question for ya'll

Question

is it necessary to use the word "yo" in the sentence "yo camino".

Isiaih, welcome to SpanishDict, Please use correct spelling, grammar and punctuation in this forum becuase this is a learning site and people learning English will continually be learning from our examples. Thank you :) - FELIZ77, Sep 15, 2015

I know you're from "South" Dakota, but do y'all really say "y'all" up there?? ;-) - Winkfish, Sep 15, 2015

some of us. - isaiahmd24, Sep 16, 2015

winkfish you should inbox me - isaiahmd24, Sep 16, 2015

FELIZ77 I will use Proper english/Spelling when you spell my name right. - isaiahmd24, Sep 18, 2015

Answer 1

It isn't mandatory, but it isn't wrong to use it either. You can use the "yo" to emphazise the fact that you are the one who walks. I guess it depends on the context.

Either here not neither. We don't often use double negatives in English - Mardle, Sep 15, 2015

I was taught not to use personal pronouns very much in Spanish. - rac1, Sep 15, 2015

You are right but it isn't wrong to use them, it's just unnecessary most of the time. In this case I don't know the context but I can't think on one where using it would be a mistake. - Roulette36, Sep 16, 2015

Answer 2

Hello Isaih and welcome to the SpanishDict forum

You asked:

is it necessary to use the word "yo" in the sentence "yo camino".?

Well, no, not at all, to be honest! You will notice , if you observe the way Spanish natives speak and write their language, that they seldom use personal pronouns such as yo, tú, él, ella, etc...in every day speech!

It s not necessary to use these personal pronouns because, in most cases the conjugation of the verb makes it fairly clear who (ie: the person) is carrying out the action

eg (Yo) Camino is conjugated only for the 1st person singular: I so it can only refer to that person.

Like many longstanding members, here, I was greatly influenced by Heidita and other Spanish natives who trained many of us serious students not to use personal pronouns We would get sent to the Dunce corner (Rincón del burro) if we used these personal pronouns ...it was all done in a very light-hearted manner, but you certainly learnt to avoid using them on a regular basis lol hahaha

These personal prouns are really just used just for emphasis or clarification. The context will usually show whether a personal pronoun is necessary or not!

eg Yo que tú = If I were you

Here is the verb caminar conjugated for each of the people groups.:

eg (yo) Camino, = I walk

(tú) Caminas = You walk (familiar form)

(él /ella / usted ) Camina ( formal 3rd person singular) = He/she walks / you walk

(Nosotros) - Caminamos = We walk

(Vosotros) Camináis = You walk = You plural form (just used in Spain)

(Ustedes) Caminan = You walk / They walk (plural form used in South /Central America and other Spanish-Speaking countries))

I hope this helps .

thanks guys - isaiahmd24, Sep 15, 2015

You are welcome :) - FELIZ77, Sep 15, 2015

Yo, yeah you right. lol I remember the dunce corner for using a personal pronoun at the wrong time, which is pretty much most of the time. - rac1, Sep 15, 2015