💡 This story was written to illustrate instances when to use ‘ti’ or ‘te’ in Spanish. The grammar tips are after the story.
Spanish:
Viajé a España con mi dueño y llegamos a Madrid hace una semana. Me encanta la ciudad, especialmente su comida. He estado buscando los mejores restaurantes por Internet, y finalmente encontré uno que prometía ser increíble. Fuimos allí anoche y me pedí un plato de paella. El camarero me preguntó si quería que te la sirviera, pero yo respondí “no, gracias”. Estaba muy orgulloso de haber entendido y respondido correctamente en español.
Mi dueño es un tipo extraño, tiene un sentido del humor muy oscuro. Le gusta hacer bromas sobre la muerte y la tecnología, aunque a veces no las entiendo. Por ejemplo, el otro día me dijo: “Si algún día me muero, asegúrate de que ti encargas de mi funeral”. Yo no sabía qué decir, no entiendo por qué querría que yo me encargara de su funeral.
English:
I traveled to Spain with my owner and we arrived in Madrid a week ago. I love the city, especially its food. I have been looking for the best restaurants online, and finally found one that promised to be amazing. We went there last night and I ordered a plate of paella. The waiter asked me if I wanted him to serve it to you, but I replied “no, thank you”. I was very proud of having understood and responded correctly in Spanish.
My owner is a strange guy, he has a very dark sense of humor. He likes to make jokes about death and technology, although sometimes I don’t understand them. For example, the other day he told me: “If I ever die, make sure you take care of my funeral”. I didn’t know what to say, I don’t understand why he would want me to take care of his funeral.
Después de cenar, caminamos por la ciudad y mi dueño me presentó a sus amigos españoles. Hablaban español todo el tiempo y yo estaba tratando de entender lo que decían. Uno de ellos me preguntó qué opinaba de España, y yo respondí que me encantaba. Mi dueño interrumpió y dijo: “A ti te encanta España porque aquí hay mucha comida”. Todos se rieron y yo no entendí muy bien la broma, pero traté de reírme con ellos.
Hoy por la mañana, mi dueño me llevó a visitar el Museo del Prado. Fue increíble ver todas las obras de arte famosas en persona. Me gustó especialmente la pintura “Las Meninas” de Velázquez. Mi dueño me explicó que era una obra maestra y me habló un poco sobre la historia detrás de ella.
After dinner, we walked around the city and my owner introduced me to his Spanish friends. They spoke Spanish all the time and I was trying to understand what they were saying. One of them asked me what I thought about Spain, and I replied that I loved it. My owner interrupted and said, “You love Spain because there’s a lot of food here”. Everyone laughed and I didn’t quite understand the joke, but I tried to laugh along.
This morning, my owner took me to visit the Prado Museum. It was amazing to see all the famous works of art in person. I especially liked the painting “Las Meninas” by Velázquez. My owner explained to me that it was a masterpiece and told me a little bit about the history behind it.
Uses of “Ti” and “Te” in Spanish Pronouns
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Ti is used as a subject complement after the verb ser to indicate the person who is being referred to. For example:
- ¿Eres tú el que llegó tarde? (Are you the one who arrived late?)
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Ti is used after prepositions, except when the preposition ends in “con” (in which case “contigo” is used). For example:
- El regalo es para ti. (The gift is for you.)
- Yo hablo contigo todos los días. (I speak with you every day.)
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Te is used as an indirect object pronoun to indicate the person who is receiving the action of the verb. For example:
- Me gusta cómo te vistes. (I like how you dress.)
- Te voy a dar un regalo. (I am going to give you a gift.)
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Te is used as a reflexive pronoun when the subject and the object of the verb are the same. For example:
- Te lavas las manos. (You wash your hands.)
- Me peino y te cepillas los dientes. (I comb my hair and you brush your teeth.)
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Te is also used in some idiomatic expressions such as:
- ¿Te parece bien? (Does it seem good to you?)
- No te preocupes. (Don’t worry.)
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In general, “ti” is not used alone but in conjunction with other words (such as “contigo” or “para ti”). “Te,” on the other hand, can be used alone as a pronoun. For example:
- ¿Quieres un helado? Sí, por favor, dame uno. (Do you want ice cream? Yes, please give me one.)