{"id":2204,"date":"2022-02-27T16:22:18","date_gmt":"2022-02-27T16:22:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/latinamericanspanishcafe.com\/?p=2204"},"modified":"2023-08-04T07:23:31","modified_gmt":"2023-08-04T07:23:31","slug":"voseo-in-spanish","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/latinamericanspanishcafe.com\/voseo-in-spanish\/","title":{"rendered":"Vos 101: How to Use the 2nd Person Singular Spanish Pronoun"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Traveling to a Spanish-speaking country, or communicating with Spanish speakers for business or any other reason, you&#8217;ll gain a closer relationship with your interlocutor if you can address them as a local.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is a complete guide to the conjugations, uses, history, and areas of influence of the pronoun vos in Spanish, as well as its differences and similarities with the pronouns <em>t\u00fa<\/em> and <em>usted<\/em>.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_65 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6628e0aaee77a\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6628e0aaee77a\"  aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/latinamericanspanishcafe.com\/voseo-in-spanish\/#whats-the-difference-between-tu-vos-and-usted\" title=\"What\u2019s the difference between t\u00fa, vos, and usted?\">What\u2019s the difference between t\u00fa, vos, and usted?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/latinamericanspanishcafe.com\/voseo-in-spanish\/#where-in-the-world-is-voseo-used\" title=\"Where in the world is voseo used?\">Where in the world is voseo used?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/latinamericanspanishcafe.com\/voseo-in-spanish\/#voseo-conjugations\" title=\"Voseo Conjugations\">Voseo Conjugations<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/latinamericanspanishcafe.com\/voseo-in-spanish\/#the-origin-and-backstory-of-vos-in-spanish\" title=\"The origin and backstory of Vos in Spanish\">The origin and backstory of Vos in Spanish<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"whats-the-difference-between-tu-vos-and-usted\"><\/span>What\u2019s the difference between <em>t\u00fa,<\/em> <em>vos, <\/em>and<em> usted<\/em>?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Usted<\/em> is the form used in every Spanish-speaking country to address the <strong>second person singular<\/strong> in formal contexts when there\u2019s a difference in age and\/or hierarchy between the interlocutors. <em>T\u00fa<\/em> and v<em>os<\/em>, on the other hand, are used in informal contexts when the relationship with the other person is closer. Depending on the region, <em>vos<\/em> can be considered colloquial or even rather uneducated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Let\u2019s see some examples of <strong>voseo in Spanish<\/strong>. In <a href=\"https:\/\/latinamericanspanishcafe.com\/difference-latin-american-spanish-spain\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"732\">Spain and some Latin American areas<\/a>, you might hear the following dialogue:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>Buenos d\u00edas. \u00bfUsted es el gerente?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Buenos d\u00edas, s\u00ed. \u00bfT\u00fa qui\u00e9n eres?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<audio oncontextmenu=\"return false;\" controlslist=\"nodownload\" controls=\"\"><source src=\"https:\/\/assets.latinamericanspanishcafe.com\/file\/LatinAmericanSpanishCafe\/Audio\/LASC-Vos-101-regular-spanish-1.mp3\" type=\"audio\/mpeg\"><source src=\"https:\/\/assets.latinamericanspanishcafe.com\/file\/LatinAmericanSpanishCafe\/Audio\/LASC-Vos-101-regular-spanish-1.wav\" type=\"audio\/wav\"><source src=\"https:\/\/assets.latinamericanspanishcafe.com\/file\/LatinAmericanSpanishCafe\/Audio\/LASC-Vos-101-regular-spanish-1.ogg\" type=\"audio\/ogg\"><\/audio>\n\n\n\n<p>El nuevo cadete.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>In some other Latin American countries though, this dialogue would turn into:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>Buenos d\u00edas. \u00bfUsted es el gerente?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Buenos d\u00edas, s\u00ed. \u00bfVos qui\u00e9n sos?