When and How to Use Usted in Spanish [Tú vs Usted / Informal vs Formal]

[@zac8603]

Wow thank you so much for this video I have been trying to learn Spanish and have been learning/using tú exclusively. So when I saw usted it really threw me for a loop.

[@zivshahar3948]

im learning german and this helped

[@erlingo6449]

Yes its the same for me

[@luciadelrio6289]

I don´t know in other countries but here is Spain, we mostly use the informal you "tú" for everyone in exception of teachers and the eldest people you don´t know (just for being respectful) Nowadays people mostly refer to their grandparents with "tú" not with "usted" and we use TÚ for almost everyone.

[@demonschnauzer1555]

Usted versus tu (sorry I don't know how to put accent on this keyboard) is definitely something I feel I did not get everyone practice in in Spanish classes. I feel like most of the time, we just defaulted to using 'tu'. Now, I'm in an environment where I sometimes have to speak Spanish and I'm really wishing I got more of a hang of saying "usted" than thinking "tu" = "you" 100% of the time.

[@claysoggyfries]

Usted is confusing

[@mep6302]

Hola. Buen video. Soy de Argentina y uso el usted como lo dijeron ustedes en su vídeo. En vez de tú, uso vos. A menos que la persona tenga mi edad, cerca o menos, trato a todos de usted y en lugares públicos, al principio prefiero decir usted y luego veo si me paso al vos, a menos que sea joven y de entrada él/ella me diga vos. Si tuviera suegros obviamente les diría usted. Y a los familiares siempre les digo vos. Saludos.

[@spinky3]

My grandmother is from Colombia, but she address everybody and all ages with usted. She never says tu. Idk why.

[@muneebshafique]

may be due to respect.

[@ooo6554]

am stuck with tu

[@gastonvacherand1430]

In most of Colombia people only speak formally, it is part of their dialect

[@50sbabydoll]

i think it's because she's an elder. it's common in hispanic-american countries (idk the rest of the spanish speaking countries) that elders use "usted" with everyone, the why it's probably because years ago, the "usted" was waaaay more used since everyone was more formal? so, they got raised like that.

[@grassytramtracks]

In Colombia, some people just don't use tú at all, it's just a variation in dialect

[@StephaneCalabrese]

I am not a native Spanish speaker but I live in Colombia and I found it funny how people are switching from Usted to tú back and forth. For instance, in a shop or restaurant, you will definitely start addressing the clerk or waiter with Usted. But you may end up asking for the bill saying "me traes la cuenta por favor". In a family, parents will use Tu with their kids, but if they want to say something more seriously, be it complaining, arguying, or giving a piece of advice, they may switch to Usted. Some kids say Usted to their parents, some say Tú but even in the latter case, kids will switch to Usted when they want to ask for permission. In the street, you will definitely use Usted to answer to a beggar. Usted is mostly used to show respect, but it can also be used to add up a little bit of distance. It is a very subbtle thing and it took me quite a time to use it adequately. Plus in Colombia, at least in some regions, you can add up to the complexity throwing in the "Vos"form.

[@latengocomoburro]

Colombians use formal for everything. So they are not a good example.

[@Free_Snooki]

Lmaoo. A beggar. _🤭_

[@drxppy_kid2340]

Thank you I needed this to complete my work for Spanish🙏🏾

[@lissetjm1254]

Súper útil! Me encantó el vídeo, me estaba costando mucho trabajo explicarle el tú y usted a mi novio! Le está echando muchas ganas a sus lecciones de español y su vídeo lo ayudó mucho a comprender! Muchas gracias!!

[@sterncdt4199]

1235 - 237890 = 1143

[@CowayneComarcho]

That was helpful. When do you use the word tienes and tiene?

[@CHINOYako7]

Hola , Cuando pueda , porfavor may i request for a video about pure Formal Spanish only video for Office situations or Job application set up. muchas Gracias !!!

