su Vs el/ella
I would be correct in thinking su means his/her and el/ella means he/she.
por ejemplo esta es mi hija, su nombre is Sara, ella tiene 16 meses
Thanks
9 Answers
keep looking because I know you'll find it somewhere 
I am talking about when you are introducing someone to your daughter. Say she is 22 or so, and you want to introduce her to your boss or something. You would say "Ella es mi hija." (And my teacher is getting a doctorate in Spanish, so she's pretty on top of things).
When you introduce your daughter to someone, as I said before, "esta" (it used to be written with an accent: "ésta") is perfect standard Spanish, it should be recognized everywhere, and it is described in any decent grammar. I need to learn more about his "ella" usage mentioned by your teacher, but I have never heard it before (even in Mexican literature), and to me, it sounds a bit strange (not wrong). I'll wait until I know more about this usage, but your teacher is PLAIN WRONG when she says that you cannot say "esta", and I can support this claim with an endless list of references from the most authoritative sources from countries from all over the world.
Just imagine that someone with a doctorate comes to tell you that you cannot say "This is my daughter" in your own language.
I am talking about when you are introducing someone to your daughter. Say she is 22 or so, and you want to introduce her to your boss or something. You would say "Ella es mi hija." (And my teacher is getting a doctorate in Spanish, so she's pretty on top of things).
Well, then it must be different in Mexico, because that's where my teacher is from y ella dijo que nunca dices ésta es mi hija. Siempre debes decir ella es mi hija. Pues, talvez es diferente en otros países hispanos.
I'm not going to use the Google argument, but notice that there are 3 web pages with "Esta es mi hija" for every one you can find with "Ella es mi hija". Grammatically, both are correct, but different. If you say "¿Ves esa niña? (Ella) es mi hija", the person in question has been already identified, and therefore there is no need to say this one, that one, or the one over there, because we know which one we are talking about; but then, saying "ella" is also unnecessary, because pronouns in Spanish are used for contrast and differentiation, and there none is necessary here, which is why "ella es mi hija" sounds so strange to me. However, if the girl has not been identified yet, "ella" makes no sense, like in English and most languages in the world, and you probably need a demonstrative (this, that,...): "Esta es mi niña". There is a funny misconception among some natives speakers, who believe that "este" and "esta" cannot be used with people, maybe because when demonstratives follow a noun, they are used derogatorily (e.g. la niña esta), but they can be used perfectly even in very formal contexts. According to one of my grammars, which focuses on how to speak and write correctly:
El demostrativo este (y variantes) indica que la persona o cosa señalada está próxima al hablante;
The book I am reading right now and the one I've just finished, are both written by Mexican authors, and I don't recall reading a single weird sentence in any of them (or any other one I've ever read), but obviously those writers have a proper formal education, and don't make silly mistakes. I don't want to offend anyone, but what was the education level of your Mexican teacher? Maybe this alternative use of "ella" is now common in Mexico (and not used by writers), but "esta" is standard Spanish.
Esta es mi hija. (from the novel Marianela, from the famous writer Benito Pérez Galdós)
If someone asked me "Is this your niece'" Then I might say "No, she's my daughter." Only if I was trying to differentiate her from others would I usually use "she."
Exactly! The only difference is that in Spanish we'd normally omit that "she".
Regarding your sentences, they are grammatically correct, but they sound foreign. We don't speak like that, and we don't say "ella" all the time. I'd say:
Esta es mi hija. Se llama Sara y tiene 16 meses.
Notice how I purposefully avoid "ella". Try to remember that "ella" is not exactly the same as "she" most of the time (and the same goes for "yo", "tú",...). Our "ella" means: "Hey! I need you to understand this: I am referring to her, and not to him or anyone else. Got it'". If you intend to say this, use "ella"; if this is too much for the occasion, avoid it at all cost, or natives will be wondering why do you highlight HER above all other mortals with such an emphasis.
P.D. Sorry, but "Esta es mi hija" is perfect, and "Ella es mi hija" sounds a bit weird.
Lazarus
It is the same in English. If I was introducing someone to my daughter who is standing next to me, I would say "This is my daughter."
If someone asked me "Is this your niece'" Then I might say "No, she's my daughter." Only if I was trying to differentiate her from others would I usually use "she."
P.D. Sorry, but "Esta es mi hija" is perfect, and "Ella es mi hija" sounds a bit weird.
Well, then it must be different in Mexico, because that's where my teacher is from y ella dijo que nunca dices ésta es mi hija. Siempre debes decir ella es mi hija. Pues, talvez es diferente en otros países hispanos.
I would be correct in thinking su means his/her and el/ella means he/she.
por ejemplo esta es mi hija, su nombre is Sara, ella tiene 16 meses
Thanks
"Su" can be "his", "her", and "their". In English, "his", "her" and "their" refer to the person who possess something or someone, or from whom a reference is made:
his car = the car that belongs to him
her car = the car that belongs to her
their car = the car that belongs to them
In Spanish, "su" and "sus" refer to the person or thing that is being referred, always by a third person:
su libro = the book that belong to him/her/them
sus libros = the books that belong to him/her/them
Regarding your sentences, they are grammatically correct, but they sound foreign. We don't speak like that, and we don't say "ella" all the time. I'd say:
Esta es mi hija. Se llama Sara y tiene 16 meses.
Notice how I purposefully avoid "ella". Try to remember that "ella" is not exactly the same as "she" most of the time (and the same goes for "yo", "tú",...). Our "ella" means: "Hey! I need you to understand this: I am referring to her, and not to him or anyone else. Got it'". If you intend to say this, use "ella"; if this is too much for the occasion, avoid it at all cost, or natives will be wondering why do you highlight HER above all other mortals with such an emphasis.
P.D. Sorry, but "Esta es mi hija" is perfect, and "Ella es mi hija" sounds a bit weird.
Si quieres decir que ella es tu hija, no dices "esta es mi hija." Tienes que decir "ella es mi hija." En espan~ol no refieres a una persona con e'sta o e'ste menos que quieres insultar a la persona porque te molesta la persona.
I would be correct in thinking su means his/her and el/ella means he/she.
por ejemplo esta es mi hija, su nombre is Sara, ella tiene 16 meses
Thanks
You are almost correct.
el is a definite article.
él is a subject pronoun.
él/ella are subject pronouns
su is a possessive adjective (as is mi)
ésta (accent optional) is a demonstrative pronoun
el can also be a demonstrative pronoun in constructions such as
el que hace...
su nombre es (not is)
