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https://youtu.be/HuoFMsS1mko

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I really liked how this article broke down the tu, vos, usted forms within different countries and regions of Latin America

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Having a distinction between formality and informality is a very common characteristic in a language. In Spanish, tú and usted work just like that.

You may already know that Spanish has two different pronouns to refer to a second person, both in singular and plural, and they all translate as "you" in English. In this article, we are going to take a look at how to distinguish and use them properly.

The easiest way to remember the second person singular "you" in Spanish is that tú is used for informal treatment and usted for formal.

This can be applied to every Spanish-speaking country. Of course, depending on the region in Latin America, we can encounter the variation vos which is also considered as informal but the verbs used after it have a different conjugation.

"Tu vs usted" or "tú vs usted"?

You'll notice that a very important difference is the accent over the "u" in tú to talk about the pronoun. Without that accent the is considered a possessive adjective. That is: "tú" is "you" and "tu" is "your".

Spanish subject pronouns

Let's just have a quick review on the Spanish personal pronouns

Notice that the pronoun " vosotros" is only used in Spain. In Latin America, even native speakers will struggle if asked to conjugate a verb with this one.

⚡ Quick Tip

Verbs after usted, él, and ella are conjugated in the same way.

How to conjugate tú and usted

When you learn Spanish, you learn native Spanish speakers barely use the subject pronouns. The conjugation of the verb is what you must pay attention to. Let's get started with some of the most common verbs:

The informal pronoun is not related to . In the times of the Spanish colonization, indigenous population used the term "vuestra merced" to refer to members of the Spanish nobility which in English would translate to "your grace".

📙 FUN FACT...
In Colombia people use sumercé to talk to someone they don't know that well or they want to show respect to. They also use the formal usted to refer to someone more experienced.

is a pronoun that evolved from those times. In Latin American Spanish, vos can be found with a predominant status in:

Some other Spanish-speaking countries use tú and vos are:

And there are those which only use tú:

Even when we say is not related to , there are regional dialects that use a combination of those two. That is, using the pronoun with the verb being conjugated as . Examples of it can be heard in the Zulia state in Venezuela and the Azuero Peninsula in Panama.

No sabía que vos sois zurdo: I didn't know you are left-handed

On the other hand, is sometimes conjugated as in Chile. Don't worry, all native Spanish-speakers will totally understand if you conjugate everything with

When to use Tú or usted: formal vs informal

Use tú in the informal register

Use tú with friends and family: Although in some regions you may hear people using usted to call their parents, this is becoming less and less common. Also, people who are close to you deserve that friendly tú.

Tú me gustas: I like you.

Use tú to talk with young folks like you: it feels awkward to call someone your age usted. This may only happen if that person is not friendly or appears to be much older.

Use tú to talk with colleagues and classmates: people working or studying with you are people you see often and you most likely know a little.

Pedro, ¿tú tienes la tarea que mandó el profe hoy?: Pedro, do you have the homework the teacher sent today?

Trabajamos en la misma oficina, deberíamos conocernos mejor, ¿tú no crees?: We're working in the same office, we should get to know each other, don't you think?

Use tú address children and animals: It isn't an actual rule, it's just how it is. Don't you tell me you don't speak to your pets!

Carlitos, ¿tú quieres ganarte cinco dólares?: Carlitos, do you want to earn five dollars?

¿Quién es una buena chica? ¡Tú eres una buena chica!: Who's a good girl? You're a good girl!

And last but not least, you can use tú with insult s. There is not much to be said here, insults are informal and you mean to disrespect.

Use usted in the Formal Register

Use to refer to an older person with respect. Latin American societies are very respectful to their senior citizens, failing to do so may show lack of education. Older people might address young people using tú; although certain exceptions can be made: a teacher calling students in class to keep a professional distance, for example.

Use usted in general when addressing people in bureaucratic or administrative situations. You don't mean to disrespect in this kind of context.

Use usted for business: talking to your boss or to someone from another company. It shows professionalism. For example:

Use with people you don't know: the first time you address a person on the street, using shows you are being polite.

Another form for usted

Just as we can use and in some regions, it might have crossed your mind the possibility of expressing in another way as well.

We have already mentioned that was a valid colloquial option in Colombia. But in other spanish-speaking countries, is not used nor will it be understood.

To replace this formal pronoun, people would use or . When you call someone or , the other person will understand that a level of respect is meant. However, young women do not like being called not a bit.

From the Spanish formal "usted" to the informal "tú"

As described before, a young person using tú to refer to older people is odd and not well seen. If this happens, people may consider that the younger person has either bad manners or has a level of confidence already agreed with the elder.

This isn't something unusual, even in English, someone can request to not be called by using a formal title but to be treated on a first-name basis. Depending on the situation and the context, that could also be taken as flirting and it would be very common in Spanish. Pay attention to the details!

Remember, if you are not sure about what to go for with a person, use usted. It's safe and polite. People will ask you to call them by their first name - or like we say in Spanish, "tutear" - when they feel the time is appropriate to do so.

Tutear y ustedear

Tutear means addressing a person with the informal for the sake of trust or familiarity. If you have been knowing somebody for quite some time and you want to address them according to the new levels of confidence, you could ask: "¿Nos podemos tutear?"

Ustedear is not a common word but totally valid in Spanish. Native speakers prefer to say "tratar de usted", and that means giving or asking someone the treatment of respect with the formal pronoun .

Some examples with tú and usted

Ustedes and vosotros

Even when this article is not about these two, it is important to point out the difference given that they were shown at the beginning. It was already said that vosotros is only used in Spain and that people in Latin America know little about this verb conjugation.

Well, the same thing happens with . is used only in Latin America and the majority of Spaniards do not know how to conjugate with it. Both pronouns are not strictly formal, they can be used as the plural form of "you" as well.

Example:

In conclusion, these two mean the same but are used in different places.

The rest is up to you!

Listen carefully to how native people speak using both pronouns.Like it was said before, use usted if you are not so sure on how to treat someone. People will think you are being polite and that's never a bad thing.

Have fun trying to put this into practice, that's the only way to remember what you learned. If you don't have anyone to practice with, we invite you to try a free class or sign up for a free 7-day trial of our group classes. Try us out and see why thousands of students trust SpanishVIP!

Until next time!

Want to learn Spanish, fast?

Download our e-book, Easy Spanish Shortcuts, and learn your first 1,000 Spanish words in under a day!

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Tú vs Usted in Spanish: The Only Guide You'll Ever Need

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You may already know that Spanish has two different pronouns to refer to a second person, both in singular and plural, and they all translate as "you" in English. In this article, we are going to take a look at how to distinguish and use them properly.

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This page has easily navigated themes that are commonplace in the class. One can click on a subject and find easy no nonsense answers to various spanish language "rules"

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This is a comical one by a Spanish Teacher that gives some example use of vosotros and ustedes.  She also talks about where each is used and the history behind why.

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I like this explanation because it gives you lots of different examples.

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Vosotros vs Ustedes: What's the Difference?

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Vos, Vosotros, Ustedes The difference between "vos", "vosotros" and "ustedes" in Spanish is not as simple as "to-MAY-to" and "to-MAH-to" in English. It runs much deeper than a simple preference in pronunciation.

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This individual does a great job at explaining formal and informal uses in Spanish! She is one of my favorite YouTube language channels.

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¿Tú o Usted? ¿Vosotros o Ustedes? - Bing video

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What I like most about this resources that it not only provides text explanations but provides videos and tests to learn and to practice ones comprehension!

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The hardest concepts to grasp in a new language are the ones that don't have an equivalent in your native language. English doesn't have a difference between the formal and informal second-person singular pronoun ("you"), but certain languages, including Spanish, do. This just adds a little extra hurdle to your understanding. Fortunately, learning when to use tú and usted isn't too difficult, and a few guidelines will have you well on your way.

Using Usted

Usted is the formal "you." The plural is ustedes, which is used in both formal and informal situations. The object pronoun for usted is lo or la (used to simplify sentences like "I called you," so that l lamado a usted becomes l o llamado or l a llamado, depending on the gender of the person being addressed).

There are some obvious situations when usted is called for:

a child speaking to a parent

a student speaking to a teacher

a patient speaking to a doctor

a person speaking to a police officer

a person speaking to a prospective business partner

As these examples show, usted is a form of respect to others. And as a general rule, if you're unsure which to use, you should go with usted. It's much less of a faux pas to be a little more formal than to be not formal enough.

Conjugating Usted

Using Tú

Tú is the informal counterpart to usted. The plural of tú is vosotros and vosotras, but that's mainly used in Spain. The object pronoun for tú is te (used to simplify sentences like "I called you," so that ll amado a tú becomes t e llamado.).

There are a few situations where using tú is accepted no matter what:

an elder speaking to someone young

a person speaking to their pet

friends and family of roughly the same age speaking to one another

a person insulting another person

But tú can be tricky. You never want to make the mistake of calling someone tú when they expect more respect. When you're getting to know someone, it might be difficult to know when to make the switch from formal to informal. A good rule of thumb for the Spanish learner is to simply wait for the other person to start calling you tú. Assuming there's no power imbalance in the relationship (a teacher calling you tú is not permission to do the same to them), you should be good.

Spanish speakers, especially today, don't always go around addressing every stranger as usted, however. In some Latin American countries, strangers might even think it's a little odd for you to use usted when there's no clear power imbalance. As always, we err on the side of caution because the Spanish-speaking world is vast and cultures vary, but if you keep getting a tú in response to your usted, you might want to consider loosening up a bit.

Conjugating Tú

Recap Quiz

Think you know the basics of when to use tú and usted? See how you do on this quick quiz.

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Spanish Grammar: When To Use Tú And Usted

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The hardest concepts to grasp in a new language are the ones that don't have an equivalent in your native language. English doesn't have a difference between the formal and informal second-person singular pronoun ("you"), but certain languages, including Spanish, do. This just adds a little extra hurdle to your understanding.

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This is a good resource because it covers many situations and also introduces the word "vos" which is used in some countries. Something interesting that I learned from this article was "vos" originated from a saying meaning "your grace". This article gives you examples of when to use which word and breaks down a list of countries that have specific circumstances or even their own formal words. I like that this article shows conjugation of different sentences using tú and usted. I also like that it gives some information on the use of vosotros and ustedes.

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Having a distinction between formality and informality is a very common characteristic in a language. In Spanish, tú and usted work just like that.

You may already know that Spanish has two different pronouns to refer to a second person, both in singular and plural, and they all translate as "you" in English. In this article, we are going to take a look at how to distinguish and use them properly.

The easiest way to remember the second person singular "you" in Spanish is that tú is used for informal treatment and usted for formal.

This can be applied to every Spanish-speaking country. Of course, depending on the region in Latin America, we can encounter the variation vos which is also considered as informal but the verbs used after it have a different conjugation.

"Tu vs usted" or "tú vs usted"?

You'll notice that a very important difference is the accent over the "u" in tú to talk about the pronoun. Without that accent the is considered a possessive adjective. That is: "tú" is "you" and "tu" is "your".

Spanish subject pronouns

Let's just have a quick review on the Spanish personal pronouns

Notice that the pronoun " vosotros" is only used in Spain. In Latin America, even native speakers will struggle if asked to conjugate a verb with this one.

⚡ Quick Tip

Verbs after usted, él, and ella are conjugated in the same way.

How to conjugate tú and usted

When you learn Spanish, you learn native Spanish speakers barely use the subject pronouns. The conjugation of the verb is what you must pay attention to. Let's get started with some of the most common verbs:

The informal pronoun is not related to . In the times of the Spanish colonization, indigenous population used the term "vuestra merced" to refer to members of the Spanish nobility which in English would translate to "your grace".

📙 FUN FACT...
In Colombia people use sumercé to talk to someone they don't know that well or they want to show respect to. They also use the formal usted to refer to someone more experienced.

is a pronoun that evolved from those times. In Latin American Spanish, vos can be found with a predominant status in:

Some other Spanish-speaking countries use tú and vos are:

And there are those which only use tú:

Even when we say is not related to , there are regional dialects that use a combination of those two. That is, using the pronoun with the verb being conjugated as . Examples of it can be heard in the Zulia state in Venezuela and the Azuero Peninsula in Panama.

No sabía que vos sois zurdo: I didn't know you are left-handed

On the other hand, is sometimes conjugated as in Chile. Don't worry, all native Spanish-speakers will totally understand if you conjugate everything with

When to use Tú or usted: formal vs informal

Use tú in the informal register

Use tú with friends and family: Although in some regions you may hear people using usted to call their parents, this is becoming less and less common. Also, people who are close to you deserve that friendly tú.

Tú me gustas: I like you.

Use tú to talk with young folks like you: it feels awkward to call someone your age usted. This may only happen if that person is not friendly or appears to be much older.

Use tú to talk with colleagues and classmates: people working or studying with you are people you see often and you most likely know a little.

Pedro, ¿tú tienes la tarea que mandó el profe hoy?: Pedro, do you have the homework the teacher sent today?

Trabajamos en la misma oficina, deberíamos conocernos mejor, ¿tú no crees?: We're working in the same office, we should get to know each other, don't you think?

Use tú address children and animals: It isn't an actual rule, it's just how it is. Don't you tell me you don't speak to your pets!

Carlitos, ¿tú quieres ganarte cinco dólares?: Carlitos, do you want to earn five dollars?

¿Quién es una buena chica? ¡Tú eres una buena chica!: Who's a good girl? You're a good girl!

And last but not least, you can use tú with insult s. There is not much to be said here, insults are informal and you mean to disrespect.

Use usted in the Formal Register

Use to refer to an older person with respect. Latin American societies are very respectful to their senior citizens, failing to do so may show lack of education. Older people might address young people using tú; although certain exceptions can be made: a teacher calling students in class to keep a professional distance, for example.

Use usted in general when addressing people in bureaucratic or administrative situations. You don't mean to disrespect in this kind of context.

Use usted for business: talking to your boss or to someone from another company. It shows professionalism. For example:

Use with people you don't know: the first time you address a person on the street, using shows you are being polite.

Another form for usted

Just as we can use and in some regions, it might have crossed your mind the possibility of expressing in another way as well.

We have already mentioned that was a valid colloquial option in Colombia. But in other spanish-speaking countries, is not used nor will it be understood.

To replace this formal pronoun, people would use or . When you call someone or , the other person will understand that a level of respect is meant. However, young women do not like being called not a bit.

From the Spanish formal "usted" to the informal "tú"

As described before, a young person using tú to refer to older people is odd and not well seen. If this happens, people may consider that the younger person has either bad manners or has a level of confidence already agreed with the elder.

This isn't something unusual, even in English, someone can request to not be called by using a formal title but to be treated on a first-name basis. Depending on the situation and the context, that could also be taken as flirting and it would be very common in Spanish. Pay attention to the details!

Remember, if you are not sure about what to go for with a person, use usted. It's safe and polite. People will ask you to call them by their first name - or like we say in Spanish, "tutear" - when they feel the time is appropriate to do so.

Tutear y ustedear

Tutear means addressing a person with the informal for the sake of trust or familiarity. If you have been knowing somebody for quite some time and you want to address them according to the new levels of confidence, you could ask: "¿Nos podemos tutear?"

Ustedear is not a common word but totally valid in Spanish. Native speakers prefer to say "tratar de usted", and that means giving or asking someone the treatment of respect with the formal pronoun .

Some examples with tú and usted

Ustedes and vosotros

Even when this article is not about these two, it is important to point out the difference given that they were shown at the beginning. It was already said that vosotros is only used in Spain and that people in Latin America know little about this verb conjugation.

Well, the same thing happens with . is used only in Latin America and the majority of Spaniards do not know how to conjugate with it. Both pronouns are not strictly formal, they can be used as the plural form of "you" as well.

Example:

In conclusion, these two mean the same but are used in different places.

The rest is up to you!

Listen carefully to how native people speak using both pronouns.Like it was said before, use usted if you are not so sure on how to treat someone. People will think you are being polite and that's never a bad thing.

Have fun trying to put this into practice, that's the only way to remember what you learned. If you don't have anyone to practice with, we invite you to try a free class or sign up for a free 7-day trial of our group classes. Try us out and see why thousands of students trust SpanishVIP!

Until next time!

Want to learn Spanish, fast?

Download our e-book, Easy Spanish Shortcuts, and learn your first 1,000 Spanish words in under a day!

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Tú vs Usted in Spanish: The Only Guide You'll Ever Need

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
You may already know that Spanish has two different pronouns to refer to a second person, both in singular and plural, and they all translate as "you" in English. In this article, we are going to take a look at how to distinguish and use them properly.

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I really like this site because it shows me all the different ways to conjugate verbs and in all the different tenses. Super Helpful!

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SpanishDictionary.com is the world’s largest online Spanish-English dictionary, translator, and reference tool.

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https://youtu.be/IZ5VsbGQ620
This is a helpful video and he is fun to learn from.

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Master Informal “Tú” Commands In Spanish

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https://spanishvip.com/grammar/tu-vs-usted/

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Having a distinction between formality and informality is a very common characteristic in a language. In Spanish, tú and usted work just like that.

You may already know that Spanish has two different pronouns to refer to a second person, both in singular and plural, and they all translate as "you" in English. In this article, we are going to take a look at how to distinguish and use them properly.

The easiest way to remember the second person singular "you" in Spanish is that tú is used for informal treatment and usted for formal.

This can be applied to every Spanish-speaking country. Of course, depending on the region in Latin America, we can encounter the variation vos which is also considered as informal but the verbs used after it have a different conjugation.

"Tu vs usted" or "tú vs usted"?

You'll notice that a very important difference is the accent over the "u" in tú to talk about the pronoun. Without that accent the is considered a possessive adjective. That is: "tú" is "you" and "tu" is "your".

Spanish subject pronouns

Let's just have a quick review on the Spanish personal pronouns

Notice that the pronoun " vosotros" is only used in Spain. In Latin America, even native speakers will struggle if asked to conjugate a verb with this one.

⚡ Quick Tip

Verbs after usted, él, and ella are conjugated in the same way.