[@Kingpowch]

I speak Spanish from Argentina and I find it very archaic and old-fashioned to address a parent with "Usted". It used to be common 50 or 100 years ago but nowadays it is not used, you just simply use "tú" or "vos". Hardly ever will you find a Spanish-Speaker (at least in the south) addressing a parent with Usted. For instance, in my country we do not use tú, instead we say "vos" as informal which replaces tú. Vos - Tú= You (singular informal) Usted= You (singular formal). Vosotros= You (plural informal *only in Spain*) Ustedes= You (plural informal-formal)

[@julianmcatee1318]

No. Vos is used in many countries but they understand tu and vos is almost always conjugated the same

[@Investigacions]

@debunker300 Vos is mainly used in Argentina and nearby countries, such as Uruguay and Paraguay, but not much in other Southamerican countries, The problem with using "Vos" is that they change other words as well. In your example: they would NOT say "Vos TIENES una pluma". Instead, they would say: "Vos tenés una pluma".

[@stevendelaluz5347]

I agree completely I’m Mexican and I use The Tu form not usted form it’s hard for me to speak in that form because my parents didn’t teach me in that way.

[@oscarberolla9910]

@@Investigacions That's right, but Spanish speakers still understand it perfectly.

[@muhammadalkafari3743]

Che sho también soy de argentina 🇦🇷 y sho amo a nuestro casteshano che

[@stevendelaluz5347]

I’m from Mexico but we normally use the tu form even with family members older. I find it hard to speak with my Ecuadorian side of the family because it’s different ways of talking.

[@SpanishandGo]

Cool! May is actually from Mexico, and we recorded this video in Colima, Mexico. Un saludo. -Jim

[@Free_Snooki]

The thing I can't stand is I saw ppl use it in different parts of the same sentence. It's so annoying.

[@juanguentenguea.gonzalez737]

Thank u for your things for saying tu and usted I appreciate you all to say those two things respectfully

[@jasonusaf6326]

So I have a question…if I wanted to practice Spanish with a stranger, would the usted form be used in question? For example, would I say “Puedo practicar español con usted?” Or, would i say “Puedo practicar español contigo?” Is contigo informal?

[@coelhojesmartins]

The best youtube spanish. Congratulations!

[@SpanishandGo]

Jesiel Martins Coelho ¡Muchas gracias! 🙏🏻 Thanks for watching. We appreciate your support! Un saludo desde Puerto Rico. -Jim

[@amyash3801]

I am going to use this video with my students. Thank you.

[@morganradi4157]

Can i be ur student ??

[@mwuahchiloo9092]

wow i had no idea i have been using tú instead of usted in everything noooooo thank you so much for telling us :)

[@latengocomoburro]

No big deal, specially if you have an accent.

[@catchthewave7722]

That was so good thanks a ton for posting this video

[@invasorCELESTIAL19]

Muy buen video, muy informativo. Lo de “usted” es algo muy curioso, en el caso de mi familia mi hermano mayor y yo llamamos por “usted” a mi mama pero mi hermana menor la tutea y aveces me pongo a pensar y debe ser porque es la menor y es mujer y ademas es quien pasa mas tiempo con ella, al menos yo nunca me he sentido comodo en tutear a mi mama aunque ella nunca nos ha exigido que la llamemos de usted, aun asi tutearla me hace sentir como si le estuviera faltando el respeto. Me gusta mucho el contenido de su canal, ya me suscribi y espero que sigan creciendo mucho, saludos desde Carolina del Norte 👍

[@SpanishandGo]

¡Hola, Josh! Muchas gracias por tu comentario. 😊 Así es, tutear a alguien yo creo que tiene mucho que ver con la confianza que creas con esa persona y el tiempo que pasan juntos. Tu hermana se ha ganado la confianza de tu mamá y por eso se siente más cómoda hablándole de "tú" que de "usted". Qué interesantes son las costumbres familiares de los Mexicanos y latinos, ¿no? Te mandamos un saludo desde las frías y lejanas tierras de Minnesota. ¡Muchas gracias!

[@roger6867]

Nearly everyone including teachers, professors, and strangers and most people's parents are very much younger than me. I think I should use usted always unless we are friends. Is that correct?

