Grammar, first Second and third persons . Simple explanations.
News letter from "About .Com"
==
Person
Definition: A grammatical category based on the relationship between the speaker and the listener. In both Spanish and English, pronouns and verb forms can vary depending on which person is being used. A sentence, verb, noun or pronoun in the first person refers to the speaker or writer. (In the plural form, the reference is to a group that includes the speaker.) A sentence or part of speech in the second person refers to the person being spoken to. A sentence or part of speech in the third person refers to someone or something other than the speaker or person being addressed.
--
There are circumstances in both languages where it is possible to use a third-person verb form when speaking in the second person, commonly in Spanish, rarely in English. In English, an example would be "Is your honor pleased?," where the third-person "is" is used to refer to the person being addressed. In Spanish, the pronouns usted and ustedes are the second-person formal pronouns, meaning "you." They both take third-person verbs. These two pronouns are historically based on a phrase similar in usage to "your mercy," or vuestra merced. Also Known As: persona in Spanish. Sequentially the terms in Spanish are primera persona, segunda persona and tercera persona (first, second and third persons).
<Examples>
These sentences (the Spanish and English examples are equivalent) are in the first person: I am happy. Estoy feliz. We are happy. Estamos felices. These sentences are in the second person: You are happy. Estás feliz or Estáis felices. These sentences are in the third person: She is happy. Está feliz. They are happy. Están felices.
1 Answer
"A grammatical category based on the relationship between the speaker and the listener"
Eh? Come again?
