yo

Yo is the first-person singular subject pronoun. A key feature of Spanish is that subject pronouns are typically omitted because the verb ending already signals person and number - "hablo" alone means "I speak." Yo is used when emphasis or contrast is needed, or when the verb ending is ambiguous.

Overusing yo is a hallmark of beginner Spanish and can sound boastful or stilted to native speakers. Reserve it for sentences where you are emphasising yourself as the actor ("Yo lo haré" - I will do it, not someone else) or disambiguating forms like the imperfect, where endings are shared across persons.