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<audio oncontextmenu=\"return false;\" controlslist=\"nodownload\" controls=\"\"><source src=\"https:\/\/assets.latinamericanspanishcafe.com\/file\/LatinAmericanSpanishCafe\/Audio\/LASC-Vos-101-quien-sos.mp3\" type=\"audio\/mpeg\"><source src=\"https:\/\/assets.latinamericanspanishcafe.com\/file\/LatinAmericanSpanishCafe\/Audio\/LASC-Vos-101-quien-sos.wav\" type=\"audio\/wav\"><source src=\"https:\/\/assets.latinamericanspanishcafe.com\/file\/LatinAmericanSpanishCafe\/Audio\/LASC-Vos-101-quien-sos.ogg\" type=\"audio\/ogg\"><\/audio>\n\n\n\n<p>El nuevo cadete.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"where-in-the-world-is-voseo-used\"><\/span>Where in the world is <em>voseo<\/em> used?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The Uruguayan linguist <a href=\"http:\/\/www.academiadeletras.gub.uy\/innovaportal\/v\/72098\/46\/mecweb\/virginia-bertolotti?contid=72072\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Virginia Bertolotti<\/a> (<em>A m\u00ed de vos no me trata ni usted ni nadie<\/em>. <em>Sistemas e historia de las formas de tratamiento en la lengua espa\u00f1ola en Am\u00e9rica<\/em>, M\u00e9xico, Universidad Nacional Aut\u00f3noma de M\u00e9xico, 2015, 484 pp. ISBN: 978-607-02-6627-0) states that there exist six different forms of address in Latin America:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8211; &nbsp; <em>T\u00fa<\/em>: <strong>second person singular informal pronoun<\/strong>; used in close relations (in Mexico, for example)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8211;&nbsp; <em>Vos<\/em>: <strong>second person singular informal pronoun<\/strong>; used in close relations (in Argentina, for example)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8211;&nbsp; <em>Usted<\/em>: <strong>second person singular formal pronoun<\/strong>; used in formal contexts (in all Latin American countries and Spain)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8211;&nbsp; <em>Usted<\/em>: <strong>second person singular informal pronoun<\/strong>; used in close relations (in Colombia, for example)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8211;&nbsp; <em>Ustedes<\/em>: plural you (in all Latin American countries)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>According to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rae.es\/dpd\/voseo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">the Royal Spanish Academy (RAE)<\/a>,<strong> vos in Spanish<\/strong> is used in most countries in Spanish America, although its uses and social acceptance vary from one region to another.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay, <em>vos<\/em> is used openly by all social classes both in spoken and written discourse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On the contrary, <em>t\u00fa<\/em> is used almost exclusively in Mexico, most areas in Peru and Venezuela, the Antilles, and the Atlantic coast in Colombia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In other countries, <em>t\u00fa<\/em> is the educated form while <em>vos<\/em> is considered uneducated. This is so in the North and South of Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, small areas in the Venezuelan Andes, most of Colombia, Panama, and Eastern Cuba.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In Chile, <em>t\u00fa<\/em> is used in relatively formal contexts, and <em>vos <\/em>in highly informal, familiar contexts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Voseo<\/em> is not commonly found in Spain, Equatorial Guinea, the <a href=\"https:\/\/latinamericanspanishcafe.com\/dominican-vs-puerto-rican-spanish\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"2542\">Dominican Republic or Puerto Rico<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"voseo-conjugations\"><\/span>Voseo Conjugations<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Grammatically, there\u2019s a noticeable difference in the verb conjugation depending on the pronoun you use:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-background has-fixed-layout\" style=\"background-color:#e6f2fc\"><thead><tr><th><strong>Mood<\/strong><\/th><th><strong>t\u00fa<\/strong><\/th><th><strong>vos<\/strong><\/th><th><strong>usted<\/strong><\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td><strong>Present <\/strong><strong><\/strong> <strong>Indicative<\/strong><\/td><td>Si <strong>quieres<\/strong>, <strong>puedes <\/strong>quedarte. <em>You can stay if you want to.