How to conjugate tú and usted

When you learn Spanish, you learn native Spanish speakers barely use the subject pronouns. The conjugation of the verb is what you must pay attention to. Let's get started with some of the most common verbs:

The informal pronoun is not related to . In the times of the Spanish colonization, indigenous population used the term "vuestra merced" to refer to members of the Spanish nobility which in English would translate to "your grace".

📙 FUN FACT...
In Colombia people use sumercé to talk to someone they don't know that well or they want to show respect to. They also use the formal usted to refer to someone more experienced.

is a pronoun that evolved from those times. In Latin American Spanish, vos can be found with a predominant status in:

Some other Spanish-speaking countries use tú and vos are:

And there are those which only use tú:

Even when we say is not related to , there are regional dialects that use a combination of those two. That is, using the pronoun with the verb being conjugated as . Examples of it can be heard in the Zulia state in Venezuela and the Azuero Peninsula in Panama.

No sabía que vos sois zurdo: I didn't know you are left-handed

On the other hand, is sometimes conjugated as in Chile. Don't worry, all native Spanish-speakers will totally understand if you conjugate everything with

When to use Tú or usted: formal vs informal

Use tú in the informal register

Use tú with friends and family: Although in some regions you may hear people using usted to call their parents, this is becoming less and less common. Also, people who are close to you deserve that friendly tú.

Tú me gustas: I like you.

Use tú to talk with young folks like you: it feels awkward to call someone your age usted. This may only happen if that person is not friendly or appears to be much older.

Use tú to talk with colleagues and classmates: people working or studying with you are people you see often and you most likely know a little.

Pedro, ¿tú tienes la tarea que mandó el profe hoy?: Pedro, do you have the homework the teacher sent today?

Trabajamos en la misma oficina, deberíamos conocernos mejor, ¿tú no crees?: We're working in the same office, we should get to know each other, don't you think?

Use tú address children and animals: It isn't an actual rule, it's just how it is. Don't you tell me you don't speak to your pets!

Carlitos, ¿tú quieres ganarte cinco dólares?: Carlitos, do you want to earn five dollars?

¿Quién es una buena chica? ¡Tú eres una buena chica!: Who's a good girl? You're a good girl!

And last but not least, you can use tú with insult s. There is not much to be said here, insults are informal and you mean to disrespect.

Use usted in the Formal Register

Use to refer to an older person with respect. Latin American societies are very respectful to their senior citizens, failing to do so may show lack of education. Older people might address young people using tú; although certain exceptions can be made: a teacher calling students in class to keep a professional distance, for example.

Use usted in general when addressing people in bureaucratic or administrative situations. You don't mean to disrespect in this kind of context.

Use usted for business: talking to your boss or to someone from another company. It shows professionalism. For example:

Use with people you don't know: the first time you address a person on the street, using shows you are being polite.

Another form for usted

Just as we can use and in some regions, it might have crossed your mind the possibility of expressing in another way as well.

We have already mentioned that was a valid colloquial option in Colombia. But in other spanish-speaking countries, is not used nor will it be understood.

To replace this formal pronoun, people would use or . When you call someone or , the other person will understand that a level of respect is meant. However, young women do not like being called not a bit.

From the Spanish formal "usted" to the informal "tú"

As described before, a young person using tú to refer to older people is odd and not well seen. If this happens, people may consider that the younger person has either bad manners or has a level of confidence already agreed with the elder.

This isn't something unusual, even in English, someone can request to not be called by using a formal title but to be treated on a first-name basis. Depending on the situation and the context, that could also be taken as flirting and it would be very common in Spanish. Pay attention to the details!

Remember, if you are not sure about what to go for with a person, use usted. It's safe and polite. People will ask you to call them by their first name - or like we say in Spanish, "tutear" - when they feel the time is appropriate to do so.

Tutear y ustedear

Tutear means addressing a person with the informal for the sake of trust or familiarity. If you have been knowing somebody for quite some time and you want to address them according to the new levels of confidence, you could ask: "¿Nos podemos tutear?"

Ustedear is not a common word but totally valid in Spanish. Native speakers prefer to say "tratar de usted", and that means giving or asking someone the treatment of respect with the formal pronoun .

Some examples with tú and usted

Ustedes and vosotros

Even when this article is not about these two, it is important to point out the difference given that they were shown at the beginning. It was already said that vosotros is only used in Spain and that people in Latin America know little about this verb conjugation.

Well, the same thing happens with . is used only in Latin America and the majority of Spaniards do not know how to conjugate with it. Both pronouns are not strictly formal, they can be used as the plural form of "you" as well.

Example:

In conclusion, these two mean the same but are used in different places.

The rest is up to you!

Listen carefully to how native people speak using both pronouns.Like it was said before, use usted if you are not so sure on how to treat someone. People will think you are being polite and that's never a bad thing.

Have fun trying to put this into practice, that's the only way to remember what you learned. If you don't have anyone to practice with, we invite you to try a free class or sign up for a free 7-day trial of our group classes. Try us out and see why thousands of students trust SpanishVIP!

Until next time!

Want to learn Spanish, fast?

Download our e-book, Easy Spanish Shortcuts, and learn your first 1,000 Spanish words in under a day!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Tú vs Usted in Spanish: The Only Guide You'll Ever Need

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
You may already know that Spanish has two different pronouns to refer to a second person, both in singular and plural, and they all translate as "you" in English. In this article, we are going to take a look at how to distinguish and use them properly.

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I like that this article included a video and many examples. At the end, they even created a 20 question quiz to study what you have learned so I enjoy how interactive it is.

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Vosotros vs Ustedes: What's the Difference?

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Vos, Vosotros, Ustedes The difference between "vos", "vosotros" and "ustedes" in Spanish is not as simple as "to-MAY-to" and "to-MAH-to" in English. It runs much deeper than a simple preference in pronunciation.

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This interesting post covers when to use tú and usted, and also introduced me to vos, which I did not know about but is apparently commonly used instead of tú and sometimes instead of usted as well well in some countries of Latin America! Very interesting and good to know.

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Madison Rittenhouse

[Total: 6 Average: 4.2/5]

Spanish Learners Ask: What's the Difference Between Tú, Usted, and Vos?

Learning Spanish subject pronouns is no easy feat, especially when we discover that there are three different versions of the second person singular: tú, usted, and vos.

That means there are three different ways to say "you" in Spanish, and infinite ways to find ourselves in embarrassing (or even offensive) situations when it comes to addressing people in Spanish.

Already feel lost? Don't worry, we've broken down everything you need to get started navigating these pronouns.

Definition of Spanish Subject Pronouns

The Difference Between Tú, Usted, and Vos

Where the Pronoun Vos Comes From

Which Countries Use Vos vs. Tú

How to Conjugate Vos in Spanish

When to Stop Using Usted and Start Using Tú / Vos

Let's start unpacking these pronouns!

What Are Subject Pronouns?

Subject pronouns are the words that indicate who or what is carrying out the action of a verb:

yo (I)

tú (you)

vos (you)

ella (she)

él(he)

ustedes (you plural)

vosotros / vosotras (you plural)

usted (you formal)

nosotros / nosotras (we)

ellos / ellas (they)

As you see, tú, vos, andusted are all different ways to address a person.

Tú, Usted, Vos - So What's the Difference?

The easy answer is formality.

The general rule is that tú and vos are informal and usted is formal.

Tú and vos are generally used for addressing:

Friends

Family

Peers

Equals

Children

Pets (for all the animal lovers that find themselves talking to their pets)

Usted is the formal version of "you", used when addressing:

Elders

Professionals

Strangers (or people with whom you're not familiar)

Doctors

Bosses

Teachers

Parents (rarely)

Wait a minute. Where does the pronoun vos come from, and why didn't I see it in my Spanish textbook?

What is Vos in Spanish?

In the Americas, vos is an informal "you" like tú. It originated in the 1500s when the Spanish colonized Latin America and imposed a strict hierarchy of social classes. The indigenous people referred to members of the Spanish nobility as vuestra merced, meaning " your grace". This term evolved to vuasted, later shortened to vos.

The usage of vos is also called the voseo or voseo americano.

More on Vos

Although it is almost non-existent today in Spain, vos can be found in literary works, dating as far back as the late 18th century.

Today, most teachers of either Castilian or Mexican Spanish don't cover vos, seeing as it is irrelevant in their countries.

On the other hand, in some countries such as Argentina and Uruguay, vos actually replaces both tú AND usted to form a singular formal / informal pronoun. Here, knowing how to use vos is super relevant for your survival in academia, marketing, and even politics.

And then some places use both. In parts of Central America, like El Salvador, vos might dominate informally but usted is still used in a formal context.

Which Spanish-Speaking Countries Use Vos?

Some say that countries that predominantly use vos were geographically isolated during colonial times, whereas countries that hardly use it - Mexico, Cuba, Peru, and the DR - had better communications with Spain during colonization.

Every region has its own peculiarities and ways to employ pronouns, but generally, the breakdown of voseo by country is the following:

Countries where Countries where
both vos and tú
are used:
vos is predominant:
Countries where tú
is primarily used.

Argentina, Uruguay,
Paraguay, El Salvador,
Guatemala,
Honduras,
Nicaragua, Costa Rica

Bolivia, Colombia,
Ecuador, Panama,
Venezuela, Chile

Spain, Dominican Republic,
Puerto Rico, Mexico, Peru,
Cuba

How to Conjugate Vos

Here is how to conjugate vos in Spanish, compared to tú:

Verb Vos Vos Tú Tú
(Imperative)
(Present
Indicative)
(Imperative)
(Present
Indicative)

**Regional varieties might conjugate differently, i.e. Chile & Maracaibo. See regional differences below.

Regional Differences in Vos

There are endless regional discrepancies when it comes to voseo in the Americas. In the Zulia region of Venezuela and in Panama's Azuero Peninsula, vos is conjugated as vosotros.

In Chile, on the other hand, among friends you'll hear tú used with the vos conjugation, but the vos conjugation here is even more irregular than the one listed above. Here are some examples:

Ser - tú soi ortú erís

Estar - tú estai

Ir - tú vai

Haber - tú hai

Some theories say that this conjugation derives from vosotros, but because Chileans hardly ever pronounce the letter "s" at the end of a word, it went from sois → soi and estais → estai. Although Chileans don't use the voseo for the imperative tense, they do use it in the past imperfectandfuture tenses.

We can't list every regional difference in this article, so leave some of the ones you've encountered in the comments below!

When Do You Stop Using Usted and Start Using Tú / Vos?

This is a gentle process that has to be approached with ample emotional intelligence.

There are some older people who would be extremely offended if a young person addressed them informally, and others who would be offended by the opposite.

The best way is to listen to how others are addressing the person. This is especially important in work environments.

When you're unsure, always use usted. It's your safest bet, followed by tú and lastly by vos.

If you want to ask someone if they would prefer to use tú, the verb is tutear.

For example:
¿Nos podemos tutear?
"Can we call each other tú?"
¿Te puedo tutear?
"Can I use tú with you?"

And if someone screams Tutéame!, for example your boyfriend/girlfriend's parents, then they want you to call them by their informal pronoun.

Now That We Know Each Other... ¡Tutéanos!

Once you get to know someone, you'll most likely use tú with them.

Know of any other regional differences in pronouns? Tell us in the comments!

For additional Spanish practice, download our App for Pimsleur Castilian Spanish or Pimsleur Latin American Spanish and learn Spanish in context.

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Tú vs Usted vs Vos: The Tricky Spanish Rules for "You"! | The Pimsleur Language Blog

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Madison Rittenhouse [Total: 6 Average: 4.2/5] Learning Spanish subject pronouns is no easy feat, especially when we discover that there are three different versions of the second person singular: tú, usted , and vos .

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Just a quick blog post about vosotros use in Spain

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Ah, Spain. The people, the culture, the Spanish. What a wonderful place to live, work and visit. As birthplace to the Castilian Spanish dialect and the hispanosphere, just like the language, the culture is rich and full of both tradition and diversity.

Upon first arriving in Spain to visit or live, you'll notice one of the most characteristic differences of Spain's Spanish (as opposed to North, Central, and South American Spanish) is the general usage of the subject pronoun .

This pronoun is the rough equivalent of "you all" in English, and is used as the plural form of the subject pronoun , informally meaning "you." Although this informal plural "you all" subject pronoun exists as a part of the Spanish language, it is seldom found in other parts of the Spanish-speaking world.

If you're heading to Spain in the near future, here are four important things to know about the vosotros form. Then, after reading this, make sure to brush up on your skills!
Travelling to Spain? Learn Spanish from a qualified Spaniard in your city or online!
1. Vosotros is an important part of Spain's communication style.

Vosotros is everywhere. Maybe it's the casualness of this pronoun that's so appealing. Maybe it's a tradition that just didn't stick elsewhere around the world. I'll touch more on the specifics of using vosotros below. But it's important to note that even if you aren't incredibly familiar with this form and its conjugations, you will hear it used a lot in Spain.

When all else fails, you can revert back to using the ustedes form for communication if this is more familiar to you. Just be aware that you aren't talking like the natives around you.

2. There is a difference between vosotros and ustedes.

Essentially, these two pronouns mean very similar things, though one is more formal and the other is not. Vosotros being the more informal plural form of "you all" is frequently used in everyday conversation, with kids, with friends, with pets, and so forth.

In Spain, usted (singular) and ustedes (plural) are used as well. But this happens only for more formal occasions, or occasions where respect must be shown. So, if you meet the Pope while in Spain, be sure to use the usted form.

In other Spanish-speaking countries, however, vosotros is never (or rarely) used. So, even in casual situations where, in Spain, this form is present, other countries still opt to use ustedes for plural "you" communication.

3. Vosotros is not widely taught.

Are you having trouble recalling learning this subject pronoun in all those Spanish classes from your younger years? Well, there's a reason for that! Most Spanish teachers of English students may not be familiar with vosotros, and have just not taught it in the past.

These days, both native and non-native Spanish teachers are keen on teaching this pronoun due to globalized learning initiatives. But, don't be surprised if skipping the vosotros pronoun in your conjugation sequence for all those years comes back to bite you when visiting Spain!

4. Vosotros is prevalent in Spain.

Vosotros is present in any context where 1) there is more than one person, and 2) the occasion is less formal. According to a Madrileña with whom I recently spoke, the usted/ustedes form would be appropriate when speaking in an entrevista (interview), con un jefe (with a boss), or in similar situations. Otherwise, the vosotros form rules the day in Spain.

Whether or not you have previous exposure and familiarity with vosotros, you'll find that Spaniards are a patient, gracious people who are very willing to support others in their quest to learn Spanish. They may even help you along the way - even if, to their ears, you're using ustedes all wrong!

When do you use the vosotros subject pronoun? Share your stories with us below!
This article was originally published on September 11, 2017, and then was edited for comprehensiveness on July 9, 2021. Travelling to Spain? Learn Spanish from a qualified Spaniard in your city or online!

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The Importance of Learning 'Vosotros' if Spain is in Your Future

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Ah, Spain. The people, the culture, the Spanish. What a wonderful place to live, work and visit. As birthplace to the Castilian Spanish dialect and the hispanosphere, just like the language, the culture is rich and full of both tradition and diversity.

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I believe that this site is useful because it gives the differences between tú and usted but also when to use both formal and informal context as well.

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If you hail from a language without formal and informal forms of you (like modern English), you're probably perturbed by having to navigate complex distinctions of friendship and respect in just about every Spanish sentence.

There's plenty of complexity surrounding these forms of you, usted and tú.

So today, we're going to dive into these two and look at when to use them!

Contents

Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere.Click here to get a copy. (Download)

An Intro to Spanish Second-person Pronouns

In Spain, the singular second-person subject pronouns are tú (informal "you," one person) and (formal "you," one person).

The plural forms are vosotros/vosotras (informal men or mixed groups/a group of all women) and ustedes (formal, group).

Latin America is the same, except that vosotros typically isn't used. Ustedes is used for the plural "you" in all cases.

In certain parts of South America, vos is standard instead of or in addition to tú. Vos is sometimes also seen as a formal second-person pronoun in old books, so you should know this to recognize it-but you'll never actually want to use it in that way.

Each subject pronoun also has a different corresponding object pronoun, just like the English third-person:

She [subject] praised him [object].

We don't say "she praised he " because we have a different object pronoun for the third person: "him."

In Spanish, this shift happens with the second-person (you), as follows:

For example:

Te digo algo. (I'm telling you [object, informal, singular] something.)

1. When to Use the Informal Register in Spanish

Children and animals: This is a pretty easy rule. No matter the situation, if you're addressing children or, for some reason, speaking Spanish with animals, you should use tú.

Fellow young people: If you're a teenager or an early twenty-something, use tú in pretty much any situation where you're speaking to people your age. Those who, like me, aged out of our mid-twenties in a Spanish-speaking land, remember the horror of the first few times we were addressed in the formal second person by some 18-year-old.

Friends/family: People who you're close to are addressed with tú. Likewise for people who you're just social with. It can be a bit more delicate for people who you've just been introduced to, friends of friends and that sort of thing. If you're not sure, ask (see below, "when you're not sure"). However, people who insist on usted in such cases aren't really worth getting to know further, in my very personal opinion.

Insults: If you're cursing someone out in the street for driving his car in a bike lane, it would be strange to use usted.

Work colleagues whom you know well: This one depends strongly on company culture. In arts organizations or non-profits you're more likely to use tú with everyone, whereas in a bank, usted.

2. When to Use the Formal Register

Older people: If you're a child or a teenager addressing an adult, use usted until you've been invited to do otherwise. Adults will probably address you with tú, but nobody said life is fair, as the saying/offhand excuse for oppression of the young goes.

Bureaucratic situations: I've personally addressed the Spanish taxman with tú, but I was in Catalonia (see "Variations" below). In most jurisdictions that would be a crazy thing to do. In general, you should use usted in all legal, bureaucratic and administrative situations.

