Who Is He/She/It in Spanish? | Say It Like Natives

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Use “¿Quién es él/ella?” for “who is he/she,” and “¿Qué es?” when you’re asking what a thing is.

You’ve got a simple thought in English: “Who is he?” “Who is she?” “What is it?” Spanish can match those thoughts in clean, natural ways. The best choice depends on what you mean: a person, a thing, or an idea.

This article gives you ready-to-use lines, the accent marks that change meaning, and the small grammar choices that keep your Spanish sounding natural. You’ll finish with phrases you can drop into texts, travel moments, class, or work without second-guessing yourself.

Who Is He/She/It in Spanish? Common phrases people actually say

For people, Spanish uses quién (who) with ser (to be). You can keep it short or spell out the pronoun when you want to point to a specific person.

Quick questions for people

• ¿Quién es él? — Who is he?
• ¿Quién es ella? — Who is she?
• ¿Quién es? — Who is he/she? (context makes it clear)

¿Quién es? is common in real talk. If you’re looking at a photo and you ask ¿Quién es?, the other person can answer with a name right away.

Questions for things and “it”

English uses “it” for objects, animals, and also ideas. Spanish picks a path based on meaning:

• ¿Qué es? — What is it? (a thing, a sound, a food, a device)
• ¿Qué es eso? — What is that? (pointing at something)
• ¿Qué es esto? — What is this? (something close to you)

If you mean “Who is it?” as in “Who’s at the door?” or “Who is calling?”, Spanish still uses quién because you’re asking about a person.

• ¿Quién es? — Who is it?
• ¿Quién llama? — Who’s calling?

How Spanish handles “he,” “she,” and “it”

Spanish has words for “he” and “she”: él and ella. It also has a neutral pronoun ello, yet it doesn’t work like English “it” for objects. Spanish usually uses a noun (like el libro) or a pointer word (like eso).

Él and ella as subject pronouns

Él and ella are subject pronouns. They can be the subject of a sentence, and they can stand alone as short answers.

• Él es Marcos. — He is Marcos.
• Ella es mi jefa. — She is my boss.
• —¿Quién es? —Él. — “Who is it?” “Him.”

Spanish drops subject pronouns a lot because the verb ending already points to the subject. That’s why ¿Quién es? feels complete without adding él or ella.

Why “ello” doesn’t feel like English “it”

Ello points to an idea, a situation, or a whole statement, not a physical object you can point to. It’s rare in everyday chat, but you may see it in writing.

• Ello no cambia nada. — That doesn’t change anything.
• Ello demuestra que… — That shows that…

When English says “it” for a thing, Spanish leans on esto, eso, aquello, or just the noun. That’s why ¿Qué es? is the usual question for objects, even when English would say “What is it?”

Choosing quién or qué in gray areas

Some moments feel fuzzy in English because “it” can refer to a person, an animal, or a mystery. In Spanish, the question word is your steering wheel.

Pets and animals

If you’re asking about an animal as a being you recognize, ¿Quién es? can show warmth, yet ¿Qué es? is still the clean pick when you mean “what kind is it?”

• ¿Quién es? — A pet you already know, like seeing a friend’s dog in a photo
• ¿Qué es? — Species or type: “What is it?” in the sense of “What is that animal?”
• ¿Qué animal es? — Clear and direct when you mean “What animal is it?”

Unknown noises, smells, and objects

If you’re reacting to something you can’t identify, Spanish goes with ¿Qué es? because you’re naming a thing or an event.

• ¿Qué es ese ruido? — What is that noise?
• ¿Qué es eso? — What is that?

People you can’t see

At the door, on the phone, or behind you in a line, the hidden person still calls for quién.

• ¿Quién es? — Who is it?
• ¿Quién está ahí? — Who’s there?

Accents that change meaning: él vs el, quién vs quien

Two tiny marks do a lot of work in Spanish. Miss them in writing and your sentence can flip meaning. In speech, the difference is tied to stress. In writing, the accent mark carries the job.

Él (he) and el (the)

Él is “he.” El is “the” (masculine singular). The accent shows you mean the pronoun, not the article. The RAE notes this as a classic diacritic accent case. Él (Diccionario panhispánico de dudas)

• Él trabaja aquí. — He works here.
• El chico trabaja aquí. — The boy works here.

Quién (who) and quien (who/that)

Quién with an accent is used in questions and exclamations. Quien without an accent is a relative word inside a longer clause. The RAE also notes the plural quiénes. Quién (Diccionario panhispánico de dudas)

• ¿Quién es ella? — Who is she?
• La persona que llamó… — The person who called…

If you’re typing on a phone, set up a Spanish keyboard. It keeps your writing clean and saves time hunting for accents.

What people answer after “¿Quién es?”

Asking the question is half the job. The answer patterns shape what sounds natural, so it helps to know what to expect.

Name-only answers

If you’re pointing to a photo or a person across the room, a name-only answer is normal:

• —¿Quién es? —Ana.
• —¿Quién es él? —Marcos.

Identity answers with ser

Spanish often uses ser plus a role, relationship, or label:

• Es mi vecina. — She’s my neighbor.
• Es el médico. — He’s the doctor.
• Son mis amigos. — They’re my friends.

When the answer is “I’m the one”

At a door, the speaker is often the answer. Spanish uses Soy yo a lot in that moment.

