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December 5, 2022
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.
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Click here to get a copy. (Download)
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:
- Age: Addressing somebody older than you? That’s a dead giveaway right there. You’d better show deference and use the formal “you.”
If it’s somebody your own age, then you have more leeway. You can speak informally to those younger than you (unless they’re of a higher social status!).
- Social status: If you’re speaking to your boss or anyone else higher up on the social ladder than you, then go formal. If it’s just your colleagues or friends horsing around, then informal is perfectly fine.
- Social distance: If you’re talking to a complete stranger or even an acquaintance, then consider the situation formal. If you’re among friends, most of whom are passed out on the floor… then you can really say anything you like, can’t you?
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!
¡Que usted tenga 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.
For a quick conjugation cheat sheet, click the “Infographic” tab over at Spanish 411.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.
That said, let’s look into each of the five forms of “you” in Spanish and learn when to properly unleash them.
5 Ways to Say “You” in Spanish and How to Use Each Correctly
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. Tu 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 15th and 16th 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.
Voseo, 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!
Download:
This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you
can take anywhere.
Click here to get a copy. (Download)
How do you say «you» in Spanish? The answer isn’t as simple as it may appear: That’s because Spanish has 13 pronouns you can use to address other people, all of which can be translated by «you.»
Distinguishing Between Types of ‘You’
First and most obviously, there are singular and plural forms, which aren’t distinguished in the English word except through context. (In other words, you can use «you» when talking to one person or to more than one.) Learning these should be straightforward for most English speakers, since we’re already used to singular and plural forms for other pronouns.
But Spanish also has formal and informal (also called «familiar») ways of saying «you,» the usage depending on the person you’re talking to and/or the circumstances. Again, the difference doesn’t come across in translating to English, but if you use the informal «you» where the formal is required, you run the risk of sounding presumptuous or even arrogant.
Also, the English «you» can be used not only the subject of a sentence, but also as a object of a verb or preposition. In Spanish, the corresponding word used can vary among those functions as shown in this chart:
| Formal singular | Informal singular | Formal plural | Informal plural | |
| Subject | usted | tú | ustedes | vosotros |
| Object of preposition | usted | ti | ustedes | vosotros |
| Direct object of verb | lo (masculine), la (feminine) | te | los (masculine), las (feminine) | os |
| Indirect object of verb | le | te | les | os |
Formal or Informal ‘You’?
An easy-to-understand way of looking at formal-vs.-informal forms—although keep in mind that there are exceptions—is that when speaking with one person you can use the informal forms under roughly the same circumstances where you can use a person’s first name in English. Of course, when that is can vary with age, social status, and the country or culture you are in.
More specifically, the singular informal tú (as the subject of a sentence) is used when speaking with family members, children, pets, friends, or close acquaintances, while usted is used when speaking with others. In Christianity, tú also is used when addressing God in prayer. When speaking to anyone else, use usted.
Tú can also be used contemptuously when speaking to a stranger; for example, a criminal may use the informal in addressing a victim as a way of belittling. An authority figure might also use tú as a way of reinforcing the idea of who is in charge.
Obviously, the common uses of tú suggest a certain amount of intimacy. But the degree of intimacy varies with region. In some places, people of similar social status will start using tú upon meeting, while in other areas doing so might seem presumptuous. If you’re uncertain which to use, it is usually better to use usted unless or until the person starts speaking to you using tú, in which case it is usually OK to reciprocate. Spanish even has a verb, tutear, meaning to address someone using tú. The verb for speaking to someone formally is ustedear.
The plural forms (for sentence subjects) are the informal vosotros and the formal ustedes. Generally, in most of Spain the difference between formal and informal when speaking to more than one person is the same as specified above. However, in most of Latin America, the formal ustedes is used regardless of the persons you’re speaking to. In other words, vosotros is seldom used in everyday life for most Latin Americans.
Here are simple examples of how these pronouns might be used:
- Katrina, ¿quieres tú comer? (Katrina, do you want to eat?)
- Señora Miller, ¿quiere usted comer? (Mrs. Miller, do you want to eat?)
- Spain: Katrina y Pablo, ¿queréis vosotros comer? (Katrina and Pablo, do you want to eat?)
