an object pronoun. It expresses that the first person singular (yo) is the object of a sentence. Depending on its role, me can be an indirect, direct, or reflexive pronoun. As a reflexive pronoun, me communicates that I’m both the subject and object of the action. In other words, it indicates that I perform the action on myself. For example:Yo me cepillo el cabello. I brush my hair. Me desperté muy temprano. I woke up very early. ¿Me pongo el vestido que me regalaste? Should I wear the dress you gave me?On the other hand, me, as a direct object pronoun, indicates that the first person singular is the target of the action, the person to whom we do something. ¿Sí me quieres? Do you love me?Mi prima me maquilla. My cousin puts makeup on me. Laura me deja en la oficina todos los días. Laura leaves me in the office everyday. When working as a Spanish indirect object pronoun, me communicates that this person is affected or benefited by the action. Dime qué dijo. Tell me what she said. ¿Me compras esas flores? Can you buy me those flowers?¿Me pongo el vestido que me regalaste? Should Iwear the dress you gave me?

Using the Pronoun Yo

Yo is a subject pronoun for the first person singular and indicates who performs the action of a sentence. For example:Yo soy maestra. I am a teacher. ¿Tú cuándo puedes? Yo puedo el domingo. When can you do it? I can on Sunday. Yo me baño en las mañanas después de correr. I shower in the morning after running. Take Note: Due to the verb conjugation, subject pronouns in Spanish can be omitted without affecting the meaning of the sentence. This is not the case with ‘mi’, ‘mí’, and ‘me’, which are mandatory to keep the meaning of a statement.

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