How To Say You in Spanish

How do you say you in Spanish? The answer isnt as simple as it may appear: Thats because Spanish  has several 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 arent 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.) Spanish also has formal and informal (also called familiar) ways of saying you, the usage depending on the person youre talking to and/or the circumstances. The difference doesnt 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. When To Use the Formal or the Informal You The basic rule of 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 persons first name in English. Of course, when that is can vary with age, social status, and the specific culture you are in. More specifically, the singular informal tà º (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, tà º also is used when addressing God in prayer. Tà º 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. When speaking to anyone else, use usted. Obviously, the use of tà º suggests a certain amount of intimacy. But the degree of intimacy varies with region. In some places, people of similar social status will start using tà º upon meeting, while in other areas doing so might seem presumptuous. If youre uncertain which to use, it is usually better to use usted unless or until the person starts speaking to you using tà º, in which case it is usually OK to reciprocate. Spanish even has a verb, tutear, meaning to address someone using tà º. In a few areas, as in parts  of Colombia, usted is used even with close friends and family members. 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 youre speaking to. In other words, vosotros is seldom used in everyday life. Here are simple examples of how these pronouns might be used: Katrina,  ¿quieres tà º comer? (Katrina, do you want to eat?)Seà ±ora Miller,  ¿quiere usted comer? (Mrs. Miller, do you want to eat?)Katrina y Pablo,  ¿querà ©is vosotros comer? (Katrina and Pablo, do you want to eat?)Seà ±ora Miller y seà ±or 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 would normally be omitted because the context would make clear who the subject of each sentence is. When You Isnt the Subject In English, you can be either the subject of a sentence or the object of a verb or preposition. However, in Spanish different words are used for each of those situations. Formal singular Informal singular Formal plural Informal plural Subject usted t 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 Here are some examples of you pronouns as objects: Voy a votar por ti. (Im going to vote for you. You here is singular.)Este es para vosotros. (This is for you. You is plural.)Te quiero. (I love you. You is singular.)Os quiero. (I love you. You is plural.)Espero verlos a ustedes pronto. (I hope to see you soon. You is plural.) Using Vos In some parts of Latin America, particularly Argentina and parts of Central America, the pronoun vos replaces or partly replaces tà º. In some areas, vos implies greater intimacy than tà º does, and in some areas it has its own verb forms. As a foreigner, however, youll be understood  using tà º 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.