In business: Within your company, follow the corporate culture. When dealing with those outside of your company in business contexts you'll definitely use tú. Bosses used to be able to address underlings with tú but this is now considered pretty ugly. If there's a difference in assigned power roles, you might use usted just to be safe and show respect, both to those whom you manage and those who manage you.

With people you don't know: If you're speaking to someone on the street for directions, or anyone who you don't already know personally, use usted.

3. When You're Not Sure

In most borderline cases, you can cause more offense by being too informal rather than too formal, so go for usted. You can also just ask. As a non-native speaker, especially, you can plead ignorance and learn from the situation. The phrase to use is:

4. When There Are Variations

In bilingual Catalonia, even when people are speaking Spanish they almost never use the formal register. Here, you can stick to tú and vosotros. This is probably due to influence from the Catalan language, which has (several!) formal registers but doesn't really use them. The only exception is that an elderly person can be addressed with usted as a sign of respect, but you should only use this with someone who's truly old (and considers himself so!), otherwise you risk causing offense by labeling them old before his time. It's similar to offering an older person your seat on the bus before he considers himself old enough to need it.

You'll hear usted/ustedes more readily employed by the many Latin American expatriates living in Barcelona.

Latin America tends to see much more formality than Spain in general, for example, between customers, store owners and in business relationships.

Chile has a lovely quirk: Between close sisters, lovers and others in an extremely intimate relationship, usted is sometimes used. In this case it isn't formal but rather a sign of caring, like a pet name.

On the other end of the spectrum, there are some regions of Latin America where only usted is used, and you'll hear it even between a mother and a child, without this meaning any formal relationship.

Pay attention as you go, and handle registers with care

Have you noticed how difficult it is as an English speaker to remember the genders of objects in Spanish? (That's la mano - the hand, feminine!) This is because we come from a language that has no such distinction, so it's not something that we intuitively place importance on listening for and learning.

The same is true for formal vs. informal register. We need to force ourselves to be always actively listening for the distinction, so that we know in which register to respond and so that we can learn from new situations.

This post provides guidelines but can't cover every possible case.

You can observe native speakers and how they use these two forms to learn more about the proper situations when you should use them. A program that uses authentic videos, like FluentU, will help you see different situations where you'd use each of the two forms of "you." On FluentU, you can also add the words to a flashcard deck to view more videos where they're used.

As you continue to experience and learn the Spanish language, remember that you'll need to force yourself to pay attention to register until it starts to seem natural to you. It's normal that you're going to want to focus on other things in the sentence-like who is doing what to whom?-but register is also an important part of communicating.

You'll find that in Spanish, the distinction between tú and usted constantly gives you useful information about what's going on and how you should respond.

Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere.Click here to get a copy. (Download)

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Tú vs. Usted: Navigating the Vexing Distinctions of Formality in Spanish

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If you hail from a language without formal and informal forms of you (like modern English), you're probably perturbed by having to navigate complex distinctions of friendship and respect in just about every Spanish sentence. There's plenty of complexity surrounding these forms of you, usted and tú.

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I found this website to be very helpful as it covered when to use formal and informal registry as well as second person pronouns that are often used in these contexts.

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Tú vs. Usted: Navigating the Vexing Distinctions of Formality in Spanish

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If you hail from a language without formal and informal forms of you (like modern English), you're probably perturbed by having to navigate complex distinctions of friendship and respect in just about every Spanish sentence. There's plenty of complexity surrounding these forms of you, usted and tú.

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I am sharing this video as I found it muy interesante! The video was bright and colorful, and the instructors were easy to follow. Their passion for explaining the differences between the formal and informal of, "ustedes", "vosotros" held my attention and made me want to learn more!

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VOSOTROS ¿Por qué NO se usa en Latinoamérica? Ustedes y Vosotros en Español.

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This resource specifically reviews how to use "usted" in different settings. I like it because it gives examples in Spanish and English side by side for comparison. It also provides some cultural notes and rules for using formal and informal registers.

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CONTENT

1. Formal register - Usage

2. Forming the Formal Register with Usted F

3. Other forms to express courtesy

4. Cultural notes

5. Tuteo in the Formal Register

Spanish, like other languages, has two main registers: the formal register and the informal register.

Rule 1: The formal register is used in situations that require formality. For example, when talking to a teacher, a director, a boss, etc. It is also used in customer service scenarios such as at the bank, when shopping at the supermarket , when ordering in a restaurant, etc.

It is a register that shows courtesy and respect towards the person you are talking to. Some Spanish-speaking families use this register with adults and elderly people.

Example

Explanation

Disculpe profesor, me puede repetir la instrucción por favor.

Here, we are addressing an authority - in this case, a professor - so we use a formal register.

Forming the Formal Register with Usted F

Rule 2: The pronoun used with the formal register is the second person ofthe verb usted. However, to use the formal register,you need to conjugate this verb in the third person (él/ella).

Although this pronoun is part of the<strong> second person (tú/usted</strong>), you will commonly find it grouped in the third person because it uses the same conjugation and it is easier to remember it that way.

Other forms to express courtesy

Rule 3: There are other ways of expressing formality or courtesy in Spanish. For example, by

adding words such as señor, señora, profesora.

saying phrases such as por favor, disculpe, muchas gracias, buenos días.

using other tenses such as el condicional that you will learn about later.

Cultural notes

Rule 4: The use of the formal register and the pronoun usted may vary from country to country depending on the culture. For example, while usted is used to establish distance or respect in countries such as Mexico and Argentina, in Colombia usted is used informally - that is, it is also used with friends or close people.

Tuteo in the Formal Register

Tuteo is a word that comes from the pronoun tú and is a way in which speakers express that you can speak to them informally. Some people do not feel it is necessary to speak to them in a formal register.

For example, when you meet a person, you address them using usted because you want to be respectful. If they say "No me hables de usted, me puedes tutear" (Don't address me as you (formal), you can address me as you (informal)) it means that you can use the informal register with them.

Spanish

English

- ¿Cómo se llama usted?

- No me hables de usted, me haces sentir mayor. Me puedes tutear.

- What is your name?
- Don't address me as you (formal), you make me feel old. You can use you (informal) with me.

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CONTENT Formal register - Usage Forming the Formal Register with Usted F Other forms to express courtesy Cultural notes Tuteo in the Formal Register Spanish, like other languages, has two main registers: the formal register and the informal register. Rule 1: The formal register is used in situations that require formality.

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This was a quick and easy to understand video explaining when you would use vosotros and when you would use ustedes

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I found this one really helpful. It does a wonderful job of explaining the "why" behind things, instead of just the rule.

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Formal vs. informal address in Spanish; usted and ustedes

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https://www.babbel.com/en/magazine/spanish-tu-vs-usted

I literally found this website and remembered that babbel is a good way to learn languages. Not only spanish but many more. What I like about this site is that it gives you charts and tables and does quizzes afterwards.

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This was a short and sweet Youtube on when to use Tú and when to use Usted. I liked it because it gave specific examples.

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I like this website a lot because it goes really in depth with the background of the words and how they came into use.

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From Mexico to Spain, from Costa Rica to The Dominican Republic, Spanish is the official language of many countries - that's why it is such an important language. If you want to travel, do international business, talk with your many Spanish-speaking coworkers, live abroad, or explore new cultures, Spanish will help you out a lot.

In order to achieve your Spanish language goals, you'll need to speak with new people. That could be tricky because in Spanish there are a lot of ways to say the word 'you'. You don't want to sound too formal or too informal. You don't want to sound rigid to a new friend, or rude to a coworker. So depending on your goals, the people you meet, and the geographical region, you'll need to learn how to say "you" in Spanish in different ways.

The History of Tú, Vos, and Usted

Spanish is a language with a lot of history. Latin roots, colonization, and evolution are part of Spanish's linguistic changes and linguistic variations. The second person expressions (different ways to say the word "you") are an important linguistic phenomenon that has had many changes throughout history.

In the 15th century, vuestra señoría'was used as an honorable way to speak to someone from the nobility. And for people that didn't have a noble title, but still belonged to an important category, vuestra merced was used. There were many other expressions of high category, but the most common one was vuestra merced. Vuestras mercedes was the plural.

Because of this, after the Middle Ages, in the 16th century, the use of vos started to change. It became the complete opposite of what it used to be. Now, vos was also used in personal relationships and to talk to people of lower categories. At some point, vos became a word of dishonor, until it was no longer used in Spain.

Little by little, vuestra merced was transformed into usted, and vuestras mercedes was transformed into ustedes. These are both the contemporary words for "you" in a formal way. All the other expressions of respect, like vuestra señoría, also changed, but aren't used anymore.

The Spanish conquistadors imposed all of these pronouns when they conquered Latin America. The same pronoun changes in Spain happened in Latin America's viceroyalties. That's why some places in Latin America don't use vos anymore. Some other locations that were far from the viceroyalties didn't update the pronouns. So, they kept using vos and/or tú (informal), and usted (formal).

Today, the plural form vos otros is no longer used, only vosotros is correct.

Nowadays, you can also find abbreviations for usted. Ud. is the most common one. The others are U., V., and Vd. The last two create confusion. Why do people use a "v" for the abbreviation of usted instead of a "u"? This is because of the origin of the word, vuestra merced. The abbreviations for the plural form are Uds. and Vds., for the same reason. It all goes back to the past.

Conjugations of Verbs Depending on "You"

Though tú, vos, and usted are all second person pronouns, the verbs are conjugated differently depending on the pronoun. Here are their present conjugations in their indicative mood to help you out:

Tú

The verbs that end in "ar", change the ending to "as":

Bailar / Tú bailas (you dance/you are dancing)

Amar / Tú amas (you love)

The verbs that end with "er", change the ending to "es":

Aprender / Tú aprendes (you learn/you are learning)

Saber / Tú sabes (you know)

The verbs that end in "ir", change the ending for "es":

Recibir / Tú recibes (you receive)

Permitir / Tú permites (you allow)

Usted

The verbs that end in "ar" change their endings for "a":

The verbs that end in "er" change their endings to "e":

Aprender / Usted aprende

Saber / Usted sabe

The verbs that end in "ir" change their endings to "e":

Recibir / Usted recibe

Permitir / Usted permite

Remember that there are many irregular verbs in the Spanish language. The best way to learn those is by hearing and reading them over and over again, so they stick.

Vos

The verbs that end in "ar" change the ending to "ás":

The verbs that end in "er" change their endings to "és":

Aprender / Vos aprendés

Saber / Vos sabés

The verbs that end in "ir" change their endings to "ís":

Recibir / Vos recibís

Permitir / Vos permitís

The only irregular verbs for 'vos' are:

Ser / Vos sos (you are)

Haber / Vos has (you have)

Ir / Vos vas (you go)

When 'vos' is the pronoun, there are some places that conjugate the verbs in different ways. Some people change the "ar" endings of a verb for "áis"; the "er" for "éis", and the "ir" for "ís", as if conjugating with the second person plural pronoun "vosotros".

Check this chart to see the two ways of conjugating with 'vos' that we just explained. Some others change the "ar" endings for a "áis", and the "er" and "ir" for "ís". In Chile you'll notice that they don't pronounce nor write the "s" in the "áis" endings of the verbs.

For the second person plural there is 'ustedes' and 'vosotros':

Ustedes

The verbs that end in "ar" change the ending to "an":

Bailar / Ustedes bailan

Amar / Ustedes aman

The verbs that end in "er" change their endings to "en":

Aprender / Ustedes aprenden

Saber / Ustedes saben

The verbs that end in "ir" change their endings to "en":

Permitir / Ustedes permiten

Recibir / Ustedes reciben

Vosotros

The verbs that end in "ar" change the ending to "áis":

Bailar / Vosotros bailáis

Amar / Vosotros amáis

The verbs that end in "er" change their endings to "éis":

Aprender / Vosotros aprendéis

Saber / Vosotros sabéis

The verbs that end in "ir" change their endings to "'ís":

Recibir / Vosotros recibís

Permitir / Vosotros permitís

The irregular verbs:

Ser / Vosotros sois

Haber / Vosotros habéis

Ir / Vosotros vais

You can use vosotras for the feminine second person plural pronoun.

If you have doubts about other verb tenses and language moods for the different pronouns, we recommend you to check out WordReference, an online dictionary.

Mexico

Most of the country uses tú and usted, except for Chiapas and Tabasco which prefer the voseo instead of the tuteo.

Spain

As you've seen, in Spain the voseo is no longer used. Spaniards speak with tú' and usted. For the second person plural, they use vosotros/vosotras to show familiarity and closeness. They use ustedes in a formal way, to show respect.

In Canarias they use ustedes for all people. In Western Andalucía they also use' ustedes, but people use verbs conjugated as if speaking with vosotros. For example: Ustedes aprendéis español (you're learning Spanish).

Argentina

Argentinians speak with voseo. They only use usted to speak with an elderly or someone that deserves a high level of respect. For the second person plural, they always use ustedes.

Peru

In the center of Peru, they use tú. In the north, they use the pronoun vos, but the verbs are conjugated as if speaking with tú. In the south, they use both tú and vos. And, of course, all around Peru, usted is used to show respect.

In Huánuco, people use tú for closeness; vos is to address someone with respect and honor, and usted is between tú and vos.

Colombia

Colombians use all of the second person pronouns: tú, vos, and usted. They usually use vos in the Paisa Region, in Valle del Cauca, and in Nariño. In this last one, sometimes people conjugate the verbs the typical way when using vos; but, some other times, they conjugate the verbs as if they were using tú.

On the Caribbean Coast people tend to use tú, but prefer usted to speak with an elder person and in formal situations. In the rest of Colombia, people always use usted, not just with elders or authorities. So, the ustedeo can be used with close people too.

Puerto Rico

They only use tú and usted, except in Fajardo, where they use the voseo.

Dominican Republic

They only use tú and usted.

Don't forget! Even in countries that consider usted the formal way of addressing someone, some people will always speak to you using the ustedeo, even if you're a friend, a romantic partner or family. It's the way they were raised. You'll especially find this characteristic in the countryside.

Become Fluent in Spanish

Spanish's second person pronouns (you and you guys) are vast and change from country to country. Even in one country, you can find different ways to use all of them. This might be confusing when trying to have a conversation in Spanish. To make it easier first you have to choose which Spanish you want to speak and, therefore, learn. Then, you have to practice as much as you can. That will make you fluent and lead the path to other kinds of Spanish.

Here at TruFluency we have native Spanish tutors that will help you with all your questions and help you practice speaking. The classes are personalized, and the main goal is to make you fluent. You'll be able to travel around the world and address Spanish people like a native.
Get 20% off your first month of classes with code TF20.

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How to Say You in Spanish | Tú, Vos, and Usted

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From Mexico to Spain, from Costa Rica to The Dominican Republic, Spanish is the official language of many countries - that's why it is such an important language. If you want to travel, do international business, talk with your many Spanish-speaking coworkers, live abroad, or explore new cultures, Spanish will help you out a lot.

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I found this website and really enjoy it because there are many different lessons to be able to view. The lessons seem full of information but easy to understand.

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https://www.fluentu.com/blog/spanish/writing-letters-in-spanish/#:~:text=These%20are%20letters%20you'd,you%20can%20use%20relaxed%20language.

I found this to be a quick and comprehensive reference for greetings and formality in letter writing.

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Although emails are our favorite way to communicate nowadays, there are still a ton of reasons to write letters in Spanish: from responding to an invitation to your friend's wedding in Seville, to writing an official letter to a new Mexican client.

And when you write, you want your Spanish to sound as native and natural as possible.

Contents

Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere.Click here to get a copy. (Download)

Writing Letters in Spanish Made Easy: How to Snail Mail Like a Native

When writing letters in Spanish, there are heaps of greetings you can use, depending on the level of your letter's formality.

So, the first task is to figure out the purpose of your letter. Are you writing to someone you know personally? Or are they a professional contact? Your answer determines which kind of letter you'll write: informal or formal.

Writing Informal Letters in Spanish

These are letters you'd write to someone you know, and usually someone who you'd call tu(informal version of "you"). Informal letters are casual communication, so you can use relaxed language.

Beginning an Informal Spanish Letter

To start an informal letter, you'd normally use the form of address, Querido (dear). For example:

The word querido/a works like a normal Spanish adjective, so it has to agree with the gender of the person you are writing to. It also works in the plural: mis queridos amigos (my dear friends). For very close friends, you can use queridísimo/a (My very dear)!

Did you notice another interesting thing in the examples? They were followed by a colon, not a comma. This is the standard in Spanish. Don't use a comma as you would in English, as it looks obviously Anglicized. And we're aiming to write like native Spanish speakers!

Useful Phrases for Informal Spanish Letters

Once you've addressed the person you're writing to, go ahead and write whatever it is you want to tell them! Here are some common phrases that might help with constructing your letter:

Salúdame a tu familia (Say hello to your family)

Recuerdos de parte de mi madre (My mom sends her wishes)

Me alegró mucho recibir noticias tuyas (It was lovely to hear from you)

Perdona que no te haya escrito antes pero... (Forgive me for not having written to you sooner, but...)

Te agradezco mucho... (I am very grateful to you for...)

Other than these phrases, you can put your Spanish communication skills to use and write as you'd speak to a friend.

Closing Your Informal Spanish Letter

Once you've written your message, you need to sign off using a friendly greeting. Some examples are below. They may seem overly affectionate compared to English, but this is normal! (Remember, people often greet each other in person with a kiss on the cheek!)

Or, for people you aren't too close to, such as a colleague, use:

P.S. One More Thing...

Need to add something to your letter after you've signed off? Spanish speakers use the initials P.D., which stands for posdata, from the Latin post data. This is the equivalent to P.S. in English and is mostly used in casual letters.

And that's it! Here you have all you need to write letters to friends and family. No more putting off writing to the friends you made while backpacking South America!

Let's crank it up a notch and look at more formal communications.

Writing a Formal Letter in Spanish

Formal letters are... well, a much more formal affair!

There are conventions on how to write formal letters in Spanish, and it's important to follow them to look professional and make a good impression.

But the great news is, once you know the guidelines and a few stock phrases, writing business and other formal letters in Spanish becomes a breeze!

