when to use ' tí ' instead of ' te '

Question

Tí & Te- both meaning 'you' ?
Can someone please explain the grammatical use of 'tí' ? And why/when that use intead of 'te'

Examples:
Los dias se pasan sin ti,
Las noches se alargan sin ti

Why is it ' tí ' in those two sentences - and in 'te quiero' it's 'te''

Answer 1

James, I think you are right, in that context:

Me siento tan mal que ni (siquiera) quiero carne.
I feel so bad that I don't even want meat.

I most contexts "ni quiero carne" should be complete/explain but it is ok.

It would be like a negative intensifier.

Answer 2

Dunia,
Are you sure about that? (i.e., you CAN'T say:"ni quiero carne")

I believe you can start a sentence with ni to add emphasis, which in English is often accomplished with the word even. For example, couldn't we say the following?

• Hey, I've got nearly a kilo of meat on my plate, and you have none!

• Oye, tengo casi un kilo de carne en mi plato, y ¡tú no tienes ninguna!

• I don't even want (any) meat.

• Ni quiero carne.

Answer 3

Perfecto, David!

Answer 4

thanks Dunia!

Answer 5

"No quiero carne, ni (quiero) pescado". "Ni" is used when you repeat a negative sentence. It has nothing to do with "ti".

You can also say: "ni quiero carne, ni quiero pescado" (two negatives).

But you CAN'T say:"ni quiero carne"

Answer 6

Thats really helpful David. I've been trying to understand the ti for ages... is this in some way similar to how no changes to ni '

Answer 7

i'll try charles. don't confuse the object forms of the pronoun with the subject form.

example: i gave you the book for him.
the subject of the sentence is 'i'. (who/what does the action.)
the direct object is 'the book'. (who/what immediately is impacted by the action.)
the indirect object is 'you'. (to whom/for whom the action is done.)
object of a preposition is 'him'. (follows some preposition, in this case 'for'.)

in english, with few exceptions (I/me, he/him, she/her, we/us) these forms are largely the same. in spanish they are less identical.

in the case of you (singular, informal):
if it is the subject of the sentence, it will be 'tú'. tú me quieres. you love me.
if it is the direct or indirect object of the sentence it will be 'te' and will likely precede the verb. yo te quiero. i love you.
if it is the object of a preposition, it will be ti (there are a couple of exceptions). pienso en ti. i am thinking about you.

helpful? or no'

Answer 8

So David un-confuse me! You said that "te is the direct and indirect object form of the pronoun "you". when no preposition is used. Can I use "Tu quiero" instead of "Te quiero"'

Answer 9

you are most welcome.

Answer 10

Ahh...the preposition makes the difference! Oh good, seems like a simple rule.
Gracias!

Answer 11

te is the direct and indirect object form of the pronoun 'you' when no preposition is used.
ti is the form of the pronoun that follows a preposition (with a couple of minor exceptions):
ante ti
sin ti
acerca de ti