vos
informal, Guatemala
In Guatemala friends and family say vos for "you", and usted is the polite form for elders and strangers. For more than one person everyone says ustedes.
Meaning: second person singular (pronoun)
Ways to say it
| Spanish | Note |
|---|---|
| vos | informal, Guatemala |
| usted | formal |
| ustedes | plural |
Vos is used with its own verb endings. For example vos tenés and vos sos replace tú tienes and tú eres. Usted takes the same verb form as él and ella.
How does it change in a sentence?
Guatemalan Spanish has no vosotros. The plural ustedes works for both formal and casual talk.
Did you know?
- Voseo is the normal way of speaking among Guatemalans, and tú is much rarer in daily talk there.
Examples in context
- ¿Vos de dónde sos?Where are you from?
- ¿Usted quiere pasar?Would you like to come in?
- Ustedes llegaron temprano.You all arrived early.
Example conversation
Marcos meets Elena, a classmate, at a bus stop in Guatemala City.
- MarcosHola, Elena. ¿Vos también vas a la universidad?Hi, Elena. Are you going to the university too?
- ElenaSí, vos sabés que tengo clase a las ocho.Yes, you know I have class at eight.
- MarcosEntonces apurémonos.Then let us hurry.
