ellas
/EY-yas/
📝 In Action
¿Dónde están las chicas? Ellas están en el parque.
A1Where are the girls? They are in the park.
Mis hermanas son doctoras. Ellas trabajan mucho.
A1My sisters are doctors. They work a lot.
Las sillas son rojas. Ellas son muy cómodas.
A2The chairs are red. They are very comfortable.
Compré estas flores para ellas.
A2I bought these flowers for them.
💡 Grammar Points
Who is 'They'?
Use 'ellas' to say 'they' when you're talking about a group made up of ONLY women, girls, or things that are considered feminine in Spanish (like 'las mesas' - the tables).
A Handy Shortcut
'Ellas' lets you avoid repeating yourself. Instead of saying 'Las chicas son inteligentes. Las chicas estudian mucho,' you can say 'Las chicas son inteligentes. Ellas estudian mucho.'
❌ Common Pitfalls
The Mixed-Group Rule
Mistake: "When talking about one boy and one girl, a learner might say: 'El chico y la chica... ellas son amigos.'"
Correction: Always use 'ellos' for a mixed group, even if it's 99 women and 1 man. The correct way is: 'El chico y la chica... ellos son amigos.'
⭐ Usage Tips
Optional but Useful
Often, the verb ending tells you who is doing the action, so you can leave 'ellas' out. For example, 'Caminan' means 'They walk.' But you can add 'ellas' to be extra clear or to add emphasis: 'Ellas caminan' (THEY are walking).
✏️ Quick Practice
💡 Quick Quiz: ellas
Question 1 of 1
If you are talking about your mother and your aunt ('tu madre y tu tía'), how would you say 'They are happy'?
📚 More Resources
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most important difference between 'ellas' and 'ellos'?
'Ellas' is ONLY for groups of all females (people or things). 'Ellos' is for groups of all males OR for mixed groups of males and females. If there's even one male in a group of a hundred people, you must use 'ellos'.
Can 'ellas' refer to objects, not just people?
Absolutely! In Spanish, all nouns have a gender. If you're talking about a group of things that are all feminine nouns, like 'las casas' (the houses) or 'las flores' (the flowers), you use 'ellas' to refer to them. For example: 'Me gustan las casas. Ellas son muy grandes.' (I like the houses. They are very big.)