[@SpanishandGo]

In that case, you should use “tú” more often. Use “usted” when someone is significantly older than you or in a position of authority that is greater than yours. For example, doctors, politicians, or the police.

[@roger6867]

@@SpanishandGo The point is that nobody is "significantly" older than me as I am 84 years old I don't think anyone except perhaps a judge in a courtroom has authority over me. I would feel that I were being rude if I were to say "tú" to a person of 40 or 50 years of age.

[@poisxe]

Hi does anyone know if I use the formal term when I am a visitor at a hotel talking to nice housekeepers, friendly taxi cab drivers, hotel staff ext...?

[@SpanishandGo]

If they’re obviously older than you, use formal speech. If they seem to be around the same age or younger, you can use informal speech. I hope that helps. Thanks for watching! -Jim

[@chriswesley594]

Great video & I'm a constant listener to your podcast (at 70% speed - I'm only 90 days in) - thanks so much for those! Now. On USTED - In a DuolLngo forum someone said "... ustedes is the only plural you in Latin America. It carries no formality." - and I can't reconcile that with your video here. Are they just wrong?

[@SpanishandGo]

Hi, Chris! Thanks for your support. Great question. The person from the Duolingo forum is correct. Since this video is mostly about _tú vs usted_ (formal you vs informal you), we didn't talk much about _ustedes,_ which is the plural you for Latin America, regardless of formality. So, you'll use _usted_ as a show of respect towards one person, and _ustedes_ to talk to any group of people, regardless of formality. Does that help clear things up? Thanks for watching! -Jim

[@chriswesley594]

@@SpanishandGo Oh, it DOES. I simply didn't notice that USTED and USTEDES are not the same. HAHAHA. I have a degree. gulp. What an idiot I am. Sorry guys - kill me now.

[@SpanishandGo]

@@chriswesley594 No worries! It's easy to miss. Glad we could help! -Jim

[@ianh7582]

If you think back about 40 years in the US, it was common for kids to ALWAYS address adults by Mr and Mrs. Also you would address your boss, landlord, or anyone you didn’t know by Mr or Mrs. (I actually like that better than todays informality - when telemarketers or other strangers call me by my first name my first thought is always “who are you to call me by my first name”) But anyway, if you remember those days, that’s a good way to think of how to use Usted vs Tú. A “Mr or Mrs” would be Usted, a first name basis would be tú

[@CRAWPvideos]

Okay, I understand this. But unfortunately, I don't know where to put the "usted" in the sentence always and was hoping this video would clear that up. Do you have any advice?

[@heartbeat1264]

Thank you. It is similar to German. We also have two forms: Sie and du. And it is used in a similar way.

[@SpanishandGo]

Danke schön. Thanks for watching! Ich spreche ein bisschen Deuche. ¡Saludos desde México! -Jim

[@nicolejarosova4684]

Same goes with Czech as we have 'ty' or 'vy'. The only difference is that we speak to all family members in informal way

[@magnusvir117]

Italian have Lei which it's formal way

[@ChetozZ-hw2fu]

Increíble forma de explicar su uso me agrada como graban 😉

[@Nelson_504]

The use of "usted" may vary from country to country, or even regions within a country. Please, if you're a non-native Spanish speaker, use "usted" to address ANYONE (unless they're children or teens) you meet for the first time. It makes you come across as polite, and well-mannered. I personally hate being addressed with "tú" by strangers. In my head, I'm like "I don't know you like that", but again, that's something cultural.

[@erlingo6449]

Thank you this really helped me👍🏽

[@zulkiflijamil4033]

We use tú informally with same age, with siblings and with younger people while we use usted formally when need to show respect and with strangers or when in doubt. Is that correct? ¿Puede usted ayudarme?

[@SpanishandGo]

Así es. Buen trabajo. 👏🏻

[@marlonmcgregor9346]

Do u have a ser estoy vid?

