How to Say “You” in Spanish

Ways to say it

These pronouns are used to address the person being spoken to.

Which one should you use?

Both tú and vos are used for informal address, whereas usted is used for formal address. Among the informal options, tú is the standard form used in most of the Spanish-speaking world, while vos is used in specific regions like the Rioplatense area.

Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?

tú is the informal and familiar form. usted is the polite, formal form. vos is a familiar form.

Is it said differently in some regions?

In Rioplatense Spanish regions like Argentina and Uruguay, the informal pronoun vos is commonly used instead of tú. In Spain, vosotros is used instead of ustedes as the plural form of 'you' when speaking informally to a group.

Related words

The individual or group spoken/written to (det): tú, vos, usted.

To address using the more formal second-person pronoun (verb): ustedear, vosear.

How does it change in a sentence?

The informal pronoun tú is used with second-person singular verb conjugations. The formal pronoun usted is used with third-person singular verb conjugations, such as usted habla, even though it refers to the second person. The formal usted is accompanied by formal possessives like su casa.

How do you pronounce it?

/ˈtu/

What mistakes should you avoid?

English speakers often confuse the subject pronoun tú (you) with the possessive adjective tu (your).