- Latin America: Katrina y Pablo, ¿quieren ustedes comer? (Katrina and Pablo, do you want to eat?)
- Señora Miller y señor Delgado, ¿quieren ustedes comer? (Mrs. Miller and Mr. Delgado, do you want to eat?)
In the above sentences, the pronouns have been included for clarity. In real life, the pronouns are often omitted because the context would make clear who the subject of each sentence is.
Translating ‘You’ As an Object
As shown in the chart above usted, vosotros, and ustedes are used as objects of prepositions as well as subjects. In the singular familiar form, however, ti (not tú) is used. Note that there is no accent mark on ti.
- Voy a andar desde aquí hasta usted. (I’m going to walk from here toward you. «You» is singular and formal.)
- Voy a votar por ti. (I’m going to vote for you, singular informal.)
- El libro está ante ustedes. (The book is in front of you, plural formal.)
- Este es para vosotros. (This is for you, plural informal.)
Direct objects meaning «you» are differentiated by gender when «you» is formal but not when informal:
- Lo veo. (I see you, singular masculine formal.)
- La encontré. (I found you, singular feminine formal.)
- Te quiero. (I love you, singular informal.)
- Los veo. (I see you, plural masculine formal.)
- Las encontré. (I found you, plural feminine formal.)
- Os quiero. (I love you, plural informal.)
The informal indirect objects are the same as the informal indirect objects. Le and les are used for the formal indirect objects.
- Te compré un regalo. (I bought you a gift, singular informal.)
- Le hice una galleta. (I made you a cookie, singular formal.)
- Les compró dos boletos. (I bought you two tickets, plural formal.)
- Os doy un coche. (I am giving you a car, plural informal.)
Using Vos
In some parts of Latin America, particularly Argentina and parts of Central America, the pronoun vos replaces or partly replaces tú. In some areas, vos implies greater intimacy than tú does, and in some areas it has its own verb forms. As a foreigner, however, you’ll be understood using tú even where vos is common.
Key Takeaways
- Spanish has formal and informal equivalents of «you,» the choice varying with the nature of the relationship with the person or persons being spoken to.
- Spanish distinguishes between singular and plural forms of «you.»
- In the plural form, Latin Americans normally use the formal ustedes where Spaniards would use the informal vosotros.
The distinction between tú and Ud. is one of the most confounding aspects of Spanish, and one of the most basic. The influence it has on verb conjugations and pronouns is considerable,* but more than that, the choice of tú or Ud. is a matter of etiquette: it defines the relationship between two people and how they interact, and using the wrong pronoun can have negative consequences.
Spanish is what linguists call a «pro-drop» language, which simply means that the pronoun can be dropped. It’s not necessary for comprehension, the way it is in English, because the subject of the verb is evident from the conjugated verb. «You go» can be translated by tú vas / Ud. va or simply vas / va (from the verb ir – to go). These also have plural equivalents.
While there’s only one word for «you» in English, formality and familiarity are of course alive and well.
Por ejemplo…
| Hello sir, how are you? | vs | Hey man, how’s it going? |
| Buenos días, Señor, ¿cómo está Ud.? | Hola muchacho, ¿qué tal? |
English makes the distinction between formal and familiar relationships with word choice, varying grammatical structures, and optional titles. Spanish does all of this too; it just adds another layer of complexity with different personal pronouns. So how do you know which one to use?
Singular Pronouns
Tú = informal
The informal, singular subject pronoun tú (listen) indicates an intimate, amicable, and/or equal relationship between two people, and as such it is used with family, friends, lovers, colleagues, and classmates. Kids always use it with one another, as do most teens, even when meeting for the first time. Likewise, adult friends of friends often use it upon being introduced. Tú is also used when talking to God, children, animals, and inanimate objects. Using tú with someone who doesn’t fit any of these categories is likely to cause offense.
| Positive | Negative |
| – love – intimacy – camaraderie – equality |
– disrespect – contempt |
In Argentina and some other Spanish-speaking countries, the pronoun vos is used in place of or in addition to tú – learn more.