Handy Hints for Formal Spanish Letters

The first rule is to use the personal pronouns usted/ustedes (formal version of you).Just like in spoken Spanish, when writing in Spanish, you use usted to demonstrate respect for the recipient. This is especially important in business communication.

Secondly, the tone and vocabulary in formal Spanish letters can feel exaggerated to a native English speaker. But it's completely normal for the language to feel a bit "flowery." Lean into it: this is how to write like a native!

Beginning Your Formal Spanish Letter

Querido/a is too casual for a business letter.

Formal letters have many possible openings, covering a variety of writer/recipient relationships. Let's look at some.

Use Estimado/a (Dear) for when you know the person by name, but would address them as Señor (Mr.) or Señora (Mrs.)
e.g.Estimado Sr. García (Dear Mr. García)

Note: Always use Sra. for a formal letter to a lady, unless you're 100% certain she prefers to be called Señorita (Miss), which is abbreviated to Srta. It can be disrespectful to get it wrong!

If you don't know the exact person you're writing to, useMuy señor(a) mío/a (My dear Sir/Madam)

For writing to an institution, use Muy señores míos (Dear Sirs)

The most formal opener is Distinguido/a Señor(a) (Distinguished Mr./Mrs.), followed by the person's surname if you know it.

Just like with informal letters, the opening greeting must agree in number and gender, and end with a colon.

Speculative Letters

Let's say you're hunting for a job in Spain. You may not know which person or department to send your résumé to, so instead use A quién corresponda (To whom it may concern).

Body of a Formal Letter

So now that you've addressed your reader respectfully, let's get to the good stuff: the bulk of your letter.

While the subject and content of the letter are up to you, there are some common phrases that can help build your message. Here are a few:

Adjunto encontrará (Enclosed you will find)

Les escribo para informarles... (I am writing to you to inform you...)

Le agradezco... (Thank you for...)

Me dirijo a ustedes para solicitar mayor información sobre... (I am writing to ask for further information on...)

Les ruego que me envíen... (Please send me...)

Quedo a la espera de sus noticias (I look forward to hearing from you)

Muchas gracias de antemano por su colaboración (Thank you in advance for your help)

Le agradecería que me informara (I'd be grateful if you would let me know if)

Remember, the most important thing is to use the usted (formal version of "you") form. Watch out for any tu s (informal version of "you") that might sneak in by accident!

Closing Your Letter

Just as with the openers, there are a bunch of options for closing your business letter. Try to match the level of formality of your opening greeting.

Here are some examples, from least to most formal:

Saludos (Greetings)

Un saludo cordial/Saludos cordiales (Best wishes)

Sinceramente (Sincerely)

Muy atentamente/Muy cordialmente (Yours sincerely)

These endings are followed by a comma, as in English. Then sign your name, and your letter is complete!

With the tools in this post, you should feel comfortable writing to anyone about any topic.

You can write letters-whether to yourself or to native Spanish speakers-based on what you learn from other Spanish resources such as textbooks, courses or the authentic videos available on the language learning program FluentU. These clips show formal and informal Spanish vocabulary and expressions that are explained by interactive subtitles, and you can practice them and your writing skills with personalized quizzes.

Why not find someone to write to on a regular basis? There are many websites dedicated to helping language students find a partner for a pen pal arrangement. Just as your writing partner can help you in your Spanish, so too can you help him or her with their language studies!

For practice at formal communication, try writing a cover letter for a job application or writing a letter of invitation to a pretend business contact for an upcoming business trip. The options are endless!
Siobhan Wood is a professional business writer with 10 years' experience in export. She helps small businesses to increase sales and expand into overseas markets by creating kick-ass content and communications. Fluent in Spanish and French, she has studied languages for over 20 years. Read more about her business here.
Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere.Click here to get a copy. (Download)

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Writing Letters in Spanish Made Easy: How to Snail Mail Like a Native

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Snail mail isn't dead yet, and writing letters in Spanish is still an important skill to have. Learn how to properly compose a Spanish letter, whether you're writing an informal hello to a friend or a formal salutation to a colleague.

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This is an extremely interesting reddit post that focuses on how one is perceived when using the formal and informal registers in specific settings.

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Native speakers: how insufferably rude am I being if I usually use "tu" instead of "usted"?

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31 votes, 54 comments. I've been studying Spanish for over 10 years now, and while I wouldn't describe myself as totally fluent, I can hold a decent ...

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In addition to tú and usted, this page also addresses vosotros, as is common in some regions of South America and Spain.

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Tú vs. Usted: Navigating the Vexing Distinctions of Formality in Spanish

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If you hail from a language without formal and informal forms of you (like modern English), you're probably perturbed by having to navigate complex distinctions of friendship and respect in just about every Spanish sentence. There's plenty of complexity surrounding these forms of you, usted and tú.

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This website had a lot of details in regards to this topic. It may seem like overkill for some, but I really enjoyed the length of detail and examples provided.

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The Main Differences Between Formal And Informal Spanish

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One thing English speakers have to quickly get used to when learning Spanish is the difference between formal and informal language. This might seem slightly daunting at first, but don't panic just yet.

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This video definitely helped me understand when to use tú and usted. It also went into detail about the difference in conjugation which might be helpful for anyone who may struggle with that!

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Usted vs Tú: How To Avoid Confusing The Spanish “YOU”

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Great article about when to use which includes a reference chart and videos to pronounce  Tu o Usted?  formal vs. informal when we have conversations.

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The hardest concepts to grasp in a new language are the ones that don't have an equivalent in your native language. English doesn't have a difference between the formal and informal second-person singular pronoun ("you"), but certain languages, including Spanish, do. This just adds a little extra hurdle to your understanding. Fortunately, learning when to use tú and usted isn't too difficult, and a few guidelines will have you well on your way.

Using Usted

Usted is the formal "you." The plural is ustedes, which is used in both formal and informal situations. The object pronoun for usted is lo or la (used to simplify sentences like "I called you," so that l lamado a usted becomes l o llamado or l a llamado, depending on the gender of the person being addressed).

There are some obvious situations when usted is called for:

a child speaking to a parent

a student speaking to a teacher

a patient speaking to a doctor

a person speaking to a police officer

a person speaking to a prospective business partner

As these examples show, usted is a form of respect to others. And as a general rule, if you're unsure which to use, you should go with usted. It's much less of a faux pas to be a little more formal than to be not formal enough.

Conjugating Usted

Using Tú

Tú is the informal counterpart to usted. The plural of tú is vosotros and vosotras, but that's mainly used in Spain. The object pronoun for tú is te (used to simplify sentences like "I called you," so that ll amado a tú becomes t e llamado.).

There are a few situations where using tú is accepted no matter what:

an elder speaking to someone young

a person speaking to their pet

friends and family of roughly the same age speaking to one another

a person insulting another person

But tú can be tricky. You never want to make the mistake of calling someone tú when they expect more respect. When you're getting to know someone, it might be difficult to know when to make the switch from formal to informal. A good rule of thumb for the Spanish learner is to simply wait for the other person to start calling you tú. Assuming there's no power imbalance in the relationship (a teacher calling you tú is not permission to do the same to them), you should be good.

Spanish speakers, especially today, don't always go around addressing every stranger as usted, however. In some Latin American countries, strangers might even think it's a little odd for you to use usted when there's no clear power imbalance. As always, we err on the side of caution because the Spanish-speaking world is vast and cultures vary, but if you keep getting a tú in response to your usted, you might want to consider loosening up a bit.

Conjugating Tú

Recap Quiz

Think you know the basics of when to use tú and usted? See how you do on this quick quiz.

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Spanish Grammar: When To Use Tú And Usted

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The hardest concepts to grasp in a new language are the ones that don't have an equivalent in your native language. English doesn't have a difference between the formal and informal second-person singular pronoun ("you"), but certain languages, including Spanish, do. This just adds a little extra hurdle to your understanding.

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I am still working on figuring out when to use the formal versus informal. I also found this video helpful in the conjugation of some words.

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How and when to switch informal Spanish to formal Spanish

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I found this video really helpful! These two tips really come in handy:
- If you are on a first-name-basis with the person you are talking to, use TÚ.

-As for USTED, think of it as the Spanish cousin of words like Sir, Ma’am, Your Honor, Mister and Mrs.

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Spring Spanish - Learn Spanish with Chunks

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TÚ vs. USTED (vs. VOS): How to Choose And Never Offend People in Spanish 🙃 [SPANISH LESSON 15]

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This short article gives some good tips and examples of when you should use tú and/or usted.

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Spanish speakers use tú (too) and usted (oos-), which both mean "you," to convey the formality of a relationship. Tú is less formal than usted.

You use tú when you're talking to someone of the same age, the same rank, or the same educational level. You can also use it when you want to express a certain level of intimacy with someone. Most adults address children using tú.

U sted signifies a more respectful way of talking to someone, such as a new acquaintance, an older person, or someone you consider to be of higher rank.

At some point in a relationship between people who speak Spanish, a shift occurs from the formal usted to the more informal and intimate tú. At this point, they use the word tú when addressing each other. In Spanish, we call this tutearse (too-teh-seh), that is, "to talk tú." On the other hand, if you don't want to have a closer, more intimate relationship with someone, or if you want to keep the relationship more professional and less chummy, you should stick to calling that person usted.

Following are some examples of sentences that use tú and usted:

When people in Spain want to address a group of people, they use the word vosotros (bvoh--trohs), which is the informal "you" in the plural. Spanish-speaking Americans almost never use vosotros.

One of the main differences between the Spain Spanish way of addressing several people and the Spanish-speaking American one is that in Spanish America, people say ustedes (meaning "you," in the plural - but "they" in conjugation). This ustedes can be a formal way of addressing two or more people, or it can be very informal. The situation dictates the difference. Here are some examples:

In written texts, you will find the words usted and ustedes in their abbreviated forms ( Ud. for usted, and Uds. for ustedes). When you read these abbreviations aloud, you say the whole word.

About This Article

This article can be found in the category:

Spanish speakers use tú (too) and usted (oos-), which both mean "you," to convey the formality of a relationship. Tú is less formal than usted.

You use tú when you're talking to someone of the same age, the same rank, or the same educational level. You can also use it when you want to express a certain level of intimacy with someone. Most adults address children using tú.

U sted signifies a more respectful way of talking to someone, such as a new acquaintance, an older person, or someone you consider to be of higher rank.

At some point in a relationship between people who speak Spanish, a shift occurs from the formal usted to the more informal and intimate tú. At this point, they use the word tú when addressing each other. In Spanish, we call this tutearse (too-teh-seh), that is, "to talk tú." On the other hand, if you don't want to have a closer, more intimate relationship with someone, or if you want to keep the relationship more professional and less chummy, you should stick to calling that person usted.

Following are some examples of sentences that use tú and usted:

When people in Spain want to address a group of people, they use the word vosotros (bvoh--trohs), which is the informal "you" in the plural. Spanish-speaking Americans almost never use vosotros.

One of the main differences between the Spain Spanish way of addressing several people and the Spanish-speaking American one is that in Spanish America, people say ustedes (meaning "you," in the plural - but "they" in conjugation). This ustedes can be a formal way of addressing two or more people, or it can be very informal. The situation dictates the difference. Here are some examples:

In written texts, you will find the words usted and ustedes in their abbreviated forms ( Ud. for usted, and Uds. for ustedes). When you read these abbreviations aloud, you say the whole word.

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Knowing When to Use the Spanish Tú and Usted - dummies

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Spanish speakers use tú (too) and usted (oos- tehd ) , which both mean "you," to convey the formality of a relationship. Tú is less formal than usted . You use tú when you're talking to someone of the same age, the same rank, or the same educational level.

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I use a lot of resources to help me learn Spanish, but I am always amused when I can find one that someone put a little extra effort into the learning to make it humorous. Humor helps me remember!

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Did you know the United States now has more Spanish-speaking residents than all of Spain? It's true! The US now ranks second in the world, right after Mexico. With the language so common across the country, it's a great idea to learn the new American language.

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I like this website because it clearly explains all forms, including vos/vosotr@s
It also has a little quiz at the bottom!

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If English is the only language you (currently) speak, the you (formal) concept in Spanish is new. Even if you don't yet know about the formal and informal you in Spanish, you probably already know when to use each one.

Would you call the attention of your teacher by shouting out, "Hey dude"?

Of course not!

A message you write to your boss is surely different from the one you text to your friend.

Keep reading to learn how to use both the informal and formal "you" in Spanish in a natural way.

What's more, we'll cover cultural differences you might encounter and I share links for further study. You'll also get the opportunity to check what you've learned in a multiple-choice quiz at the end of the lesson!

You (Formal) in Spanish

We've established that you wouldn't speak in the same way to an elder as your lifelong pal.

Compared to English, Spanish takes an extra step to make a distinction in formality. It has two second-person pronouns, for formal and informal purposes. But how do you know which to use?

Take the circumstances into consideration. Are you talking to one or more people? How well do you know the person you're talking to?

You typically use the you (formal) with people older than you, higher in a social or professional rank, and people you don't know.

English actually had different second-person pronouns prior to the 17th century. Read the explanation here if you like linguistic history.

Forms and Use of You Formal and You Informal in Spanish

We'll learn five forms of "you" in this lesson:

Using you (formal) versus you (informal) in Spanish in a conversation depends on the situation. It will be easier to understand after you finish reading this section, I promise!

You (Formal) in Spanish

Let's start with you (formal) in Spanish, as this is a new concept. Once you decide to use the formal you in a conversation, ask yourself, are you talking to one person or more than one?

Singular Form - Usted

The plural form of you (formal) in Spanish is usted. Use it if you're talking to your friend's mom, your boss, or a stranger on the street.

Plural Form - Ustedes

No matter what Spanish-speaking country you're in, ustedes is the plural you (formal) in Spanish, meaning that you'll always use it with two or more people in a formal conversation.

You (Informal) in Spanish

If you've had a few Spanish lessons, you're probably familiar with the informal you in Spanish and its basic conjugation.

Singular Form - Tú

Are you talking to one single person in an informal context? Use tú with friends or people younger than you.

Some countries allow more informality in your daily interactions, while others prefer formal language, for example in a professional job environment.

Quite often, the Spanish language skips the pronouns, and you'll only use the corresponding grammar form.
¿Vives aquí al lado, verdad?
Mind the accent over the informal tú! If you take it off, the meaning changes to "your."

Plural Forms - Ustedes, Vosotros

If you're talking to a group of people in an informal context, you'll use different pronouns depending on the country you're in.

If you're in Latin America, stick to the form you already know: ustedes. In Mexico, for example, you use the same pronoun to address a group of people formally and informally.

In Spain, the informal plural you is vosotros or vosotras. Vosotros is used to male and mixed-gender groups, and vosotras, if you're talking to women only.

In Latin America, both of these sentences would use the ustedes forms.
Ustedes no saben lo que les voy a decir. ¡Para ustedes es fácil! No están casadas.
I left vos for the end, as only some countries use it. You'll hear it in Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, and parts of Chile.

Vos is both a formal and informal "you" in these countries, and it triggers different conjugation forms.

Check out Learn to Use Voseo: Vos in Spanish if you're interested in this form.

How to Use You (Formal) and You (Informal) in Spanish

There are some things you need to know to remember if you're adventuring into the realms of the formal you in Spanish.

The second-person pronouns that you got to know today are just the first step. People often google "you formal in Spanish conjugation" for a reason, as the verb forms vary depending on the pronouns you use.

Let's take a look at "you have" in formal Spanish. Instead of tú tienes, you'll switch to the third-person singular forms and say usted tiene.

Second, subject pronouns are not the only ones that change. You'll learn that each subject pronoun has different object pronouns and possessive pronouns, and mastering this part of grammar is also important if you want to speak properly in all social contexts.

Third, it's essential to know what variety of Spanish you're studying. Is it Spanish from Spain or Latin America? Then you'll know if you need vosotros, or you'll stick to ustedes only.

Spanish people also tend to be more informal in their social and professional relations. In Spain, it's normal to address your boss or your elderly neighbor as tú.

Latin American Spanish also varies from country to country, and you now know the vos form that you need in Argentina in some other countries. As soon as you get to the Spanish-speaking country of your choice and start listening to people in the streets, you'll learn to adapt your language.

Formal vs Informal You in Spanish: Quiz

Do you want to check how much you've learned about the topic? Choose one answer only.

Formal vs Informal You

Try it Yourself!

Now that you know the theory behind the formal and informal you in Spanish, the key is to practice both forms in a conversation. If you want to learn something, you need to use it if your goal is to become fully bilingual.

Speaking Spanish is useful in the U.S.-you don't even have to leave the country to find Spanish-speaking people. It's the second-largest Spanish-speaking country in the world, and according to CNN, there are 41 million native Spanish speakers in the U.S. who speak Spanish in their homes. You'll have plenty of opportunities to practice.

However, if you want to try you (formal) in Spanish before you use it in the outside world, sign up for a free trial class with one of our certified, native-speaking teachers from Guatemala and practice in a safe and challenging environment.

Ready to learn more Spanish grammar? Check these out!

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How to Say 'You' in Formal and Informal Spanish - Which One Should You Use?

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If English is the only language you (currently) speak, the you (formal) concept in Spanish is new. Even if you don't yet know about the formal and informal you in Spanish, you probably already know when to use each one. Would you call the attention of your teacher by shouting out, "Hey dude"?

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Senor Jordan does an excellent job. explain formality in this video and how to properly address people in Spanish culture. This has always been something that I found interesting.

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Learn Spanish - Should I use Tú or usted in Spanish? (informal vs. formal)

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I like this website because it explains the proper usage of the formal and informal registers in Spanish in simple ways. It gives you examples of each register and explains them in a simple manner which is especially helpful for beginners. Also, it includes various links that can be explored for further study or reference. In addition, it gives its readers the opportunity to test what they have learned through a quiz at the end of the lesson.

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If English is the only language you (currently) speak, the you (formal) concept in Spanish is new. Even if you don't yet know about the formal and informal you in Spanish, you probably already know when to use each one.