• —¿Quién es? —Soy yo.
• —¿Quién es? —Soy yo, Paula.

Table of common intents and the clean Spanish line

You can map most real-life moments to a small set of question patterns. This table keeps the wording tight and shows what to use when you’re talking about a person versus a thing.

What you mean in English	What to say in Spanish	When it fits
Who is he?	¿Quién es él?	You want the identity of a man you’re pointing at
Who is she?	¿Quién es ella?	You want the identity of a woman you’re pointing at
Who is it? (door/phone)	¿Quién es?	You don’t know who is there; context is a person
Who are they?	¿Quiénes son?	You want the identity of a group
What is it?	¿Qué es?	You’re asking about a thing, sound, food, device
What is that?	¿Qué es eso?	You’re pointing at something not in your hand
What is this?	¿Qué es esto?	You’re holding it or it’s right next to you
What is that called?	¿Cómo se llama eso?	You know what it is; you want the Spanish word
Who is that person?	¿Quién es esa persona?	You want to be clear you mean a person

When “it” means an idea, a plan, or a whole situation

English uses “it” for abstract subjects: “It’s hard,” “It’s true,” “It’s not fair.” Spanish can handle that with a pointer word (eso), a clause, or lo plus an adjective. The choice depends on what you’re pointing to in the conversation.

Eso for “that” idea

Eso is the everyday workhorse. It points to something already mentioned or understood.

• Eso es verdad. — That’s true.
• Eso no me gusta. — I don’t like that.

Lo + adjective for a general quality

Lo can turn an adjective into “the [quality] part.” It’s common in natural speech and writing.

• Lo bueno es que… — The good part is that…
• Lo raro es que… — The odd part is that…

Ello in formal writing

Ello appears more in formal text than in everyday chat. The RAE describes it as the neutral tonic pronoun in Spanish, with lo as its unstressed partner. Ello (Diccionario panhispánico de dudas)

If your goal is everyday Spanish, treat ello as something you recognize when you read, not something you need to force into conversation.

Formal and casual choices: usted, tú, and what changes

The “who is he/she” patterns stay steady across formality. What shifts is how you address the person you’re speaking to and how direct your wording feels.

When you’re speaking formally

Use usted and keep the rest the same:

• ¿Quién es él?
• ¿Quién es ella?
• ¿Quién es usted? — Who are you? (formal)

When you’re speaking casually

Use tú or just the verb form if the subject is clear:

• ¿Quién eres? — Who are you?
• ¿Quién es? — Who is it?

These two questions show up a lot in daily life: ¿Quién es? and ¿Qué es?. They’re short, polite, and they get answers fast.

Pronouns you’ll meet right after the question

Once someone answers, Spanish may switch from subject pronouns (él, ella) to object pronouns (lo, la, le). This is where learners often slip, since English uses “him” and “her” in more places with fewer form changes.

Subject vs object in one glance

When the pronoun is the subject of ser (“He is…”, “She is…”), you’ll see él or ella. When the pronoun is the direct object (“I saw him”), you’ll see lo or la. The Instituto Cervantes Plan Curricular lists these pronoun forms early because they show up constantly in real speech. Plan Curricular del Instituto Cervantes (A1–A2)

Table of “he/she/it” forms you’ll actually use

Role in the sentence	Spanish form	Mini line
He (subject)	él	Él es Juan.
She (subject)	ella	Ella es Laura.
Him (direct object)	lo	Lo vi ayer.
Her (direct object)	la	La vi ayer.
To him/to her (indirect object)	le	Le escribí.
That idea/situation (neutral pointer)	eso	Eso es raro.
That quality (“the good part”)	lo + adjective	Lo bueno es que…
Neutral “that” in formal text	ello	Ello no cambia nada.

Little fixes that make your Spanish sound natural

These are small moves that save you from common learner habits.

Drop the pronoun when you can

If the context is clear, ¿Quién es? is smoother than ¿Quién es él?. The extra pronoun can sound pointed, like you’re drawing a contrast with someone else.

Use a noun when gender isn’t your focus

Spanish uses grammatical gender, yet you can phrase your question in a neutral way by naming the noun:

• ¿Quién es esa persona?
• ¿Quién es ese señor?
• ¿Quién es esa señora?

Ask for the word, not the identity

Sometimes you already know what the thing is and you just want the Spanish word. Use ¿Cómo se llama…?

• ¿Cómo se llama esto en español?
• ¿Cómo se llama esa herramienta?

Practice mini scripts you can borrow

Spanish sticks when you rehearse short exchanges. Here are a few you can copy into your notes app and say out loud.

Photo and name

• —¿Quién es?
• —Es mi prima. Se llama Carla.

Door and greeting

• —¿Quién es?
• —Soy yo, Pablo.

Pointing at an object

• —¿Qué es eso?
• —Es un cargador.

Asking for a word

• —¿Cómo se llama esto?
• —Se llama “grapadora”.

Fast self-check before you hit send

If you’re writing a message, run this check:

1. If you mean a person, use quién.
2. If you mean a thing, use qué.
3. If you type él, add the accent so it doesn’t read as el.
4. If you type quién, add the accent so it stays a question word.

Those four moves cover most “who is he/she/it” moments and keep your Spanish clean in both speech and writing.