[@1111-d7c]

Now i know what is informal & formal 😁👍

[@SpanishandGo]

Great! Thanks for watching! 😊 -Jim

[@1111-d7c]

Spanish and Go you welcome jim I didn't know how to use it exactly😁 BTW thanxs for this video Yeees finally 😁😁👍👍👍I LOVE SPANISH❤️

[@mydentist4471]

you guys are such a cute couple

[@mb3775]

Is it respectful to assume that someone is older? Might be insulting instead if they think they are younger than you.

[@SpanishandGo]

Using _usted_ doesn't necessarily imply that you think the other person is older than you. It's also a sign of respect. It's better to play it safe with strangers and err on the side of being overly respectful. Thanks for watching! -Jim

[@diegorivera9197]

Yes some people get offended if you don’t talk to them with Usted. One time when I was little and in school my sister accidentally addressed my teacher with TU. The teacher got extremely mad, yelled at my sister, and told her to leave.

[@tobikrutt]

Muchas gracias por este video. Estoy más familiar con la firma de "tu" porque esta es la forma uso con mi tutor y mis amigas de España y Perú pero en México noté que "usted" es común. ¿Cuál es el significado de la frase "pueden tutearnos"? ¿"Can you please us" es igual a "por favor usa la forma de tu"?

[@SpanishandGo]

¡Hola, Tobi! "Puedes tutearme" es la forma más común en México para pedirle a alguien que use la forma informal de hablar. Sí usted quiere decirle a alguién que está bien usar el "tú" para comunicarse con usted, puede decir "hablame de tú, por favor". En Inglés sería como "Address me by "tú", please" or "Talk to me in the informal way of "you", please." ¡Gracias por vernos! -Jim & May

[@martym915]

Nueve comentarios????????? Wow. Anyway, I learned a lot from this so Gracias Editar: Diez comentarios ahora

[@SpanishandGo]

¡Hola! Glad to hear you found our video useful. :) Thanks for watching and commenting! (Once ahora :p )

[@mariaonaswing6109]

As an older person (age 67), can I assume that 'tu' is the way to go even with waiters and other general interactions with sales people, etc? I would defer to 'usted' if the individual is clearly older than I am, but in general...???

[@SpanishandGo]

Hi, Maria! That’s right. You can probably use the informal “tú” in most cases. Thanks for watching! -Jim

[@poisxe]

@@SpanishandGo What is the most polite wait to address waiters, maids, sales people, hotel staff ext...? Is it usted form out of respect?

[@oscarberolla9910]

@@poisxe It depends, if the waiter or waitress is young they can use TU, but if they are older than you, USTED can still be used.

[@youknowbitch951]

@@poisxe si quieres ser una persona respetuosa el "Usted" es bienvenido al 100% , si estas en un restaurante y se acerca una mesera aunque ella sea mas joven que tu incluso demasiado joven si quieres verte como una persona respetuosa usarias el "Usted" principalmente porque es alguien que no conoces, pero hablarle de "Tu" también esta bien siempre y cuando esta persona sea mas joven que tu ..

[@madeleinereilly1452]

Now! I appreciate this video mucho!!! Muchas gracias!! :-))

[@SpanishandGo]

¡De nada! You might also like this one: kzbin.info/www/bejne/opXGhaB5msmqb5o Thanks for watching! -Jim

[@cocos8970]

Do you have a video on the subjunctive form of verbs ?

[@SpanishandGo]

Thanks for the comment Coco! We don't yet, but it's on the list. We do our best to try not to focus on grammar so much as contextual situations, so we've been planning a fun one for the subjunctive. Thanks for watching!

[@paulhillegass7738]

4:36 Without explaining why, I have no idea what to do with this information.

[@SpanishandGo]

Are you talking about the omission of the word “usted”? It’s like in English, where we can say: Hey! What are you doing? *vs* Hey, you! What are you doing? You don’t really need the “you” in the first sentence. It’s optional. The second sentence made it clear who you were talking to. I hope that clears things up!

[@JC-musc]

Me inscribí porque quiero aprender ingles.

[@tateshoquist7369]

Es dificil aprender ingles? En ingles tienen las palabaras como two, to y 2.