Would you call the attention of your teacher by shouting out, "Hey dude"?

Of course not!

A message you write to your boss is surely different from the one you text to your friend.

Keep reading to learn how to use both the informal and formal "you" in Spanish in a natural way.

What's more, we'll cover cultural differences you might encounter and I share links for further study. You'll also get the opportunity to check what you've learned in a multiple-choice quiz at the end of the lesson!

You (Formal) in Spanish

We've established that you wouldn't speak in the same way to an elder as your lifelong pal.

Compared to English, Spanish takes an extra step to make a distinction in formality. It has two second-person pronouns, for formal and informal purposes. But how do you know which to use?

Take the circumstances into consideration. Are you talking to one or more people? How well do you know the person you're talking to?

You typically use the you (formal) with people older than you, higher in a social or professional rank, and people you don't know.

English actually had different second-person pronouns prior to the 17th century. Read the explanation here if you like linguistic history.

Forms and Use of You Formal and You Informal in Spanish

We'll learn five forms of "you" in this lesson:

Using you (formal) versus you (informal) in Spanish in a conversation depends on the situation. It will be easier to understand after you finish reading this section, I promise!

You (Formal) in Spanish

Let's start with you (formal) in Spanish, as this is a new concept. Once you decide to use the formal you in a conversation, ask yourself, are you talking to one person or more than one?

Singular Form - Usted

The plural form of you (formal) in Spanish is usted. Use it if you're talking to your friend's mom, your boss, or a stranger on the street.

Plural Form - Ustedes

No matter what Spanish-speaking country you're in, ustedes is the plural you (formal) in Spanish, meaning that you'll always use it with two or more people in a formal conversation.

You (Informal) in Spanish

If you've had a few Spanish lessons, you're probably familiar with the informal you in Spanish and its basic conjugation.

Singular Form - Tú

Are you talking to one single person in an informal context? Use tú with friends or people younger than you.

Some countries allow more informality in your daily interactions, while others prefer formal language, for example in a professional job environment.

Quite often, the Spanish language skips the pronouns, and you'll only use the corresponding grammar form.
¿Vives aquí al lado, verdad?
Mind the accent over the informal tú! If you take it off, the meaning changes to "your."

Plural Forms - Ustedes, Vosotros

If you're talking to a group of people in an informal context, you'll use different pronouns depending on the country you're in.

If you're in Latin America, stick to the form you already know: ustedes. In Mexico, for example, you use the same pronoun to address a group of people formally and informally.

In Spain, the informal plural you is vosotros or vosotras. Vosotros is used to male and mixed-gender groups, and vosotras, if you're talking to women only.

In Latin America, both of these sentences would use the ustedes forms.
Ustedes no saben lo que les voy a decir. ¡Para ustedes es fácil! No están casadas.
I left vos for the end, as only some countries use it. You'll hear it in Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, and parts of Chile.

Vos is both a formal and informal "you" in these countries, and it triggers different conjugation forms.

Check out Learn to Use Voseo: Vos in Spanish if you're interested in this form.

How to Use You (Formal) and You (Informal) in Spanish

There are some things you need to know to remember if you're adventuring into the realms of the formal you in Spanish.

The second-person pronouns that you got to know today are just the first step. People often google "you formal in Spanish conjugation" for a reason, as the verb forms vary depending on the pronouns you use.

Let's take a look at "you have" in formal Spanish. Instead of tú tienes, you'll switch to the third-person singular forms and say usted tiene.

Second, subject pronouns are not the only ones that change. You'll learn that each subject pronoun has different object pronouns and possessive pronouns, and mastering this part of grammar is also important if you want to speak properly in all social contexts.

Third, it's essential to know what variety of Spanish you're studying. Is it Spanish from Spain or Latin America? Then you'll know if you need vosotros, or you'll stick to ustedes only.

Spanish people also tend to be more informal in their social and professional relations. In Spain, it's normal to address your boss or your elderly neighbor as tú.

Latin American Spanish also varies from country to country, and you now know the vos form that you need in Argentina in some other countries. As soon as you get to the Spanish-speaking country of your choice and start listening to people in the streets, you'll learn to adapt your language.

Formal vs Informal You in Spanish: Quiz

Do you want to check how much you've learned about the topic? Choose one answer only.

Formal vs Informal You

Try it Yourself!

Now that you know the theory behind the formal and informal you in Spanish, the key is to practice both forms in a conversation. If you want to learn something, you need to use it if your goal is to become fully bilingual.

Speaking Spanish is useful in the U.S.-you don't even have to leave the country to find Spanish-speaking people. It's the second-largest Spanish-speaking country in the world, and according to CNN, there are 41 million native Spanish speakers in the U.S. who speak Spanish in their homes. You'll have plenty of opportunities to practice.

However, if you want to try you (formal) in Spanish before you use it in the outside world, sign up for a free trial class with one of our certified, native-speaking teachers from Guatemala and practice in a safe and challenging environment.

Ready to learn more Spanish grammar? Check these out!

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How to Say 'You' in Formal and Informal Spanish - Which One Should You Use?

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If English is the only language you (currently) speak, the you (formal) concept in Spanish is new. Even if you don't yet know about the formal and informal you in Spanish, you probably already know when to use each one. Would you call the attention of your teacher by shouting out, "Hey dude"?

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This site has helped me in a lot of ways- pronunciation, refreshers on conjugation, and now I can add 'tu vs. usted' : breaks down where each one to use as well as rules using each one.

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In Spanish, there are five ways to say you, and they vary according to the number of people being addressed, how well the people involved know each other, and what country the people are in or are from.

In English you can say you to practically any person or group of people, whether you know them or not.

In Spanish, however, there are many ways to say you, and they vary depending on the formality of the relationship between the speaker(s) and listener(s), how many people are being spoken to, and even what country the people are in or are from. The table below presents the five ways you can say you in Spanish, along with important information to help you choose which one you should use in different situations.

More detailed explanations of each of the five ways to say you are given below.

While the examples in this article use subject pronouns like tú and ustedes, it's very normal for these pronouns to be omitted in everyday speech.

Singular Direct Address

Tú

You should only use when talking to people you know well, especially those that are the same age as you or younger. Tú can be used to speak directly to children, close relatives, friends, peers, or pets. It is also used in many online conversations to keep the tone informal.

Vos

is mainly used in a region of South America called the Southern Cone , which is made up of Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, and parts of Chile. It is also commonly used in Nicaragua and may also be heard in Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and Costa Rica. Many people use vos in place of both tú and usted.

Usted

(often abbreviated Ud.) is used when addressing someone older, a person you do not know, a superior, or someone to whom you would like to show a lot of respect. It is often a good idea to address a new acquaintance as usted as a sign of respect until they tell you otherwise or request that you them.

Tutear is a fancy verb that means to address someone using tú instead of usted.

Plural Direct Address

Vosotros

is primarily used in Spain to address a group of people with whom you are familiar. It is essentially the plural form of tú.

Ustedes

(often abbreviated Uds.) is used to address two or more people and can be formal or informal. Since most Latin American countries do not use vosotros, ustedes is used for all forms of plural address in this region.

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Spanish Grammar Articles and Lessons | SpanishDict

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In Spanish, there are five ways to say you, and they vary according to the number of people being addressed, how well the people involved know each other, and what country the people are in or are from. In English you can say you to practically any person or group of people, whether you know them or not.

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Here is a short, upbeat video (featuring "Avengers" movie clips) about when/why to use tú and usted.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTwCoQaarhI

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I thought this was a great tool. It is a video and article on when to use tu or usted.

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The hardest concepts to grasp in a new language are the ones that don't have an equivalent in your native language. English doesn't have a difference between the formal and informal second-person singular pronoun ("you"), but certain languages, including Spanish, do. This just adds a little extra hurdle to your understanding. Fortunately, learning when to use tú and usted isn't too difficult, and a few guidelines will have you well on your way.

Using Usted

Usted is the formal "you." The plural is ustedes, which is used in both formal and informal situations. The object pronoun for usted is lo or la (used to simplify sentences like "I called you," so that l lamado a usted becomes l o llamado or l a llamado, depending on the gender of the person being addressed).

There are some obvious situations when usted is called for:

a child speaking to a parent

a student speaking to a teacher

a patient speaking to a doctor

a person speaking to a police officer

a person speaking to a prospective business partner

As these examples show, usted is a form of respect to others. And as a general rule, if you're unsure which to use, you should go with usted. It's much less of a faux pas to be a little more formal than to be not formal enough.

Conjugating Usted

Using Tú

Tú is the informal counterpart to usted. The plural of tú is vosotros and vosotras, but that's mainly used in Spain. The object pronoun for tú is te (used to simplify sentences like "I called you," so that ll amado a tú becomes t e llamado.).

There are a few situations where using tú is accepted no matter what:

an elder speaking to someone young

a person speaking to their pet

friends and family of roughly the same age speaking to one another

a person insulting another person

But tú can be tricky. You never want to make the mistake of calling someone tú when they expect more respect. When you're getting to know someone, it might be difficult to know when to make the switch from formal to informal. A good rule of thumb for the Spanish learner is to simply wait for the other person to start calling you tú. Assuming there's no power imbalance in the relationship (a teacher calling you tú is not permission to do the same to them), you should be good.

Spanish speakers, especially today, don't always go around addressing every stranger as usted, however. In some Latin American countries, strangers might even think it's a little odd for you to use usted when there's no clear power imbalance. As always, we err on the side of caution because the Spanish-speaking world is vast and cultures vary, but if you keep getting a tú in response to your usted, you might want to consider loosening up a bit.

Conjugating Tú

Recap Quiz

Think you know the basics of when to use tú and usted? See how you do on this quick quiz.

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Spanish Grammar: When To Use Tú And Usted

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The hardest concepts to grasp in a new language are the ones that don't have an equivalent in your native language. English doesn't have a difference between the formal and informal second-person singular pronoun ("you"), but certain languages, including Spanish, do. This just adds a little extra hurdle to your understanding.

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This website is very informative and goes into more depth on why you choose formal and informal registers.

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WHEN TO "TÚ" AND WHEN TO "USTED"

In Spanish there are two ways of saying "you": There's the informal form, tú and the more formal usted (often abbreviated as Ud.)

Whether you use tú or usted depends on a variety of different factors, but it can be a bit intimidating for English speakers used to addressing everybody as "you". Remember the basic difference is how intimate you are with the person.

Here are a few basic rules to help you avoid causing offence or embarrassment:

Use "usted" when...

The other person is older than you

The other person is in a position of authority (teacher, professor, boss, government official)

Use "tú" when...

Talking to family members or friends

Talking to someone the same age as you (who is not in a position of authority relative to you.)

When someone asks you to! (They might say "Puedes tutearme" - which means they give you permission to use tú. It usually happens because your relationship has gotten closer, or because the other person simply wants you to feel at ease.)

What difference does it make when speaking Spanish?

The form of "you" that you use will change your verb endings. When you're learning your conjugations you'll learn both the formal and informal forms.

See the differences between tú and usted in these examples.

Do you know where the house is?

Have a nice day!

Note: We've included the words tú and usted in the examples above, but it's very common for Spanish speakers to just leave them out. So make sure you pay attention to those verb endings!

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Formal vs. Informal "You" | Free Online Spanish Lessons

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In Spanish there are two ways of saying "you": There's the informal form, tú and the more formal usted (often abbreviated as Ud.) Whether you use tú or usted depends on a variety of different factors, but it can be a bit intimidating for English speakers used to addressing everybody as "you".

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Here's a great video in Spanish, which is clear and easy to understand.

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Hablar de TÚ👱🏼 o USTED 👴🏻 - ¿Cuándo se usa "TÚ" y cuándo se usa "USTED"?

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This blog is very helpful and straightforward.

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Get our free email course, Shortcut to Conversational.

Have conversations faster, understand people when they speak fast, and other tested tips to learn faster.

It's easy to see why the usted v tú is commonly confused by Spanish students.

Both pronouns in Spanish mean "you", whereas in English, we use "you" as a one-size-fits all, regardless of how you are speaking to.

The easiest way to remember the differences between both words is that usted is formal while tú is informal.

If you remember this rule, then you'll avoid confusing the two words, 90% of the time.

We should mention that while remembering this rule will help you, the use usted v tú as formal vs informalis more common in some Spanish speaking countries than others.

Generally, you don't need to worry about disrespecting somebody by using the wrong pronoun, especially as Spanish student, since locals will understand that you aren't speaking your native language.

Now with that little introduction out of the way, let's look at the differences between how usted v tú i s conjugated with the most commonly used Spanish verbs.

Conjugating Tú vs Usted

Let's review how to conjugate some basic verbs.

Now, let's review how usted v tú is used with reflexive pronouns and direct object pronouns.

Now, let's see some examples of formal v informal sentences based on using usted v tú.

¿ Usted es su mamá? - Are you her mom?

¿Tú eres su mamá? - Are you her mom?

¿ Quiere que lo/la despierte temprano? - Do you want me to wake you up early?

¿ Quieres que te despierte temprano? - Do you want me to wake you up early?

Hola, ¿Cómo está? ¿ En qué puedo ayudar lo/la? - Hello how are you? How can I help you?

Hola, ¿Cómo estás? ¿En qué puedo ayudar te? - Hello how are you? How can I help you?

¿ Se siente bien?- Do you feel good?

¿ Te sientes bien? - You feel good?

As you can see, the differences in conjugations are subtle, yet noticeable.

When To Use Tú

Below are the most common scenarios when you'll need to use the tú pronoun.
1) When there is a relationship of trust between people:
Use tú to talk with friends, family, coworkers, couple, classmates

I came early to help you with the project - Vine temprano para ayudarte con el proyecto

Mom, I'm going to invite you to lunch today - Mamá te voy a invitar a almorzar hoy

You told me you'd go to the party with me, don't leave me alone - Tu me dijiste que irías conmigo a la fiesta, no me dejes solo/a
2) When you talk to a stranger who is perceived to be of a similar age:
You can use tú to talk to waiters, waitresses, sellers, hotel receptionists, people on the street to ask for the time, etc whenever they appear to be a similar age to you, or younger.

Could you please bring me the menu? - ¿Por favor podrías traerme el menú?

Can you tell me the price of those pants? - ¿Puedes decirme el precio de ese pantalón?

Are you lost? If you want, I can go with you to the police station - ¿Estás perdido/a? Si quieres, yo puedo ir contigo hasta la estación de policía.
3) When you talk to children
To talk with children, always use the simplest vocabulary and always use tú.

Do you want to eat now or later? - ¿Quieres comer ahora o más tarde?

You have to do your homework - Tienes que hacer tu tarea

Call your grandmother and say thanks for the gift - Llama a tu abuela y da las gracias por el regalo
Sidenote: Remember that in Spanish, personal pronouns can be omitted, but conjugations must match.
When To Use Usted
1) To talk with older people:
It's common for some people to use usted with their in-laws in order to show respect.

You can also use it to talk to your friends' grandparents, or anyone older than you, whether you know them or not - it's simply a nice gesture of respect.

Do you want me to help you with dinner? - ¿Quiere que le ayudecon la cena?

You were very pretty as a young woman and still are - Usted era muy guapa de joven y aún sigue siéndolo

Could you tell me your last name to find your reservation? - ¿Podría decirme su apellido para buscar su reservación?
2) To talk to your boss or senior executives:
Whenever you talk with your boss, or a coworker who has a higher rank within the company, it is better that you use usted instead of tú.

Here are the documents you requested early - Aquí están los documentos que me solicitó temprano

Remember that your meeting starts in 15 minutes - Recuerde que su reunión comienza en 15 minutos

Do you want me to send someone to buy your lunch? - ¿Quiere que mande a alguien a comprar su almuerzo?

Don't want to use Usted? No problem, change it for Señor or Señora

For some people, using usted may seem a bit too formal or awkward.

In that case, you can show the same level of respect for the person you are speaking to by simply substituting usted for Señor (Sir, Mr.) or Señora (Lady, Mrs.) before the person's name.

The conjugation of the verb stays the same, as if you were using usted.

Good morning, Mr. Pablo - Buenos días, Señor Pablo

Good evening, Mrs. Patricia - Buenas noches, Señora Patricia

Mr. Francisco, how are you today? - ¿Cómo está hoy, Señor Francisco?

Have a nice day Mrs. Clara - Que tenga un buen día Señora Clara

Usted vs Tú: Some Final Examples

Before we wrap up this blog post, we'll leave you with a couple of final examples of common expressions that differ in conjugation depending on whether you choose to use usted vs tú.

Usted v Tú: Exercices

Choose the correct conjugation based on whether the sentence should be formal or informal.

1) No se _______ Señor (preocupe / preocupes).
Don't worry sir.
2) Puedo _______ con tu tarea (ayudarlo / ayudarte)
I can help you with your homework.
3) Bienvenido al hotel ¿Me _____ su apellido? (dices / dice).
Welcome to the hotel. Can you tell me your last name?
4) Ella es _____ nueva compañera de trabajo (tu / le).
She is your new coworker.
5) Tú _____ mucho trabajo atrasado(tienes/ tiene).
You have a lot of delayed work.
6) ¿Señora _____darme su pasaporte por favor? (puedes / puede)

Mam, Can you give me your passport please?

Answers

1. No se preocupe Señor

2. Puedo ayudarte con tu tarea

3. Bienvenido al hotel ¿Me dice su apellido?

4. Ella es tu nueva compañera de trabajo

5. Tú tienes mucho trabajo atrasado

6. Señora, ¿Puede darme su pasaporte por favor?

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Usted vs Tú: How To Avoid Confusing The Spanish "YOU"

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Have conversations faster, understand people when they speak fast, and other tested tips to learn faster. It's easy to see why the usted v tú is commonly confused by Spanish students. Both pronouns in Spanish mean "you", whereas in English, we use "you" as a one-size-fits all, regardless of how you are speaking to.

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I like to use SpanishDict.  It is simple to just type in Usted versus tú for examples and forms when conjugating.
https://spanishvip.com/grammar/tu-vs-usted/
Is great too because it gives great examples and goes into detail about when to use tú or use usted.

