personal
/per-so-NAL/
personal
The image shows a locked diary, symbolizing something private and belonging only to one person (personal).
personal(Adjective)
personal
?relating to a person
private
?not for public view
,own
?belonging to oneself
📝 In Action
Esta es mi opinión personal.
A2This is my personal opinion.
Por favor, no toques mis cosas personales.
A2Please, don't touch my personal things.
Necesito un día de asuntos personales para ir al médico.
B1I need a personal day to go to the doctor.
💡 Grammar Points
Matching the Noun
As an adjective, 'personal' changes its ending to match the thing it's describing. For plural things, add an '-es': asuntos personales (personal matters).
❌ Common Pitfalls
Forgetting the Plural
Mistake: "Tengo dos problema personal."
Correction: Tengo dos problemas personales. Because 'problemas' is plural, the adjective describing it also needs to be plural.
⭐ Usage Tips
An Easy Friend
'Personal' is a cognate, or what we like to call a "true friend." It looks and means almost exactly the same as its English counterpart, making it very easy to remember and use!
This group of employees, wearing matching uniforms, represents the store's personal (staff).
personal(Noun)
staff
?group of employees
,personnel
?people employed in an organization
workforce
?the employees in a particular industry or area
📝 In Action
Todo el personal de la tienda es muy amable.
B1All the store's staff is very friendly.
El departamento de recursos humanos se encarga del personal.
B1The human resources department is in charge of the personnel.
Se necesita contratar más personal para el proyecto.
B2We need to hire more staff for the project.
💡 Grammar Points
A Group is One Thing
Even though 'el personal' refers to a group of people, Spanish treats it as a single unit. So, you use singular verbs with it: 'El personal es...' (The staff is...), not 'El personal son...'
❌ Common Pitfalls
Using a Plural Verb
Mistake: "El personal están en la reunión."
Correction: El personal está en la reunión. Think of 'the staff' as one group or 'it'. You would say 'it is', not 'it are'.
⭐ Usage Tips
'Personal' vs. 'Persona'
Be careful not to mix them up! 'El personal' is a group of people (staff). 'Una persona' is just one single person.
✏️ Quick Practice
💡 Quick Quiz: personal
Question 1 of 1
Which sentence uses 'personal' to mean 'staff' or 'employees'?
📚 More Resources
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the difference between 'personal' and 'persona'?
'Personal' can be an adjective meaning 'private' ('mi opinión personal') or a noun for a group of employees ('el personal'). 'Persona' always means one single 'person'.
Is 'personal' masculine or feminine?
It depends! When it's a noun meaning 'staff', it's always masculine: 'el personal'. When it's an adjective describing something, it changes to match the noun's gender: 'un problema personal' (masculine), 'una decisión personal' (feminine).