Ud. = formal
The formal subject pronoun Ud. (listen) indicates a respectful and/or distant relationship. It’s used between strangers and in professional situations, such as doctor-patient and clerk-customer. It’s also used in professional and academic hierarchies, like boss-employee and professor-student. Using Ud. with someone who doesn’t fall into one of these categories demonstrates a certain distance, or worse.
| Positive | Negative |
| – respect – professionalism – formality – politeness – deference |
– distance – coldness – dislike – snobbery |
Ud. can also be used when addressing an elderly relative (e.g., grandmother, grandfather) to emphasize respect over family ties.
The distinction between tú and Ud. is furthered with the verb conjugation. Ud., is short for usted. Previously, the word was vusted, abbreviated Vd., short for Vuestra merced. Roughly equivalent to «your majesty,» Ud. is conjugated in the third person, grammatically showing distance between the speaker and the listener.
Plural Pronouns
Vosotros = informal
In additional to a familiar vs formal distinction in the Spanish equivalents for «you,» there’s singular vs plural. Vosotros (listen) is the familiar plural pronoun, used for the same reasons as tú (or vos) when talking to more than one man or a mix of men and women. When talking to a group of only women, the pronoun is vosotras.
However, vosotros and vosotras are only used in Spain. All other Spanish-speaking countries use the same pronoun for familiar and formal «you»:
Uds. = formal
Short for ustedes, Uds. (listen) is conjugated in the third person plural. In Spain, it’s used to show respect, distance, etc. to a group. Everywhere else, it’s just used to indicate that you’re talking to more than one person.
En resumen
| singular | plural | |
| familiar | tú vos (Arg) |
Uds. vosotros / vosotras (Spain) |
| formal | Ud. | Uds. |
* The choice between all the different words for «you» isn’t limited to subject pronouns and their verb conjugations; it also affects several other areas of grammar:
| Subject pronoun | tú | Ud. | vosotros, -as | Uds. | |
| Direct object pronoun | te | lo, la | os | los, las | |
| Indirect object pronoun | te | le | os | les | |
| Reflexive pronoun | te | se | os | se | |
| Reflexive prepositional pronoun | ti | sí | vosotros, -as | sí | |
| Possessive adjectives | tu, tus | su, sus | vuestro(s), -a(s) | su, sus | |
| Possessive pronouns | el tuyo, la tuya | el suyo, la suya | el vuestro, la vuestra | el suyo, la suya | |
| Noun | el tuteo «using tú« |
el ustedeo «using Ud.» |
|||
| Verb | tutear «to use tú« |
ustedear «to use Ud.« |
|||
En français
En français- Pronoms sujets : tu vs vous
In italiano
In italiano- Pronomi soggetto: tu vs Lei
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I’m taking an online class on «scientific thought» which has a transcription of the spoken video text, and the Spanish word «you» occurs in almost every lecture, even in one lecture four times (see below). Google translate simply translates it as «you» and online dictionaries and Google search for English and Spanish words so it always finds the English word «you».
What does the Spanish word «you» mean in the following excerpts, or is this some kind of transcription error?
En medicina se desarrolló la medicina Ayurveda que fue un poco más
efectiva que la egipcia, de hecho, you operaban cataratas, una técnica
que se exportó a China y a otras partes del mundo.You que tenemos muy poca información de esta época, la historia
necesariamente es parcial e incompleta.En Mesoamérica, la cultura, de la cual tenemos registros más antiguos,
es la Olmeca. you tenían escritura, astronomía, calendarios, y
matemáticas, las cuales incluían el numero cero y manejaban una base
20.El desarrollo de la agricultura trajo la posibilidad de vivir en
grandes ciudades, lo cual permitía que no todos los miembros de una
población se dedicaran al mismo oficio, you sea estar cazando o
recolectando.
What does “yo” mean? – In Spanish, it means “I.”¿Qué significa “yo”? – En español, significa “I”.
Simply so What does UN Diccionario mean in English? diccionario Noun. diccionario, el ~ (m) dictionary, the ~ Noun. ‐ a reference book containing an alphabetical list of words with information about them.