[@Kelvinllovejr]

Too también. En hablar es el mismo pero en escribir es 3 differente formas. 2 y two es el número dos. Too es también. To es a. No mucho dificil

[@AMendoza447]

Is it okay if I say usted with everyone ? 😂 I always use usted, even with siblings and close friends. I sort of got used to it

[@mb3775]

It's not wrong to say it, it's just formal. Like calling your brother sir

[@AMendoza447]

@@mb3775 Oohh okay, thank youu 😆

[@marcobarrios1929]

I feel old when someone calls be used

[@youknowbitch951]

Decirles "Usted" a todo mundo no esta mal , es solo la manera formal, incluso te hace ver como una persona muy respetuosa, pero decirle "usted" a tu hermano/a o a un amigo muy cercano es muy raro, incluso un amigo se puede reir y burlarse de la forma en que le hablas

[@grassytramtracks]

It sounds weird, it's like calling your mates Mr or Mrs

[@muntazirzia3924]

She’s so prettyyyyyyy

[@sejohh_7961]

What about a medical professional addressing a patient? Does the same rules apply? I find myself using usted to almost everyone except small children.

[@mep6302]

I'm young, so doctors are informal to me. But with older people they're formal (or they should).

[@diegopozas1694]

I think in America "usted" is used a lot, but in Spain it's quite an uncommon and formal thing. I personally only use it for complete strangers or people I *really* need to give a good impression to. Otherwise, 90% of the times you say "usted" in Spain you're going to get "¡Tutéame, por dios!" as a response; it's an unnecessary formalism.

[@SpanishandGo]

¡Hola, Diego! Yes, the use of "usted" varies from country to country. It's usually better to play it safe when talking to someone you don't know. Thanks for watching! -Jim

[@EastbayGolfer]

En Argentina no se usa tú pero vos. ¿Es verdad?

[@SpanishandGo]

Así es. Pero no hablamos sobre eso tanto para no confundir a la gente. En general, "tú" se entiende, y eso es lo importante. Si quieres vivir en o aprender el español de Argentina, pues sí, es importante entender y usar "vos" como ellos. ¡Gracias por vernos! -Jim

[@muhammadalkafari3743]

Che sho soy de Argentina 🇦🇷 y sho hablo en Vos como en mi casteshano

[@rosalbalopezvazquez2361]

Hola

[@dominicoconnell1584]

I don't understand why... For say hablar... You all, plural familiar...vosotros/as hablais They, plural familiar...hablan Ustedes, you all formal...hablan Why not...ustedes, you all formal hablais

[@bibliopelicomic]

es dificil asta para el hispanop hablante

[@geezlepuss7863]

No, there are at least 4 you forms: Usted, tu, vos, & vuestra merced. & I am sure that the use varies a lot by the country you are in. If you are not a native of a country, best to stick to Usted in the singular to avoid offense. It seems to me that in telenovelas you are likely to hear vos when narcotrafficers are speaking.

[@diegopozas1694]

Geezle Puss "vuestra merced" was used for the last time in the 19th century! It's a *very* old way of addressing people. Maybe you've read it in books, but in current Spanish it's not used at all.

[@javiiiugp]

@@diegopozas1694 In Colombia, "Vuestra merced" is used in Cundinamarca/Boyacá departments but in the form of "Su mercé".

[@briantevez8287]

lol y pensar que hablo todos los dias y lo doy por sentado como si nada

[@hectorarce8931]

Tu for same social status? I think you guys are wrong in this.

[@StefhanJKR]

great video. My brother your hair and beard are not doing your face any favors.

[@Rusty_Dusty]

Who else her for the zuñiga hw :)

[@knotkool1]

with elders ok, but higher social status? wtf? you have a serf mentality. once a peon always a peon

[@5urg3x]

Way too complicated

[@SpanishandGo]

Older than you or more powerful? = Usted Younger or less powerful than you? = Tú

[@5urg3x]

@@SpanishandGo Haha…yes, I understand. I meant that I disagree with the concept.