Use of Personal Pronouns
I know that those who edit what is written here in SD frown upon using any personal pronouns.
Here is what is posted in the "Reference" Section:
¡Cuidado! If in doubt, don't use it! While personal pronouns can be used to replace a person's name, advanced and native speakers of Spanish rarely use them since the verb ending tells you who the subject is.
However, this puzzles me, since isn't it grammatically correct to use them? I only ask, because the series of books I'm using to learn and practice Spanish ALWAYS wants us to use the appropriate pronoun. So, then when I go to post here, I forget that I'm not suppose to use them!
Sure, we all know that most of us do not talk in absolutely grammatical correctness all the time. But since this is an educational website shouldn't we learn the correct way?
9 Answers
As I understand it you only use subject pronouns if the subject is ambiguous (which only usually affects 3rd person singular) or for emphasis.
No, billy , this is not correct.
Gilly, the use of personal pronouns is NOT incorrect grammar. You can use them, however, you will sound like a foreigner. they are not used either in written or spoken language.
The pronouns are not used to avoid ambiguity, but to stress the fact that you , unline OTHERS, are the one to do this or that.
Please also read this on the topic and read Lazarus's answer
But since this is an educational website shouldn't we learn the correct way?
Hi, Gillidaloo:
Maybe you could ask this to the authors of your the series of books you are using to learn. Using personal pronouns in Spanish when they are not needed is a mistake. Not grammatical, but a more important one, since you won't express what you think you are expressing if you do it. Every personal pronoun that is used in Spanish has its own meaning and sense.
I think the books only have you using the pronouns (yo, tú, él, ella, usted, nosotros, ellos, ellas) to get you used to what the pronouns are, as well as to help you conjugate your verbs correctly. Like learning any language, you learn vocablulary first, then you refine your skills by learning proper grammar. Just my opinion 
I've never been told not to use personal pronouns, by anyone, and I lived in Spain and talk to clients all over Latin America every day who use them. They are always used in written correspondence/literature so I'm thinking this may be advice for conversational speaking (?). I would say it is best practice to use them for clarification purposes, at least until you are an advanced, preferably fluent speaker.
Sorry all! Please disregard the above response... I obviously did not read the initial post very well; I misunderstood personal pronouns for direct/indirect object pronouns, thus the puzzling response.
That said, in my experience, personal pronouns are only used when the speaker is attempting to emphasize or clarify what they think is most important that the recipient understand. Think of times when you would or are tempted to type IN ALL CAPS to ensure you get your point across. You want the recipient to clearly understand who is affected by the action. In conversational English, it is the equivalent of putting unnatural emphasis on a word by speaking it very slowly and drawing out the syllable. Por ejemplo/For example:
(1) "Tuuuuu no tengas que limpiar..." "Yooooouuuu don't have to clean..."
(2) "Te estoy pidiendo porque, en los ojos de los clientes, YO ESTOY responsable por todos nuestros errores." "I am asking you because, in the client's eyes, I AM responsible for all our mistakes."
Not using the pronouns is not grammatically incorrect. Just like the reference pages says, advanced and native speakers of Spanish rarely use them since the verb ending tells you who the subject is.
Most text books are wrong, in my opinion, of pushing the use of personal pronouns the way they do, because you are never going to hear a native speaker talk that way.
It is not 'more' correct to say
Yo quiero hablar contigo
than to say
Quiero hablar contigo.
Yo quiero hablar contigo (I, unlike others, I want to talk with you).
Quiero hablar contigo (I want to talk with you). Sounds so much better, and is grammatically correct.
The absolutely correct way to write or speak is without the pronoun. That would be redundant. If you add the pronoun, you are adding more feeling to the sentence. ¿Tu quieres que me vaya? = Do you want me to leave?. By adding the Tu is like pleading, being more stressful about the situation. There is a lot more sentiment that is unnecessary unless you are actually been dramatic with tears in your eyes and lips trembling. In other words, Do NOT use them. The books are just trying to stress the point that that is the pronoun to that sentence. In Spanish this is call. :Sujeto tàcito"
Wow, this IS confusing! LOL If it is NOT correct grammar to USE the personal pronouns, then I agree with Jack, the books to learn Spanish ARE wrong! Since I have never taken a actual physical class in learning Spanish, I wonder what the instructors tell their students? Can someone fill me in on what their instructors make them do in classthem do in class
In my experience, they said exactly the same as the people are saying here! As I understand it you only use subject pronouns if the subject is ambiguous (which only usually affects 3rd person singular) or for emphasis.
Wow, this IS confusing! LOL If it is NOT correct grammar to USE the personal pronouns, then I agree with Jack, the books to learn Spanish ARE wrong!
Since I have never taken a actual physical class in learning Spanish, I wonder what the instructors tell their students?
Can someone fill me in on what their instructors make them do in class?
I think that technically you are supposed to use them and it takes a while to get used them not being there. For example, when I say: tenemos, what I really mean is nosotros tenemos. I also rarely use yo. It's better to use them, especially for ud. el, ellla, uds, ellos, and ellas forms because they can be confused with each other. It's better it you use them while you are learning.