<\/em><em><\/em> &nbsp;<\/td><td>Si <strong>quer\u00e9s<\/strong>, <strong>pod\u00e9s<\/strong> quedarte. <em>You can stay if you want to.<\/em><em><\/em> &nbsp;<\/td><td>Si <strong>quiere<\/strong>, <strong>puede <\/strong>quedarse. <em>You can stay if you want to.<\/em><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Imperative Mood<\/strong><strong><\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Qu\u00e9date<\/strong>, por favor. <em>Please, stay.<\/em><em><\/em><\/td><td><strong>Quedate<\/strong>, por favor. <em>Please, stay<\/em>.<\/td><td><strong>Qu\u00e9dese<\/strong>, por favor. <em>Please, stay.<\/em><em><\/em><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>RAE recognizes two different forms of <strong>Spanish voseo<\/strong>&#8211; Pronominal <em>voseo<\/em> and Verbal <em>voseo<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Pronominal <em>voseo<\/em> is the use of the pronoun <em>vos <\/em>instead of <em>t\u00fa<\/em> in any of the following grammatical functions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-background has-fixed-layout\" style=\"background-color:#e6f2fc\"><thead><tr><th><strong>Pronominal voseo vs. tuteo<\/strong><\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td><strong>vos<\/strong><strong><\/strong><\/td><td><strong>t\u00fa\/ti<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>\u00bf<strong>Vos<\/strong> <strong>ten\u00e9s<\/strong> hambre? <em>Are you hungry?<\/em><em><\/em><\/td><td><strong>\u00bfT\u00fa tienes <\/strong>hambre? <em>Are you hungry?<\/em><em><\/em><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Che<strong> vos<\/strong>, <strong>ven\u00ed<\/strong> por favor. <em>Hey, you. Come here please.<\/em><em><\/em><\/td><td>Oye, <strong>t\u00fa<\/strong>. <strong>Ven<\/strong> por favor. <em>Hey, you. Come here please.<\/em><em><\/em><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Esto es <strong>para vos<\/strong>. <em>This is for you.<\/em><em><\/em><\/td><td>Esto es <strong>para ti<\/strong>. <em>This is for you.<\/em><em><\/em><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Juan es <strong>m\u00e1s<\/strong> alto <strong>que vos<\/strong>. <em>Juan is taller than you.<\/em><em><\/em><\/td><td>Juan es <strong><u>m\u00e1s<\/u><\/strong> alto <strong><u>que t\u00fa<\/u><\/strong>. <em>Juan is taller than you.<\/em><em><\/em><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Verbal <em>voseo<\/em> is a unique verbal conjugation for the pronoun <em>vos<\/em>. In general, it is only apparent in the present indicative and the <strong>second person singular<\/strong> of the <strong>imperative form<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Spanish voseo<\/strong>, Present Indicative: It is formed by dropping the infinitive ending <em>(-ar, -er, -ir<\/em>) and adding a new one instead <em>(-\u00e1s, -\u00e9s, -\u00eds).<\/em> In regular verbs, the only difference between the <em>t\u00fa<\/em> and <em>vos<\/em> forms is that the stress is moved to the last syllable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table aligncenter\"><table class=\"has-background has-fixed-layout\" style=\"background-color:#e6f2fc\"><thead><tr><th><strong>Verbal voseo vs.<\/strong><br><strong>tuteo<\/strong><\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td><strong><span style=\"color: #e8201d;\" class=\"stk-highlight\">Regular verbs<\/span><\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Present Indicative<\/strong><strong><\/strong><\/td><td><strong>vos<\/strong><strong><\/strong><\/td><td><strong>t\u00fa<\/strong><strong><\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong><span style=\"color: #e8201d;\" class=\"stk-highlight\">-ar<\/span><\/strong> <strong>estudi-ar<\/strong><\/td><td>\u00bf<strong>Estudi<u>\u00e1s<\/u><\/strong> espa\u00f1ol? <br><em>Do you study Spanish?<\/em><\/td><td>\u00bf<strong>Es<u>tu<\/u>dias<\/strong> espa\u00f1ol? <br><em>Do you study Spanish?<\/em><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong><span style=\"color: #e8201d;\" class=\"stk-highlight\">-er<\/span><\/strong> <strong>hac-er<\/strong><\/td><td>\u00bf<strong>Hac<u>\u00e9s<\/u><\/strong> la tarea todos los d\u00edas?<br><em>Do you do your homework every day?<\/em><\/td><td>&nbsp;\u00bf<strong><u>Ha<\/u>ces<\/strong> la tarea todos los d\u00edas?