Vosotros vs ustedes
Vosotros is "you all" for friends and family, and it's used in most of Spain. Everywhere else, Latin America included, people say ustedes to any group, friends or strangers. Even parts of Spain, like the Canary Islands, say ustedes. If you're learning Latin American Spanish, you only need to recognise vosotros.
Spanish has two ways to say "you all". In Spain, vosotros is for people you know and ustedes is the polite one. Latin America dropped vosotros a long time ago, so ustedes does both jobs there.
Who says what
| Where | Friends | Strangers, your boss |
|---|---|---|
| Most of Spain | vosotros | ustedes |
| Canary Islands, western Andalusia | ustedes | ustedes |
| Latin America | ustedes | ustedes |
| The US | ustedes | ustedes |
Equatorial Guinea uses both. In Latin America vosotros still turns up in old texts and very formal speeches, which is why it sounds stiff there rather than friendly.
The forms
Ustedes takes the same verb form as ellos, so there's nothing new to learn. Vosotros has its own, and they're easy to spot: they mostly end in -áis, -éis or -ís.
| Verb | vosotros | ustedes |
|---|---|---|
| hablar | habláis | hablan |
| comer | coméis | comen |
| vivir | vivís | viven |
| ser | sois | son |
| estar | estáis | están |
| tener | tenéis | tienen |
| ir | vais | van |
| hacer | hacéis | hacen |
Each conjugation page has the vosotros forms for every tense.
Don't mix it up with vos
Vos is a different word. It's singular, "you" to one friend, in place of tú. It's what you'll hear in Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay and most of Central America, and it has its own forms too: vos sos for tú eres, vos tenés for tú tienes.
Do you need to learn it?
- Going to Spain, or watching shows from there? Yes. It's how friends talk to each other, and you'll hear it constantly.
- Anywhere else? Learn to recognise it, not to use it. If you say ustedes in Madrid, everyone understands you; it just sounds a bit polite.
- Reading books from Spain? You'll meet it on every page of dialogue, so knowing the endings helps a lot.
Questions
Do Mexicans use vosotros?
No. In Mexico, and in the rest of Latin America, ustedes is "you all" for everyone, friends included. Vosotros only shows up in old or very formal writing.
What's the difference between vosotros and ustedes?
In Spain, vosotros is "you all" for friends and ustedes is the polite version. Outside Spain there's no difference to make: ustedes is the only one people use.
Is vosotros used in Latin America?
Hardly ever. You'll see it in old texts and very formal speeches, but not in conversation.
What is the vosotros form of ser?
Sois. Vosotros sois, "you all are". The ustedes form is son.
Should I learn vosotros?
If you're learning the Spanish of Spain, yes. If not, learn to recognise the endings (-áis, -éis, -ís) and use ustedes.
Sources
Keep going
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