When to use "tú te" and "ti te"?

Question

This has been confusing me for a while and I can't find it anywhere online, just people asking when to use "tú, ti, te". Can anyone help explain?

E.g. Tú te vas corriendo Quiero ver cuánto amor a ti te cabe

Welcome to SpanishDict, Nick. - rac1, Sep 1, 2017

welcome to the forum, :) - 006595c6, Sep 1, 2017

Answer 1

I just realized what Nick is after. the combinations "tu te" and "ti te." You see "tu te" in reflexive constructions like "Tu te ves en el espejo." You see yourself in the mirror.

You see "ti te" usually preceded by "a." "A ti te gusta comer tacos, ¿verdad? You like to eat taco, right?

In this case the "a ti" is giving further emphasis that "eating tacos pleases YOU, right?

(In real English, YOU like eating tacos, right?

Thank you! I was corrected on the sentence "tú volverás mejor," would that count as a reflexive construction or does it just sound better as "tú te volverás mejor"? Sorry for the extra work - Nick8157, Sep 2, 2017

For reflexive, you definitely need "te" as well. - Daniela2041, Sep 2, 2017

Answer 2

Tú is you (tu is your, which in not in your sentences).

Te indicates who is affected by the action, but sometimes with a different meaning as in your first sentence:

Tú in this case is not necessary because the conjugation of the associated verb tells us who does the action, however, it can be used in this case for emphasis.

In the case of ir, we add the personal pronoun to indicate leaving rather than just going, in effect the verb becomes a different word making te here necessary.

The second sentence could be spoken without a ti, this is for emphasis. Using it though provides stronger nuance.

Te is necessary because it indicates who the love fits into.

Answer 3

See this link:

http://users.ipfw.edu/jehle/courses/pronouns.htm

To add a bit to the answers you have received:

Tú – subject pronoun (you)

Te- object pronoun- direct, indirect and pronominal (you in English for the first 2, sometimes yourself) (these three are the same in this case in Spanish, but for him (note not he in English) you have lo, le, se respectively)

Ti- object of a preposition. Which is why it is often “a ti”, but can be “de ti”, etc. With con it becomes the (redundant) contigo.

Here is the book I used to learn the subject, note book, not simple answer, so you need to study in depth to understand it really.

One vote with a little correction. "Ti" is the object of a preposition, like "para ti", "de ti" not an object of a pronoun. - Daniela2041, Sep 1, 2017

Thanks, I don't know how that slipped in, probably from the book name. :) - bosquederoble, Sep 1, 2017

Answer 4

Here are two links that are previously discussed from this page:

• what is the difference between te, tu, ti ??
• when do i use "ti" "te" and tu?

Answer 5

Where are they in the ya with you

Welcome to SpanishDict, Luz. You need to open your own question. That will get answers for you sooner. - rac1, Sep 1, 2017

Rac, do you really understand what that says. I have been having difficulty trying to have even a clue what is being said. - bosquederoble, Sep 1, 2017

lol, well, if that is english, I have no idea either,,maybe yard? - 006595c6, Sep 1, 2017