<br><em>Do you do your homework every day?<\/em><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong><span style=\"color: #e8201d;\" class=\"stk-highlight\">-ir<\/span><\/strong> <strong>viv-ir<\/strong><\/td><td>\u00bfD\u00f3nde <strong>viv<u>\u00eds<\/u><\/strong>?<br><em>Where do you live?<\/em><\/td><td>\u00bfD\u00f3nde <strong><u>vi<\/u>ves<\/strong>?<br><em>Where do you live?<\/em><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Some verbs are irregular for the pronoun <em>t\u00fa<\/em>, yet they remain regular for <em>vos<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-background has-fixed-layout\" style=\"background-color:#e6f2fc\"><thead><tr><th><strong>Verbal voseo vs. tuteo<\/strong><\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td><strong><span style=\"color: #e8201d;\" class=\"stk-highlight\">Irregular verbs for \u201ct\u00fa\u201d<\/span><\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Present Indicative<\/strong><strong><\/strong><\/td><td><strong>vos<\/strong><strong><\/strong><\/td><td><strong>t\u00fa<\/strong><strong><\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>jug-ar<\/strong><strong><\/strong><\/td><td>\u00bf<strong>J<u>u<\/u>g\u00e1s<\/strong> al tenis? <em>Do you play tennis?<\/em><em><\/em><\/td><td>\u00bf<strong>J<u>ue<\/u>gas <\/strong>al tenis? <em>Do you play tennis?<\/em><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>perd-er<\/strong><strong><\/strong><\/td><td>Vos nuncap<strong><u>e<\/u><\/strong>rd\u00e9s. <em>You never lose.<\/em><em><\/em><\/td><td>T\u00fa nuncap<strong><u>ie<\/u><\/strong>rdes. <em>You never lose.<\/em><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>ment-ir<\/strong><strong><\/strong><\/td><td>\u00bfPor qu\u00e9 m<strong><u>e<\/u><\/strong>nt\u00eds? <em>Why are you lying?<\/em><em><\/em><\/td><td>\u00bfPor qu\u00e9m<strong><u>ie<\/u><\/strong>ntes? <em>Why are you lying?<\/em><em><\/em><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>And some verbs are totally irregular for <em>vos<\/em>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-background has-fixed-layout\" style=\"background-color:#e6f2fc\"><thead><tr><th><strong>Irregular verb: SER<\/strong><\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td><strong>vos<\/strong><strong><\/strong><\/td><td><strong>t\u00fa<\/strong><strong><\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>\u00bf<strong>Vos sos<\/strong> la hermana de Juan? <em>Are you Juan\u2019s sister?<\/em><em><\/em><\/td><td>\u00bf<strong>T\u00fa eres <\/strong>la hermana deJuan? <em>Are you Juan\u2019s sister?<\/em><em><\/em><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Spanish voseo<\/strong>, Imperative Mood: In the imperative mood too, the only difference in regular verbs conjugated for the pronoun <em>vos<\/em> is that the stress is moved to the last syllable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-background has-fixed-layout\" style=\"background-color:#f8eadf\"><thead><tr><th><strong>Verbal voseo vs. tuteo<\/strong><\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td><strong><span style=\"color: #e8201d;\" class=\"stk-highlight\">Regular verbs <\/span><\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Imperative Mood<\/strong><strong><\/strong><\/td><td><strong>vos<\/strong><strong><\/strong><\/td><td><strong>t\u00fa<\/strong><strong><\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong><span style=\"color: #e8201d;\" class=\"stk-highlight\">-ar<\/span><\/strong> <strong>estudi-ar<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Estudi<u>\u00e1<\/u> <\/strong>muchosi quer\u00e9s aprobar el examen. <em>Study a lot if you want to pass the exam.<\/em><em><\/em><\/td><td><strong>Es<u>tu<\/u>dia<\/strong> mucho si quieres aprobar el examen. <em>Study a lot if you want to pass the exam.<\/em><em><\/em><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong><span style=\"color: #e8201d;\" class=\"stk-highlight\">-er<\/span><\/strong> <strong>corr-er<\/strong><\/td><td>\u00a1<strong>Co<u>rr\u00e9<\/u><\/strong> m\u00e1s r\u00e1pido! <em>Run faster!<\/em><em><\/em><\/td><td>\u00a1<strong><u>Co<\/u>rre<\/strong> m\u00e1s r\u00e1pido! <em>Run faster!<\/em><em><\/em><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong><span style=\"color: #e8201d;\" class=\"stk-highlight\">-ir<\/span><\/strong> <strong>compart-ir<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Compar<u>t\u00ed<\/u> <\/strong>el chocolate con tu hermano. <em>Share that chocolate with your brother.