What goes after nosotros? It is important to know that the top row is called first person ( yo and nosotros/nosotras). The second row is called the second person ( tú and vosotros/vosotras), and anything lower on the chart is called the third person ( él, ella, usted, ellos, ellas, and ustedes).
also What does PL FAM mean? In Spanish, the way you say “you are, you have (pl. fam.)” is: (verb: to be, to have, there is)
Why does TU have an accent?
Tu is written without an accent on the u. It is a possessive adjective. The direct English translation is your (singular informal).
Is cuadernos El or LA? The Spanish word cuaderno (pronounced: kwah-DEHR-noh) means ‘notebook. ‘ It’s a masculine noun, so we say el cuaderno (the notebook) or un cuaderno (a…
Is Chica feminine or masculine?
Because not every noun that ends in -o is masculine, and not every noun that ends in -a is feminine. Because many nouns end in letters other than o or a. Because the definite article (el, la) is your clue as to whether a noun is masculine or feminine.
…
Gender of Nouns.
| Masculine | Feminine |
|---|---|
| perro | perra |
| chico | chica |
| abuelo | abuela |
Is Maleta El or LA?
| el | the |
|---|---|
| la | the her |
| maleta | suitcase |
What does El without the accent mean?
“El” without accent means “the” in the case that the following noun is masculine. “Él” with accent means “He” (personal pronoun for male). You should always write the accent, otherwise it’ll be a mistake.
What are yo tu el Ella? Tu. informal you(he) El/Ella/Ud. formal you(he)
Which subject pronoun would you use if you were talking to your Spanish teacher?
– In Spanish, when being respectful (speaking to someone such as a teacher or a boss) the formal subject pronoun is used (usted, ustedes) and the informal subject pronouns (tú, vosotros) are more familiar…
What is De Dónde Eres? – Saying where you’re from in Spanish – Coffee Break Spanish To Go Episode 1.03.
Is there a difference between Tu and tú?
2 Answers. Tu is possessive– Me encanta tu vestido = I love your dress. Tú is a personal pronoun- Tú puedes leer = You can read.
What is the difference between qué and Que?
Que = that…, which/who. Qué = What/How.
What is pencils plural in Spanish? lápiz m (plural: lápices m)
Does Chica mean girl in Spanish? The definition of chica is a Spanish word that means a female friend or girl. An example of chica is what two young women call one another affectionately.
What is cuaderno plural?
plural of cuaderno. cuadernos [m/pl]
What does mija mean in Spanish? Literally meaning “my daughter,” mija is used as a familiar and affectionate address to women, like “dear” or “honey,” in Spanish.
How do you say pretty girl in Spanish?
pretty girl: guapa.
Is Chica a bad word? Dear Gabacha: While chica isn’t the most formal of expressions (it means “girl” in Spanish), it’s also hardly the most insulting Mexican-Spanish term that a male stranger would use to get a woman’s attention.
Is Pais masculine or feminine?
If a word ends in another letter, for example Mujer (woman) or País (country), it could be either. There are lots of patterns to look out for – e.g. nouns ending in ‘ión’ like Opinión (opinion) and Construcción (building/construction) tend to be feminine.
Is it El or La lapices? Lápiz is gendered masculine in Spansh, so the definite article is el and the indefinite article is un.
Is Papel masculine or feminine?
“If a word ends in l, o, n, e, r, [or] s it’s almost always going to be a masculine word… for example… papel… one common exception to this… are words that end in ión… these words are actually… feminine…so we have la oración…
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«.
Similarly, it is asked, how do you ask what does that mean in Spanish?
¿Qué quiere decir eso? — what does that mean? ¿Qué significa eso? — what does that mean? ¿Qué quiere decir con eso? — what does he mean by that?
Similarly, what does Punta mean in slang?
votes. It basically means the ‘tip’ or ‘point’ of something (tip of your tongue, tip of the iceburg, etc., but for more accurate and other meanings, click the dictionary tab and type in the word — you will get detailed information. updated Nov 29, 2011. posted by Lise-Laroche.
What que mean in English?
Qué is also a Spanish word that means “what.” That is not, however, the word that many people are looking for when they look up que in our dictionary. Que is homophonous with a number of other words, most of which have wildly different spellings and meanings.
What does B mean when a girl texts you?
B is an affectionate term for a loved one. It is often times used to address a homie, ya girl, or ya moms.