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Having a distinction between formality and informality is a very common characteristic in a language. In Spanish, tú and usted work just like that.

You may already know that Spanish has two different pronouns to refer to a second person, both in singular and plural, and they all translate as "you" in English. In this article, we are going to take a look at how to distinguish and use them properly.

The easiest way to remember the second person singular "you" in Spanish is that tú is used for informal treatment and usted for formal.

This can be applied to every Spanish-speaking country. Of course, depending on the region in Latin America, we can encounter the variation vos which is also considered as informal but the verbs used after it have a different conjugation.

"Tu vs usted" or "tú vs usted"?

You'll notice that a very important difference is the accent over the "u" in tú to talk about the pronoun. Without that accent the is considered a possessive adjective. That is: "tú" is "you" and "tu" is "your".

Spanish subject pronouns

Let's just have a quick review on the Spanish personal pronouns

Notice that the pronoun " vosotros" is only used in Spain. In Latin America, even native speakers will struggle if asked to conjugate a verb with this one.

⚡ Quick Tip

Verbs after usted, él, and ella are conjugated in the same way.

How to conjugate tú and usted

When you learn Spanish, you learn native Spanish speakers barely use the subject pronouns. The conjugation of the verb is what you must pay attention to. Let's get started with some of the most common verbs:

The informal pronoun is not related to . In the times of the Spanish colonization, indigenous population used the term "vuestra merced" to refer to members of the Spanish nobility which in English would translate to "your grace".

📙 FUN FACT...
In Colombia people use sumercé to talk to someone they don't know that well or they want to show respect to. They also use the formal usted to refer to someone more experienced.

is a pronoun that evolved from those times. In Latin American Spanish, vos can be found with a predominant status in:

Some other Spanish-speaking countries use tú and vos are:

And there are those which only use tú:

Even when we say is not related to , there are regional dialects that use a combination of those two. That is, using the pronoun with the verb being conjugated as . Examples of it can be heard in the Zulia state in Venezuela and the Azuero Peninsula in Panama.

No sabía que vos sois zurdo: I didn't know you are left-handed

On the other hand, is sometimes conjugated as in Chile. Don't worry, all native Spanish-speakers will totally understand if you conjugate everything with

When to use Tú or usted: formal vs informal

Use tú in the informal register

Use tú with friends and family: Although in some regions you may hear people using usted to call their parents, this is becoming less and less common. Also, people who are close to you deserve that friendly tú.

Tú me gustas: I like you.

Use tú to talk with young folks like you: it feels awkward to call someone your age usted. This may only happen if that person is not friendly or appears to be much older.

Use tú to talk with colleagues and classmates: people working or studying with you are people you see often and you most likely know a little.

Pedro, ¿tú tienes la tarea que mandó el profe hoy?: Pedro, do you have the homework the teacher sent today?

Trabajamos en la misma oficina, deberíamos conocernos mejor, ¿tú no crees?: We're working in the same office, we should get to know each other, don't you think?

Use tú address children and animals: It isn't an actual rule, it's just how it is. Don't you tell me you don't speak to your pets!

Carlitos, ¿tú quieres ganarte cinco dólares?: Carlitos, do you want to earn five dollars?

¿Quién es una buena chica? ¡Tú eres una buena chica!: Who's a good girl? You're a good girl!

And last but not least, you can use tú with insult s. There is not much to be said here, insults are informal and you mean to disrespect.

Use usted in the Formal Register

Use to refer to an older person with respect. Latin American societies are very respectful to their senior citizens, failing to do so may show lack of education. Older people might address young people using tú; although certain exceptions can be made: a teacher calling students in class to keep a professional distance, for example.

Use usted in general when addressing people in bureaucratic or administrative situations. You don't mean to disrespect in this kind of context.

Use usted for business: talking to your boss or to someone from another company. It shows professionalism. For example:

Use with people you don't know: the first time you address a person on the street, using shows you are being polite.

Another form for usted

Just as we can use and in some regions, it might have crossed your mind the possibility of expressing in another way as well.

We have already mentioned that was a valid colloquial option in Colombia. But in other spanish-speaking countries, is not used nor will it be understood.

To replace this formal pronoun, people would use or . When you call someone or , the other person will understand that a level of respect is meant. However, young women do not like being called not a bit.

From the Spanish formal "usted" to the informal "tú"

As described before, a young person using tú to refer to older people is odd and not well seen. If this happens, people may consider that the younger person has either bad manners or has a level of confidence already agreed with the elder.

This isn't something unusual, even in English, someone can request to not be called by using a formal title but to be treated on a first-name basis. Depending on the situation and the context, that could also be taken as flirting and it would be very common in Spanish. Pay attention to the details!

Remember, if you are not sure about what to go for with a person, use usted. It's safe and polite. People will ask you to call them by their first name - or like we say in Spanish, "tutear" - when they feel the time is appropriate to do so.

Tutear y ustedear

Tutear means addressing a person with the informal for the sake of trust or familiarity. If you have been knowing somebody for quite some time and you want to address them according to the new levels of confidence, you could ask: "¿Nos podemos tutear?"

Ustedear is not a common word but totally valid in Spanish. Native speakers prefer to say "tratar de usted", and that means giving or asking someone the treatment of respect with the formal pronoun .

Some examples with tú and usted

Ustedes and vosotros

Even when this article is not about these two, it is important to point out the difference given that they were shown at the beginning. It was already said that vosotros is only used in Spain and that people in Latin America know little about this verb conjugation.

Well, the same thing happens with . is used only in Latin America and the majority of Spaniards do not know how to conjugate with it. Both pronouns are not strictly formal, they can be used as the plural form of "you" as well.

Example:

In conclusion, these two mean the same but are used in different places.

The rest is up to you!

Listen carefully to how native people speak using both pronouns.Like it was said before, use usted if you are not so sure on how to treat someone. People will think you are being polite and that's never a bad thing.

Have fun trying to put this into practice, that's the only way to remember what you learned. If you don't have anyone to practice with, we invite you to try a free class or sign up for a free 7-day trial of our group classes. Try us out and see why thousands of students trust SpanishVIP!

Until next time!

Want to learn Spanish, fast?

Download our e-book, Easy Spanish Shortcuts, and learn your first 1,000 Spanish words in under a day!

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Tú vs Usted in Spanish: The Only Guide You'll Ever Need

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You may already know that Spanish has two different pronouns to refer to a second person, both in singular and plural, and they all translate as "you" in English. In this article, we are going to take a look at how to distinguish and use them properly.

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I have really liked the videos from this channel. I find it helpful because the hosts are a native Spanish speaker as well as a native English speaker who learned Spanish as an adult. They are able to offer to different, helpful perspective.

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When and How to Use Usted in Spanish [Tú vs Usted / Informal vs Formal]

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His videos explain topics very well. I find them easy to take notes from as well, which helps in class tremendously.

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TÚ vs. USTED (UD): When to use them in Spanish

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I liked this site because it gave some history of the different uses of 'you' ... also what country prefers what form ... Mary...

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Having a distinction between formality and informality is a very common characteristic in a language. In Spanish, tú and usted work just like that.

You may already know that Spanish has two different pronouns to refer to a second person, both in singular and plural, and they all translate as "you" in English. In this article, we are going to take a look at how to distinguish and use them properly.

The easiest way to remember the second person singular "you" in Spanish is that tú is used for informal treatment and usted for formal.

This can be applied to every Spanish-speaking country. Of course, depending on the region in Latin America, we can encounter the variation vos which is also considered as informal but the verbs used after it have a different conjugation.

"Tu vs usted" or "tú vs usted"?

You'll notice that a very important difference is the accent over the "u" in tú to talk about the pronoun. Without that accent the is considered a possessive adjective. That is: "tú" is "you" and "tu" is "your".

Spanish subject pronouns

Let's just have a quick review on the Spanish personal pronouns

Notice that the pronoun " vosotros" is only used in Spain. In Latin America, even native speakers will struggle if asked to conjugate a verb with this one.

⚡ Quick Tip

Verbs after usted, él, and ella are conjugated in the same way.

How to conjugate tú and usted

When you learn Spanish, you learn native Spanish speakers barely use the subject pronouns. The conjugation of the verb is what you must pay attention to. Let's get started with some of the most common verbs:

The informal pronoun is not related to . In the times of the Spanish colonization, indigenous population used the term "vuestra merced" to refer to members of the Spanish nobility which in English would translate to "your grace".

📙 FUN FACT...
In Colombia people use sumercé to talk to someone they don't know that well or they want to show respect to. They also use the formal usted to refer to someone more experienced.

is a pronoun that evolved from those times. In Latin American Spanish, vos can be found with a predominant status in:

Some other Spanish-speaking countries use tú and vos are:

And there are those which only use tú:

Even when we say is not related to , there are regional dialects that use a combination of those two. That is, using the pronoun with the verb being conjugated as . Examples of it can be heard in the Zulia state in Venezuela and the Azuero Peninsula in Panama.

No sabía que vos sois zurdo: I didn't know you are left-handed

On the other hand, is sometimes conjugated as in Chile. Don't worry, all native Spanish-speakers will totally understand if you conjugate everything with

When to use Tú or usted: formal vs informal

Use tú in the informal register

Use tú with friends and family: Although in some regions you may hear people using usted to call their parents, this is becoming less and less common. Also, people who are close to you deserve that friendly tú.

Tú me gustas: I like you.

Use tú to talk with young folks like you: it feels awkward to call someone your age usted. This may only happen if that person is not friendly or appears to be much older.

Use tú to talk with colleagues and classmates: people working or studying with you are people you see often and you most likely know a little.

Pedro, ¿tú tienes la tarea que mandó el profe hoy?: Pedro, do you have the homework the teacher sent today?

Trabajamos en la misma oficina, deberíamos conocernos mejor, ¿tú no crees?: We're working in the same office, we should get to know each other, don't you think?

Use tú address children and animals: It isn't an actual rule, it's just how it is. Don't you tell me you don't speak to your pets!

Carlitos, ¿tú quieres ganarte cinco dólares?: Carlitos, do you want to earn five dollars?

¿Quién es una buena chica? ¡Tú eres una buena chica!: Who's a good girl? You're a good girl!

And last but not least, you can use tú with insult s. There is not much to be said here, insults are informal and you mean to disrespect.

Use usted in the Formal Register

Use to refer to an older person with respect. Latin American societies are very respectful to their senior citizens, failing to do so may show lack of education. Older people might address young people using tú; although certain exceptions can be made: a teacher calling students in class to keep a professional distance, for example.

Use usted in general when addressing people in bureaucratic or administrative situations. You don't mean to disrespect in this kind of context.

Use usted for business: talking to your boss or to someone from another company. It shows professionalism. For example:

Use with people you don't know: the first time you address a person on the street, using shows you are being polite.

Another form for usted

Just as we can use and in some regions, it might have crossed your mind the possibility of expressing in another way as well.

We have already mentioned that was a valid colloquial option in Colombia. But in other spanish-speaking countries, is not used nor will it be understood.

To replace this formal pronoun, people would use or . When you call someone or , the other person will understand that a level of respect is meant. However, young women do not like being called not a bit.

From the Spanish formal "usted" to the informal "tú"

As described before, a young person using tú to refer to older people is odd and not well seen. If this happens, people may consider that the younger person has either bad manners or has a level of confidence already agreed with the elder.

This isn't something unusual, even in English, someone can request to not be called by using a formal title but to be treated on a first-name basis. Depending on the situation and the context, that could also be taken as flirting and it would be very common in Spanish. Pay attention to the details!

Remember, if you are not sure about what to go for with a person, use usted. It's safe and polite. People will ask you to call them by their first name - or like we say in Spanish, "tutear" - when they feel the time is appropriate to do so.

Tutear y ustedear

Tutear means addressing a person with the informal for the sake of trust or familiarity. If you have been knowing somebody for quite some time and you want to address them according to the new levels of confidence, you could ask: "¿Nos podemos tutear?"

Ustedear is not a common word but totally valid in Spanish. Native speakers prefer to say "tratar de usted", and that means giving or asking someone the treatment of respect with the formal pronoun .

Some examples with tú and usted

Ustedes and vosotros

Even when this article is not about these two, it is important to point out the difference given that they were shown at the beginning. It was already said that vosotros is only used in Spain and that people in Latin America know little about this verb conjugation.

Well, the same thing happens with . is used only in Latin America and the majority of Spaniards do not know how to conjugate with it. Both pronouns are not strictly formal, they can be used as the plural form of "you" as well.

Example:

In conclusion, these two mean the same but are used in different places.

The rest is up to you!

Listen carefully to how native people speak using both pronouns.Like it was said before, use usted if you are not so sure on how to treat someone. People will think you are being polite and that's never a bad thing.

Have fun trying to put this into practice, that's the only way to remember what you learned. If you don't have anyone to practice with, we invite you to try a free class or sign up for a free 7-day trial of our group classes. Try us out and see why thousands of students trust SpanishVIP!

Until next time!

Want to learn Spanish, fast?

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Tú vs Usted in Spanish: The Only Guide You'll Ever Need

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You may already know that Spanish has two different pronouns to refer to a second person, both in singular and plural, and they all translate as "you" in English. In this article, we are going to take a look at how to distinguish and use them properly.

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This YouTube video brakes down and explains the topic simple and the account has many other helpful videos. https://youtu.be/HuoFMsS1mko

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This website is a great tool and gives multiple examples of when to use each register and in what geographical context!
https://www.fluentu.com/blog/spanish/tu-and-usted/#:~:text=In%20Spain%2C%20the%20singular%20second,vosotros%20typically%20isn't%20used.

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I like this blog because it walks through how to form the formal or informal registers. It also has examples of how the words are used. There is also lots of other important information if you care to check it out.

https://www.fluentu.com/blog/spanish/spanish-commands/#:~:text=Usted%20commands%2C%20like%20t%C3%BA%20commands,the%20school%20where%20I%20work.

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I enjoyed this short video because it was very straight forward and easy to understand how we use Usted or Tú. This is one of the easier things for me to remember because it is simply, formal or informal. The website study.com has a lot more helpful videos and lessons for Spanish as well, I highly recommend taking a look at it if you have extra time or are having a hard time with certain areas.

https://www.youtube.com/watch/HuoFMsS1mko

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This is a great blog post discussing the nuances of how the Spanish dialect evolved over time, and it nicely explains how speakers in Spain use both forms of vosotros & ustedes.

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We are frequently asked about the differences between the Spanish spoken in Spain and the Spanish of Latin America. While there are distinctions between the varieties of Spanish, the first thing to make clear is that Spanish speakers can all understand each other, whether in Cadiz or Cusco, Salamanca or Santo Domingo. It's like an American speaking English with a Brit and an Australian... normally no problem at all.

This said, there are some differences between the Spanish of Spain and the Spanish spoken in Latin America. There are also differences between the types of Spanish spoken in different parts of Latin America. And in different parts of Spain!

For a start, what is the language called? In Latin America, it is normal to call it castellano (Castilian, after the Castile region) as opposed to español (Spanish). This is also true in parts of Spain, where regional languages such as Galician and Catalan are official languages that could also be labelled "Spanish".

Why are there differences?

When Spanish colonisers travelled the world to spread the word of god and take precious metals in return, they brought with them a language that was in the process of changing back at home.

A linguist called Marckwardt came up with the term "colonial lag" to describe a situation where the language spoken in colonies does not keep up with innovations in the language in its country of origin. An example in English would be the use of fall in the USA and autumn in Britain; when British colonisers went to America, fall was more common than the Latin version in British English. The older, Germanic word fall later became obsolete in Britain but has remained in common use in the USA. This process happens with vocabulary but also with grammar.

Later on, immigrant groups from different parts of Europe brought linguistic traditions with them to Latin America. In turn, these groups met different local linguistic traditions, creating variations in local dialects.

Voseo

When the Spanish colonies were founded by different groups, they took with them the Spanish that was spoken in Spain at that time, along with elements of their local dialects. The Spanish spoken in the colonies then started to develop in slightly different directions as there was limited communication with Spain (telephones were still hundreds of years away). Some elements of older Spanish were kept, others dropped.

One of the clearest examples of that process is the use of vos, primarily in Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay. Originally a second-person plural, vos came to be used as a more polite second-person singular pronoun to be used among one's familiar friends. It was commonly used in Spanish when the language reached the southern cone of the Americas. It fell out of use in Spain but stayed in Rioplatense Spanish. Nowadays, just like 150 years ago, at a bustling Buenos Aires cafe, you are much more likely to be asked "de donde sos?" than " de donde eres?"

The use of vos and its distinct conjugation now appears to be growing in parts of Latin America where it had previously been used by minority groups, such as Bolivia, Chile, Nicaragua and Costa Rica.

Importantly, people will understand you all over the world if you use tú or vos.

Ustedes

Latin American varieties of Spanish do not use vosotros (you, plural, informal), preferring the formal ustedes. This means that learners in Spain have to remember another verb ending.

For example, in Spain you may say Cuál fue la última pelicula que visteis? (what was the last film you saw?) to your friends, but you would probably say Cuál fue la última pelicula que vieron? to their grandparents. In Latin America, you would use the second form for both.

Ustedes is also used in the Canary Islands; only the Balearics and mainland Spain use vosotros. If you only use the Latin American form, you will be understood perfectly well in Spain. In fact, people will probably just consider you polite!

Vocabulary

The vast majority of Spanish words are universal, but some are not. Some examples include teléfono móvil / celular and ordenador / computadora, with the second of each pair being the Latin American form. There are also many more words that vary between dialects. For example, a pen is boligrafo in Spain but lápiz pasta in Chile, lapicera in Argentina and so on. Here is a great video by two Colombian brothers about the different words you will find around the Spanish-speaking world:

Overall, the differences in vocabulary are no greater than those between British and American English.

