Three systems at a glance
English uses you for one person or many, close or distant. Each Spanish variety splits informal address differently. To switch between them smoothly you need not just the pronoun but the whole set of forms: present, past, subjunctive, imperative and object pronouns.
Informal address, singular and plural
| Region | One person | Several people |
|---|---|---|
| Spain (mostly) | tú tienes | vosotros tenéis |
| Río de la Plata | vos tenés | ustedes tienen |
| Mexico, Caribbean, Andes | tú tienes | ustedes tienen |
In western Andalusia and the Canary Islands, ustedes is used for friends and family too, as in Latin America.
vosotros in every tense
vosotros has its own ending in every tense. Most end in -is. The present, future and subjunctive carry a written accent on the ending; the preterite never does.
hablar, comer, vivir with vosotros
| Tense | hablar | comer | vivir |
|---|---|---|---|
| Present | habláis | coméis | vivís |
| Preterite | hablasteis | comisteis | vivisteis |
| Imperfect | hablabais | comíais | vivíais |
| Future | hablaréis | comeréis | viviréis |
| Subjunctive | habléis | comáis | viváis |
| Imperative | hablad | comed | vivid |
Before os the imperative drops its -d: sentad + os → sentaos, callad + os → callaos. The exception is irse: idos, nowadays also iros. In conversation you often hear the infinitive (¡Sentaros!); in writing the form without -d is the standard.
¿Qué le dijisteis al profesor?
What did you all tell the teacher?
Sentaos, que ya empieza.
Sit down, it's about to start.
Si queréis, os dejo vuestras llaves en el buzón.
If you like, I'll leave your keys in the letterbox for you.
vos beyond the present
In the Río de la Plata region, vos has its own forms mainly in the present and the imperative. In the other tenses you generally use the tú form.
Imperative with pronouns: the pronoun attaches, the stress stays on the same syllable and the written accent disappears: decime, sentate, contame.
Preterite: as with tú: vos dijiste. The form with -s (dijistes) is colloquial.
Subjunctive: usually as with tú: que vos vengas. In negative commands you hear both: no te preocupes and no te preocupés.
Decime la verdad, ¿fuiste vos?
Tell me the truth, was it you?
Sentate acá, que te cuento todo.
Sit here and I'll tell you everything.
Quiero que vengas el sábado.
I want you to come on Saturday.
In Chile, a verbal voseo is common in conversation: the pronoun often stays tú, but the verb takes its own endings, as in ¿Cómo estái? or ¿Querís un café?. You need to understand it, not use it yourself.
ustedes and the 3rd person plural
Formal in Madrid or casual in Buenos Aires, ustedes takes the 3rd person plural with los / las, les, se and su. In standard Spanish, vosotros forms do not mix in.
Siéntense, por favor. Enseguida les traigo la carta.
Please take a seat. I'll bring you the menu right away.
¿Trajeron sus pasaportes?
Did you bring your passports?
In Latin America, casual or formal depending on the situation.
