# Vosotros vs ustedes

[Kin](https://learnwithkin.com/) › [Spanish](https://learnwithkin.com/spanish)
Updated 2026-10-30 · By Jacob Pradels · HTML version: https://learnwithkin.com/spanish/vosotros

> *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*.

*The present tense*

| 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](https://learnwithkin.com/spanish/conjugations) 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

- vosotros. Wiktionary. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/vosotros
- ustedes. Wiktionary. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/ustedes
- vos. Wiktionary. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/vos

## Related

- [One thing, many words: Spanish by country](https://learnwithkin.com/spanish/regional-words.md)
- [Spanish verb conjugations](https://learnwithkin.com/spanish/conjugations.md)
- [ser vs estar](https://learnwithkin.com/spanish/ser-vs-estar.md)

---

Want this remembered rather than looked up? That's what Kin does: short stories about what you're into, written for your level. Tap any word you don't know, and Kin brings it back right before you'd forget it. Find your level, free: https://learnwithkin.com/start