A word of caution at this point. In Spain, the verb coger (to catch) is used all the time, not just to mean catching, but also grabbing or fetching. For example, coger al toro por los cuernos, literally, " to take the bull by the horns". In Latin America, coger is a slang term used extensively to describe, ahem, the act of love.

Pronunciation

The largest differences in Spanish are in pronunciation, but even these aren't so big. For example, in many parts of Central America, s isn't always pronounced and some other syllables can go missing. In Argentina, the double-l that is usually pronounced like the y in yellow is pronounced like the s in measure.

Perhaps the most notable difference between pronunciation in Spain and Latin America is the "lisp" (although it is not technically a lisp) that is common in Madrid and some other parts of Spain. Legend has it that this pronunciation started with King Ferdinand, whose lisp was copied by the Spanish nobility. As is often the case, legend is probably wrong; the pronunciation is more likely to have come from sounds that existed in medieval Castilian, although that doesn't explain why it didn't make it to the colonies. Not all innovations in language are logical; see our post on English spelling for more about that.

You will inevitably soak up the local accent wherever you choose to learn Spanish but this will not stop you communicating with all Spanish speakers. Everyone has an accent when they speak and there is no "better" or "worse" accent. If you do pick up a distinctive accent when you learn a language, whether Spanish or any other, it is a part of who you are and your personal experiences. It can also be a good ice-breaker on your travels.

Should you learn Spanish in Spain or Latin American Spanish?

Some people say that Colombian Spanish is the clearest and most beautiful form of the language. Some say that Argentine Spanish is the sexiest Spanish. Others believe that the Spanish of Madrid is the most important, as that is the home of the Real Academia Española which regulates the language.

But it shouldn't be a question of Spanish vs Latin American Spanish. When choosing where to learn Spanish, focus instead on where you would rather be, what kind of adventure you would like to have and, naturally, your budget. Rest assured, whatever variety of Spanish you learn, you will be understood all over the Spanish-speaking world.
Spanish courses around the world

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The differences between Latin American Spanish and Spanish in Spain - ESL language studies abroad

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We are frequently asked about the differences between the Spanish spoken in Spain and the Spanish of Latin America. While there are distinctions between the varieties of Spanish, the first thing to make clear is that Spanish speakers can all understand each other, whether in Cadiz or Cusco, Salamanca or Santo Domingo.

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I found this article very helpful, it includes a lot of good information and even a little bit of humor!
https://www.grittyspanish.com/2018/10/28/tu-vs-usted/#:~:text=Usted%20is%20the%20more%20formal,of%20the%20word%20%E2%80%9Cyou%E2%80%9D.

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I think this one is very good. It's a fun cartoon, so it was entertaining to watch.

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Spanish Formal and Informal Lesson 4 - Spanish Wizards

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Here is a website that has a video and an explanation of how and when to use formal or informal "you" in Spanish.

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Here's an easy trivia question: How many fingers do you have on your left hand?

That's how many ways there are to say "you" in Spanish!

You can say tú, usted, ustedes, vos or vosotros.

And they all mean the same thing: You!

So what's the difference? What's the point of having five different ways to say the same thing?

Ah, that's the catch: All those words might mean "you," but they're all slightly different. Which pronoun you use depends entirely on the situation.

Don't worry! We're here to clear things up.

In this post, we'll take a closer look into every way to say "you" in Spanish, and we'll learn when to properly use each one.

How to Determine Which Spanish Form of "You" to Use

The idea of multiple ways to say "you" might be a strange concept for English-speakers. After all, we only have the one lonely "you," which we use for, well, basically everything. So a class about how to say "you" in English would be pretty short: It's "you." Next lesson!

But in Spanish, there are five words that mean "you," and the differences between them aren't minor. Each word has a specific function in the language, and they're often not interchangeable. Which form you use depends on:

The number of people you're talking to

The specific dialect you're speaking

The formality (or informality) of the situation

So when choosing which "you" to use, you'll have to keep in mind whether you're talking to one person or to many, whether you're in Spain, Mexico or some other Spanish-speaking country and whether you're addressing friends, acquaintances or people of a higher social status than you.

The first two are fairly straightforward, but the last one seems to have a lot of wiggle room. How do you know if a situation is formal or informal? Here are some guidelines to help you decide:

If you're having difficulty determining the most appropriate word to use, err on the side of caution and use the more formal version.

Still not sure? Try the "High-Five Test." It's a quick imagination exercise which helps determine whether the situation is formal or not. Look into your mind's eye and imagine giving the other person a high five, out of nowhere. Just put it there and slap that hand.

How did that feel in your head? Did the other person even meet your palm? Or did he think you were going to strike him and protected himself instead?

Did it feel weird? Or totally normal?

If you can imagine high-fiving the other person without the least bit of awkwardness, then you can talk to them informally. If not, then it's probably best to address them formally.

Two Important Things to Remember About "You" in Spanish

Zeroing in on the correct "you" form is crucial to being understood and not offending anyone. Here are two more really important facts to remember about these pronouns:

Different forms of "you" have different verb conjugations.

For example, the common expression "Have a nice day!" will be different depending on whether you're using tú (informal) or usted (formal):
¡Que tú tengas un buen día!
They both mean the same thing, but the accompanying verb forms depend on which "you" is being used in the sentence.

(Note: For discussion purposes, notice that we don't drop the "you." Many Spanish speakers often simply drop the pronoun altogether. So instead of saying, "Tú tienes suerte" [You are lucky], they simply say, "Tienes suerte," which means the same thing.)

We all know that verb conjugation is a rich field, and luckily, there are plenty of available resources online for learning the ins and outs of it:

Learn the basics of Spanish verb conjugation with FluentU.

For a quick conjugation cheat sheet, click the "Infographic" tab over at Spanish 411.

And for the whole shebang, Spanishdict has an excellent verb conjugator. Just type your verb, press "Enter" and you get the verb's different conjugations in every tense that you can possibly imagine.

The "you" forms change depending on their function in the sentence.

Remember when I said earlier that there are five "you" forms in Spanish? Well, that's the case when "you" is the subject of a sentence.

But as a pronoun, "you" can be placed at different points in a sentence and can function as a direct object, indirect object, the object of a preposition, etc. It's pretty versatile!

In English, this doesn't really matter because "you" is "you" is "you"-regardless of its function in the sentence:

You (subject) are beautiful.

The car hit you (direct object) at 90 mph.

Jake sent you (indirect object) flowers.

In Spanish, though, each of these situations calls for a specific form of the "you."

Let's take tú for example. It changes into te when it's used as an indirect or direct object and into ti when used as an object of the preposition:

Alguien te mandó flores para tu cumpleaños. (Someone sent you flowers for your birthday.)

Este flor es para ti. (This flower is for you.)

So the tú is actually a shapeshifter and changes depending on its function in the sentence. And this goes for the other four forms as well-usted, ustedes, vos, vosotros.

IPFW has a great chart to help you see what these change into when they take on different functions in a sentence. This is just something you need to remember, so study that chart!

To help you memorize which form is used in which situation, try hearing the words in use on FluentU takes real-world videos -like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks-and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.

The immersive, entertaining content makes grammar and vocabulary much more memorable, so give it a try if you're struggling to wrap your mind around the grammar of things.

That said, let's look into each of the five forms of "you" in Spanish and learn when to properly unleash them.

Tú (Singular, Informal)

Tú is used when you're referring to a single person and they're somebody you're familiar with -a friend, a family member, a colleague, somebody younger than you or someone your own age.

If the other person's seen you finish off a plate of spaghetti with your face, or if you're talking to your cousin who borrowed and never returned your "Back to the Future" DVDs, you can safely refer to them as tú.

You can also use tú with pets, like when you say, "Tú eres mi vida" (You are my life) to your clueless cat.

Tú is warm and engaging. It's universally recognized in the Spanish-speaking world: Wherever you are, you can use it when talking to an individual you're close with.

Oh, and don't forget the accent mark on top of the u. It's not there to make the word look more exotic. without the accent mark means "your"... as in, "Your DVDs aren't coming back."

Usted (Singular, Formal)

Usted is singular, like tú, which means it's used when you're talking to just one person. The difference is that usted is more formal than tú.

Use usted as a sign of deference to people of a higher social status than you-your boss, elder members of your family, a government official, a teacher or a doctor (in other words, any person you respect and/or really wouldn't want to upset).

Usted is a fusion of the old phrase "vuestra merced," which was used to address superiors in the 15 th and 16 th centuries. It means "your mercy" or "your grace."

Usted can be used and is understood in most of the Spanish-speaking world.

Remember when I said to always err on the side of politeness? When you're initially meeting a person, use usted. Say:

¿Cómo se llama usted? (What is your name?)

It's better to start with usted than to assume familiarity and later have to walk back your tú.

If the other person thinks you're being too formal, he'll let you know by saying "Puedes tutearme," which means you can use the tú form with them. It's like your boss telling you, "Just call me John" after you've been "Mr. Smith-ing" his ears off.

Vos (Singular, Formal and Informal)

Here's where things get fun. In some regions, instead of differentiating between tú and usted, speakers simply use vos when addressing an individual. Vos used to only replace tú but it's increasingly becoming accepted as a replacement for usted as well.

or the use of vos, is used mainly in Latin America, in countries like Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay and some parts of Chile and Central America.

One glaring exception for using vos is Spain, which doesn't use the form. They think they're too cool for it. (Kidding!)

Happy Hour Spanish has a map of countries in South America that employ vos. But honestly, the geographic distribution isn't at all that tidy. It's very difficult to pinpoint exactly which places use it because even in a single country, a region may be using vos and just a few miles north, up the mountain or down the valley, you might hear tú in conversation instead.

Remember that which form you use will change the verb's conjugation. With tú, you'd say "Tú eres..." ("You are..."). With vos, you say "Vos sos...", as in:

Vos sos muy bella. (You are very beautiful.)

Vosotros (Plural, Informal)

Vosotros is used to informally address a group of people. It's the "you" in plural form, like the "y'all" of a Texan drawl.

For example:

He preparado un pastel para vosotros. (I have baked a cake for you all.)

If the group you're addressing is composed of women, it becomes vosotras. If you're addressing a mixed or entirely male group, the masculine form, vosotros, is used.

Spain may not use vos, but it definitely uses vosotros. This time, it's practically the only country that uses it.

Remember that although the different Spanish-speaking countries basically understand each other, it's important to know beforehand which type of Spanish you specifically want to learn.

There are differences between dialects, regions and countries. So think of the people you'll likely be conversing with in the future. Will they be from Spain, Mexico or South America? Plan your studies accordingly.

You can get an online tutor from the area, for example. You'll not only learn the nuances from the region, you'll also learn the most appropriate idioms, slang and insights into the culture.

Ustedes (Plural, Formal and Informal)

In Spain, they use vosotros for informal situations and ustedes for more formal ones. But because Latin American countries don't use vosotros, they just say ustedes for both formal and informal interactions with groups of people.

Ustedes is for when you're addressing two or more people, as in:

¿Quieren ustedes ir a la playa? (Do you guys want to go to the beach?)

Which, in landlocked countries like Paraguay and Bolivia, is akin to asking, "Do you want to go abroad?" It all just goes to show you: Context is everything!

Now you know five different ways to say "you" in Spanish! The Spanish language is rich like that. But don't worry if it takes time to get the hang of the nuances. With practice, you'll eventually get there.

Best of luck to you!

If you liked this post, something tells me that you'll love FluentU, the best way to learn Spanish with real-world videos.
Experience Spanish immersion online!

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All About You: 5 Ways to Say "You" in Spanish and How to Use Each Correctly

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Here's an easy trivia question: How many fingers do you have on your left hand?That's how many ways there are to say "you" in Spanish!You can say tú, usted, ustedes, vos or vosotros.And they all mean the same thing: You!So what's the difference? What's the point of having five differ

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This is only a two minute video that I think sums up the basics of which one to use; Tú or Usted. It doesn't give too much information, but it's cool because it looks like it was a live class that was recorded and put onto YouTube. And the guy in the intro has a lot of energy. So he gets you into it.

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Usted vs Tú in Spanish: What's the Difference?

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I liked how this site laid things out in a clear fashion.

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Knowing When to Use the Spanish Tú and Usted

Spanish speakers use tú (too) and usted (oos-), which both mean "you," to convey the formality of a relationship. Tú is less formal than usted.

You use tú when you're talking to someone of the same age, the same rank, or the same educational level. You can also use it when you want to express a certain level of intimacy with someone. Most adults address children using tú.

U sted signifies a more respectful way of talking to someone, such as a new acquaintance, an older person, or someone you consider to be of higher rank.

At some point in a relationship between people who speak Spanish, a shift occurs from the formal usted to the more informal and intimate tú. At this point, they use the word tú when addressing each other. In Spanish, we call this tutearse (too-teh-seh), that is, "to talk tú." On the other hand, if you don't want to have a closer, more intimate relationship with someone, or if you want to keep the relationship more professional and less chummy, you should stick to calling that person usted.

Following are some examples of sentences that use tú and usted:

When people in Spain want to address a group of people, they use the word vosotros (bvoh--trohs), which is the informal "you" in the plural. Spanish-speaking Americans almost never use vosotros.

One of the main differences between the Spain Spanish way of addressing several people and the Spanish-speaking American one is that in Spanish America, people say ustedes (meaning "you," in the plural - but "they" in conjugation). This ustedes can be a formal way of addressing two or more people, or it can be very informal. The situation dictates the difference. Here are some examples:

In written texts, you will find the words usted and ustedes in their abbreviated forms ( Ud. for usted, and Uds. for ustedes). When you read these abbreviations aloud, you say the whole word.

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Knowing When to Use the Spanish Tú and Usted - dummies

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Spanish speakers use tú (too) and usted (oos-tehd), which both mean "you," to convey the formality of a relationship. Tú is less formal than usted. You use tú when you're talking to someone of the same age, the same rank, or the same educational level.

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I really like this video because it uses both Spanish and English. I also like it because she talks slowly in Spanish but uses an immersive method for teaching the language.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-S7TBbADHYA

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https://www.thespanishexperiment.com/learn-spanish/formal-informal

I found this link super helpful for learning about formal and informal registers! Not only does it include good descriptions but it also has audio examples and some more lessons on basics such as greetings.

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Did you know the United States now has more Spanish-speaking residents than all of Spain? It's true! The US now ranks second in the world, right after Mexico. With the language so common across the country, it's a great idea to learn the new American language.

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https://www.grittyspanish.com/2018/10/28/tu-vs-usted/#:~:text=T%C3%BA%20and%20usted%20are%20both,T%C3%BA%20is%20informal.
Here is a great resource I found helpful. It gives examples and certain situations on when to use the formal or informal registers.

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I liked this video because at the beginning the host talks you through "vosotros" vs "ustedes" and gives examples of when you would use "vosotros" in Spain. Then he goes and asks questions to Spaniards so the viewer can hear how vosotros is used in context.

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Learn the difference between VOSOTROS and USTEDES — Spanish basic phrases | Super Easy S. 28

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This is a funny video to help! She seems to hit American and Latin humor well. This really nailed it for me.

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Tu, Vos or Usted? It's Complicated - Joanna Rants

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I think this article is very helpful when learning when/where/how to use "usted vs. tú" because it gives you different scenarios.
https://www.spanishdict.com/answers/193590/when-do-i-use-usted-ustedes-tu-vosotros-its-confusing-to-me

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Just some general information on when to use formal and informal registers depending on the situation. I also found this comment interesting, "Language usage fluctuates and changes constantly. What doesn’t change, however, are the verbal endings."

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Most American students of Spanish never hear the subject pronoun vosotros until they have a teacher from Spain. Until then, students learn the ustedes form. Both, vosotros and ustedes, are used to address a group of two or more people directly in an informal setting. In American English they are the equivalent of you guys or the form y 'all used in the south of the U.S.

While you are more likely to encounter a Spanish speaker from Latin America than one from Spain, it is important to be familiar with vosotros as well. If you travel to Spain, you will hear vosotros ALL THE TIME except in the Canary Islands and in some parts of Andalusia.

Maybe in Spain we use vosotros so much because we have a quite relaxed way of treating each other. Young people, for example, only use ustedes with older people when the situation is formal; once a situation becomes more informal because people get acquainted (student/teacher) everybody may use vosotros. Age is an indicator to take into account; older people use vosotros with younger individuals. For example, radio and television hosts use ustedes when talking to a mature audience, but vosotros if the audience is young. A pop artist would use vosotros to talk to his or her young public, but an opera singer would prefer ustedes. In stores and restaurants young customers are addressed with the vosotros form. I will conclude by saying that if you are older, you can use vosotros with everybody except in formal situations; and if you are young, you should use ustedes to stay safe; the adults will tell you when you can transfer to vosotros.

That said, as the Spanish saying goes: No pongo la mano en el fuego - I don't put my hand on the fire - for this explanation. There is no definitive rule. Language usage fluctuates and changes constantly. What doesn't change, however, are the verbal endings. Here you have the most common tenses in the vosotros form of regular verbs in the -ar, -er and -ir families.
VOSOTROS FORMS OF REGULAR VERBS HABLAR (TO TALK), CORRER (TO RUN) AND ESCRIBIR (TO WRITE)
PRESENT: hablÁIS, corrÉIS, escribÍS

PRESENT PERFECT: habÉIS hablado, habÉIS corrido, habÉIS escrito

PRETERIT: hablASTEIS, corrISTEIS, escribISTEIS

IMPERFECT: hablABAIS, corrÍAIS, escribÍAIS

FUTURE: hablarÉIS, correrÉIS, escribirÉIS

PRESENT SUBJUNTIVE: hablÉIS, corrÁIS, escribÁIS

IMPERFECT SUBJUNTIVE: hablARAIS, corrIERAIS, escribIERAIS

COMMAND: hablAD, corrED, escribID

As you know, irregulars require individual attention, they have special needs, so we will deal with them in a future post. And now I will use vosotros as I sign off: Espero que estudiéis mucho español esta semana. I hope that you (guys) study a lot of Spanish this week.

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Most American students of Spanish never hear the subject pronoun vosotros until they have a teacher from Spain. Until then, students learn the ustedes form. Both, vosotros and ustedes, are used to address a group of two or more people ... Continue reading →

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I found this site pretty simple to break down the difference between tú and usted and easy to understand.

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Knowing When to Use the Spanish Tú and Usted

Spanish speakers use tú (too) and usted (oos-), which both mean "you," to convey the formality of a relationship. Tú is less formal than usted.

You use tú when you're talking to someone of the same age, the same rank, or the same educational level. You can also use it when you want to express a certain level of intimacy with someone. Most adults address children using tú.

U sted signifies a more respectful way of talking to someone, such as a new acquaintance, an older person, or someone you consider to be of higher rank.

At some point in a relationship between people who speak Spanish, a shift occurs from the formal usted to the more informal and intimate tú. At this point, they use the word tú when addressing each other. In Spanish, we call this tutearse (too-teh-seh), that is, "to talk tú." On the other hand, if you don't want to have a closer, more intimate relationship with someone, or if you want to keep the relationship more professional and less chummy, you should stick to calling that person usted.

Following are some examples of sentences that use tú and usted:

When people in Spain want to address a group of people, they use the word vosotros (bvoh--trohs), which is the informal "you" in the plural. Spanish-speaking Americans almost never use vosotros.

One of the main differences between the Spain Spanish way of addressing several people and the Spanish-speaking American one is that in Spanish America, people say ustedes (meaning "you," in the plural - but "they" in conjugation). This ustedes can be a formal way of addressing two or more people, or it can be very informal. The situation dictates the difference. Here are some examples:

In written texts, you will find the words usted and ustedes in their abbreviated forms ( Ud. for usted, and Uds. for ustedes). When you read these abbreviations aloud, you say the whole word.

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Knowing When to Use the Spanish Tú and Usted - dummies

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Spanish speakers use tú (too) and usted (oos-tehd), which both mean "you," to convey the formality of a relationship. Tú is less formal than usted. You use tú when you're talking to someone of the same age, the same rank, or the same educational level.

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I am a visual learner, so I think this video does a good job of explaining the differences. What I also like about this video is it starts in English then goes entirely into Spanish, but before they tell you to turn on the caption. I always find captions extremely helpful. I think it is the best way that I learn; to hear and see the Spanish at the same time.

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The Formal and Informal You in Spanish || ¿Tú, usted or vos?

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This site explains not only when to use formal vs informal, but also adds when to use vosotros vs usteded when taloking to a group, or about a group. Super helpful link. Happy learning!
https://studyspanish.com/grammar/lessons/subpro

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WHEN TO "TÚ" AND WHEN TO "USTED"

In Spanish there are two ways of saying "you": There's the informal form, tú and the more formal usted (often abbreviated as Ud.)

Whether you use tú or usted depends on a variety of different factors, but it can be a bit intimidating for English speakers used to addressing everybody as "you". Remember the basic difference is how intimate you are with the person.

Here are a few basic rules to help you avoid causing offence or embarrassment:

Use "usted" when...

The other person is older than you

The other person is in a position of authority (teacher, professor, boss, government official)

Use "tú" when...

Talking to family members or friends

Talking to someone the same age as you (who is not in a position of authority relative to you.)

When someone asks you to! (They might say "Puedes tutearme" - which means they give you permission to use tú. It usually happens because your relationship has gotten closer, or because the other person simply wants you to feel at ease.)

What difference does it make when speaking Spanish?

The form of "you" that you use will change your verb endings. When you're learning your conjugations you'll learn both the formal and informal forms.

See the differences between tú and usted in these examples.

Do you know where the house is?

Have a nice day!

Note: We've included the words tú and usted in the examples above, but it's very common for Spanish speakers to just leave them out. So make sure you pay attention to those verb endings!

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Formal vs. Informal "You" | Free Online Spanish Lessons

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In Spanish there are two ways of saying "you": There's the informal form, tú and the more formal usted (often abbreviated as Ud.) Whether you use tú or usted depends on a variety of different factors, but it can be a bit intimidating for English speakers used to addressing everybody as "you".

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This good site for learning the difference between the two because it has very simple explanations and examples. Then it gives you simple quizzes to check your comprehension!

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Tú vs Usted (informal vs formal) : Spanish language lesson

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In Español peninsular, unlike in English, we have two personal pronouns for "you" singular: tú and We use tú to say "you" informally, i.e when talking to a friend, a person we know well, a child, and young people in general. For example: All these above are informal situations where the speakers know each other well.

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I found this to be a nice quick break down of

¿Tú o Usted? if you don't have a lot of time.

https://www.livinglanguage.com/community/discussion/81/tu-o-usted-usted-o-tu

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I find the study Spanish site to be very helpful with explanations, examples and practice exams.

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Chuck S. Wilmington, DE

I teach at a school with a significant Latino population and the Camino del éxito program has empowered me to communicate quite well with parents. This is both satisfying for me and reassuring for them. Through regular listening and practicing (often on my way to and from school) I grow more assured of my fluency. The online program is terrific because it provides a solid way of mastering concepts through an abundance of practice. This program was well thought-out. And because of that, it works!

Joseph G Cape Coral, FL

I work in the medical field and it's unbelievable how many people come into the emergency room that don't speak English.
I have a 40 mile drive to work and I take that time to listen to the Camino del exito cds. In my downtime, (I work nights) I log on to studyspanish.com and do exercises. We have a strict Internet policy at work but my supervisor gave me permission because she knows learning Spanish enables me to do a better job explaining procedures to the patients.

Please send comments or report errors by clicking here.

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Learn Spanish Online at StudySpanish.com

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If you want to learn to speak Spanish, you've come to the right place. With our Spanish course you will learn to speak Spanish conversationally, while making the most of your time. Learn more Do you already know some Spanish? Intermediate speakers usually have the same problems. Our Spanish lessons can help!

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zaGfF34amRo
This video is funny, mind the cuss words!

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Tu, Vos or Usted? It's Complicated - Joanna Rants

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This forum helps look at this question from the perspective of different origin Spanish speakers.

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What's the difference between "usted" and "tu", if they both mean "you"?

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This page goes into depth regarding each subject pronoun and provides examples in both English and Spanish. It is very clear. https://www.spanish411.net/Spanish-Subject-Pronouns.asp

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I found this video on YouTube that provides a clear explanation as to when addressing someone in an informal and formal way. They also give a lot of examples: friends, siblings, parents, boss, people you just met, etc. When in doubt, use usted! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZUhtgF4-nQ

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When and How to Use Usted in Spanish [Tú vs Usted / Informal vs Formal]

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I like this blog. She very simply explains the differences related to informal and formal and related to regions of Spanish speaking countries.
https://www.spanishmarks.com/blog/29-tu-vos-usted-ustedes-vosotros

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I like this video people it is SUPER simple. I was getting quite overwhelmed previously, but this really broke it down so even I could understand it!

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This website is helpful by going through each of the formal or informal registers and gives examples of when to use each .

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Although not as prominent as in Japanese, Spanish does have an interesting world of formalities. As a language learner, it is important that you are clear on what those formalities are. Let's keep it simple. There is a formal and informal way to address someone in Spanish. The option you use will be determined by a number of factors, including: your relationship to that person, your age, and the other person's age. If you are interacting with the person in a work setting, your position will also play a role.

If you are addressing one person only, your options will be to use the subject pronouns or . Although you might hear on your travels, you will never actually use it. More on this later. If you are addressing a group of people, you will use or ustedes.

Let's start with the use of the subject pronouns in the singular form.
Tú
is the informal, second-person singular subject pronoun. The use of this pronoun is known as and should be used to address:

Parents, aunts, uncles, and grandparents are referred to formal or informally based on the country and on a family-by-family basis. In my Dominican family, for example, we have a very pronounced hierarchy where the parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles must always be shown a high level of respect. Therefore, applies to all of them. Although it can seem odd to you that children use with their parents (I do this with mine!), this in no way reflects the level of love and connection between parents and their children. This is also different in the United States, where the younger generations have more informal ways of addressing their parents and generally use
Usted

your elders

your doctor

colleagues, but this depends on the country, the company culture, and the position of each individual

strangers, generally older than you are

anyone you are providing a service to

A store clerk, for example, should use with the customer. When travelling abroad, you should use with a stranger to whom you are asking directions and who also happens to be older than you. However, please make sure not to offend anyone who is young but perhaps at a crucial age where they are suddenly going from to

In terms of the conjugation, is conjugated the same way as third person singular subject pronouns.
Is it reciprocal?
Not quite. A 60-year-old woman will probably use with a 30-year-old, but the latter cannot use with the older woman. An executive use with his assistant, but the assistant should use with him. Someone who is providing a service to you should use with you. Out of courtesy, you can use with that person-a waiter at a restaurant, for example-but this is not entirely necessary.
"Tutéame"
Most relationships are not as equal as one can hope them to be. In Spanish, there is generally a person who is shown the most respect. Perhaps it's your mother-in-law, your teacher or an acquaintance. Perhaps it is because they are older, wiser, or someone you really admire. Whatever the case is, never start with if you should be using . That is not your call. Also note that in some scenarios, it is not possible to use such as in a hospital or a company with a standard protocol. If that person wants and bring down the formality they will say "Tutéame." They might even like they are offended that you didn't start out with . The minute a person says "Tutéame," agree to it by simply saying or "Perfecto," and drop the form immediately. That person has the say. Listen to them.

I use the French version of , with my French teachers. None of them have ever asked that I drop I, on the hand, do not allow my clients or students to use with me. I'm interested in creating equal partnership and very strong bonds with my clients and students. I feel is appropriate because it allows them to see that what they provide for me is very important too, and that we are equals. Not all your Spanish teachers will be like this, however.

For those of you who were wondering, I'm sorry to say that unlike (the use of el tú) Spanish does not have a noun to refer to the use of And it certainly does not have a word to tell someone to use with them instead of , which I've never heard of occurring and hope never to see!

The use of , known as , is another form of used in many regions of Latin America, such as Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, and Colombia. In many countries, it is part of colloquial talk, while in others it is used in writing, publicity, and by the media. Vos is no longer used in the following countries:

Because is considered the standard way to address someone informally in second person singular, and because of the variety of uses of , language teachers do not teach to their students.

is second person plural. In other words, it is the plural version of . It is used all over Latin America. is the same as , but it is only used in Spain. In very formal settings, Spaniards use instead of vosotros.
What you should be learning
I recommend you focus on the use of and when you first start . Most universities and language schools in the United States will also teach , but you will only need it if you travel to Spain, and even then, you will most likely only hear it, but will not need to use it. Keep in mind that in Spain, people address one another more informally than in Latin America, so you will also hear more often.

Irma Cedeno

Irma is an educator, linguist, creativity expert, cultural competence strategist, and the founder of Diáfano, a company responsible for designing and implementing Spanish classes and programs at corporations. From universities and top US institutes to Fortune 500 companies, Irma has been an integral part of language learning and cultural competence training. After travelling to 40+ countries (and counting!) and over 10 years of working in education, she developed and honed her methodology in 2013. The Diáfano Method is student-centered methodology that breaks down language learning into clear and simple steps.
Irma grew up bilingual and is a proud learner of French, Italian, Portuguese, and Japanese. Check her out at www.diafanomethod.com.

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Formality in Spanish: Tú, Usted, Vos, Vosotros, and Ustedes | Diáfano

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Although not as prominent as in Japanese, Spanish does have an interesting world of formalities. As a language learner, it is important that you are clear on what those formalities are. Let's keep it simple. There is a formal and

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Part of why I'm trying to learn Spanish is so that I can communicate better with some of my Guatemalan family members, but Guatemala has slightly different expectations when it comes to formality, including use of the "vos." Here's a video to learn about formality as it pertains to Guatemala.

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Formas de tratamiento en Guatemala: usted, tú y vos.

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I found this youtube video helpful for a quick refresher on when to use Usted and when to use Tu.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRYJ65Bit04

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This website does a good job in breaking down how and when to address others formally or informally when speaking Spanish.

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Posted by

Which one do I use?

The question of "(Tú) Tu vs Usted" is always on the mind of students, especially when they are learning Spanish from Latin America.

Most of us will know that the difference between Tú and Usted is simply the level of formality or politeness you want to maintain between you and the person you are talking to.

In Spain, for example, once you are on talking/friendly terms you will "tutear" with that person. In fact, were you to continue to use Usted with someone, they would find it a bit strange. It would be like you were saying to them that you didn't want to be friends with them.

Many things to many people.

Just because that happens in Spain, however, does not mean that the same applies throughout the Spanish speaking world. Not at all!

Certainly in many countries in Latin America, talking to someone in Usted is expected. Children to parents, work associates. In fact, some cultures expect you to use Usted with everyone, even with close family members and friends.

So, how will I know?

The answer to this is easy. Simply listen to what people are saying to you. If they are using Usted, you will hear it mentioned. The tip is that if they are using Usted, then you use Usted. If they switch to Tú, you automatically have permission to do the same.

Until you are very skilled at Spanish, it's safer to use this system.

How to manage the situation.

There are ways that you can manage the way someone talks to you. For example, if someone is talking to you in Usted and you know that in their culture it's acceptable to talk to one another using Tú, then you can say:

No me trates de usted.

Tratar means to treat. So this is saying something like: "Don't treat me like an Usted."

Another way of saying it is to say:

¿Puedo tutearte?

Tutear is the verb used to describe the act of talking to someone using Tú. Thus, this sentence simply means: Can I talk to you using Tú?

Use Usted as your default.

As a rule of thumb, it's always best to address everyone you meet with Usted. Then, if you feel that there is a level of confidence growing, you can use the above phrases. However, the best thing is to take the lead from the person you are talking to. Let them guide you. You can be sure that if they want to use Tú, they will let you know.

They may do that by spontaneous changing to Tú during the conversation or they will tell you directly. However, if they seem comfortable using Usted with you, then stick with it.

We hope that has helped to clear up a little confusion regarding the Tu vs Usted question.

Hasta la próxima.

Gordon y Cynthia 🙂

Video for This Spanish Lesson

Audio for This Spanish Lesson

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 2:38 - 6.0MB)

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Tu vs Usted | Using formal speech in Spanish | LightSpeed Spanish

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Posted by The question of "(Tú) Tu vs Usted" is always on the mind of students, especially when they are learning Spanish from Latin America. Most of us will know that the difference between Tú and Usted is simply the level of formality or politeness you want to maintain between you and the person you are talking to.

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I found a discussion on Duolingo where people share their experience with using formal and informal registers in different Spanish-speaking countries :)

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Duolingo: Learn Spanish, French and other languages for free

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Duolingo is the world's most popular way to learn a language. It's 100% free, fun and science-based. Practice online on duolingo.com or on the apps!

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Sorry, the video is a bit long, but because the majority of the video is in Spanish, it helps by immersing the listener. Very in depth.

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The Formal and Informal You in Spanish || ¿Tú, usted or vos?

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She does a great job at describing who you should use which form (tu or usted) for.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHFWV-wvwCM

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This site was very helpful. It helped explain how and when to use ustedes or vosotros. In Spain, vosotros is used over ustedes but this varies in other countries. The way she described it reminded me of some of the variations between American English and British English.
https://www.spanishmarks.com/blog/29-difference-tu-vos-usted-ustedes-vosotros

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This was a short video that gave a brief, but helpful explanation of the basics of tú and usted. It provides clear information about common introductory questions used in Spanish.

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I found the information on this site to be quite helpful. It provides a couple different examples as a well as a video at the end.
https://lightspeedspanish.co.uk/20140128-advanced-intermediate-29-tu-vs-usted-using-formal-spanish/

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I liked this web page  because it clearly explains "You" in Spanish.
http://www.spanishdict.com/guide/you-in-spanish

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awhfckm5XDw
Vosotros vs. usted in Spain. Cool video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_-L12lprWE
This video is also informative.

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This really breaks it down, giving examples
http://www.fluentu.com/spanish/blog/tu-and-usted/

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Here is the video I like to refer to. Additionally there's always Senor Chang from Community... I do always think about that show when I am working on my Spanish homework.

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I found this video easy to follow and very helpful. The youtube channel has a lot of great videos on learning Spanish and traveling to the different countries that speak the language.

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When and How to Use Usted in Spanish [Tú vs Usted / Informal vs Formal]

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I do not like or dislike these explanations. I'm impartial.

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TÚ vs. USTED (UD): When to use them in Spanish

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I found this website helpful as it has detailed explanations of when you need to use both. I liked it because it includes answers for things you may get curious about when learning the subject like why the tu has an accent sometimes, and doesn't others.

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here is a video that is not the textbook. I dont like the textbook.

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I really like Señor Jordan's explanation of Tú and Usted. He compares saying the same thing in both forms. I like that I can compare what both sentences look like.

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Learn Spanish - Should I use Tú or usted in Spanish? (informal vs. formal)

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this video does a good job of walking through the many different uses and gives many examples.

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I will teach you the correct way to use Tú or Usted in Spanish. Tú is used to speak in a casual way, whereas Usted is used in a formal environment. Spanish speakers use either Tú or Usted in everyday life.

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Just a short article about how to say Hello properly and how to start a letter. http://blogs.transparent.com/spanish/formal-and-informal-ways-of-saying-hello-in-spanish/

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I like this site because not only can I learn greetings and variations, I can learn Spanish for specific occasions. There is also a feature where I can play a recorded pronunciation of a word and also record my own voice to hear how I pronounce a word.

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Ready to learn some different greetings in Spanish? This free audio lesson will add tons of useful phrases to your Spanish language survival kit.

You'll learn how to say hello and goodbye at different times of day, and ask people how they are and what they've been up to. Just as importantly, you'll practice some ways to reply when people ask you!

Listen carefully to the audio, and the way the native Spanish speakers pronounce each Spanish word or phrase. Practice these aloud until you feel confident, and then try them out on your friends!

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Ready to learn some different greetings in Spanish? This free audio lesson will add tons of useful phrases to your Spanish language survival kit. You'll learn how to say hello and goodbye at different times of day, and ask people how they are and what they've been up to.