<\/em><em><\/em><\/td><td><strong>Com<u>par<\/u>te <\/strong>el chocolate con tu hermano. <em>Share that chocolate with your brother.<\/em><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Some verbs are irregular for the pronoun <em>t\u00fa<\/em>, yet they remain regular for <em>vos<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-background has-fixed-layout\" style=\"background-color:#f8eadf\"><thead><tr><th><strong>Verbal voseo vs. tuteo<\/strong><\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td><strong>Irregular verbs for \u201ct\u00fa\u201d<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Imperative Mood<\/strong><strong><\/strong><\/td><td><strong>vos<\/strong><strong><\/strong><\/td><td><strong>t\u00fa<\/strong><strong><\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>hac-er<\/strong><strong><\/strong><\/td><td>\u201c<strong>Hac<u>\u00e9<\/u><\/strong> un pastel para Mar\u00eda\u201d. <em>\u201cMake a cake for Mar\u00eda.\u201d<\/em><\/td><td>\u201c<strong><u>Haz<\/u><\/strong> un pastel para Mar\u00eda\u201d. <em>\u201cMake a cake for Mar\u00eda.\u201d<\/em><em><\/em><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>ir\/and-ar<\/strong><strong><\/strong><\/td><td>\u201c<strong>And<u>\u00e1<\/u><\/strong> a la escuela\u201d. <em>\u201cGo to school.\u201d<\/em><em><\/em><\/td><td>\u201c<strong><u>Ve<\/u><\/strong> a la escuela\u201d <em>\u201cGo to school.\u201d<\/em><em><\/em><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>dec-ir<\/strong><strong><\/strong><\/td><td>\u201c\u00a1<strong>Dec<u>\u00ed<\/u><\/strong> la verdad!\u201d <em>\u201cTell the truth!\u201d<\/em><em><\/em><\/td><td>\u201c\u00a1<strong><u>Di<\/u><\/strong> la verdad!\u201d <em>\u201cTell the truth!\u201d<\/em><em><\/em><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>pon-er<\/strong><strong><\/strong><\/td><td>\u201c<strong>Pon<u>\u00e9<\/u><\/strong> la mesa, por favor\u201d. <em>\u201cSet the table, please.\u201d<\/em><em><\/em><\/td><td>\u201c<strong><u>Pon<\/u><\/strong> la mesa, por favor\u201d. <em>\u201cSet the table, please.\u201d<\/em><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;The verbs <em>SER<\/em> (to be) and <em>ESTAR<\/em> (to be) remain the same for both pronouns:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><tbody><tr><td><strong>SER -&gt;<\/strong><\/td><td><strong><span style=\"color: #f66f26;\" class=\"stk-highlight\">S\u00e9<\/span> vos mismo siempre.<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><\/td><td><strong><span style=\"color: #f66f26;\" class=\"stk-highlight\">S\u00e9<\/span> t\u00fa<\/strong> mismo siempre<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><\/td><td><em>Always be yourself.<\/em><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><tbody><tr><td><strong>ESTAR -&gt;<\/strong><\/td><td><strong><strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\" class=\"stk-highlight\">Che<\/span><\/strong><span style=\"color: #f66f26;\" class=\"stk-highlight\"><strong> <\/strong><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\" class=\"stk-highlight\"><strong>vos, <\/strong><\/span><\/strong><span style=\"color: #f66f26;\" class=\"stk-highlight\">estate<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\" class=\"stk-highlight\"> quieto un rato.<\/span><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><\/td><td><strong><strong>Oye t\u00fa, <\/strong><\/strong><span style=\"color: #f66f26;\" class=\"stk-highlight\">estate<\/span> quieto un rato.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><\/td><td><em><em>Hey you, be quiet for a while.<\/em><em>&nbsp;<\/em><\/em><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>More on <a href=\"https:\/\/latinamericanspanishcafe.com\/when-use-ser-estar\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"2436\">using SER and ESTAR in conversation<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"the-origin-and-backstory-of-vos-in-spanish\"><\/span><strong>The origin and backstory of <em>Vos <\/em>in Spanish<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The first traces of the use of <strong>vos in Spanish<\/strong> appeared in Spain in the IV Century, and its use was deferential or respectful. This v<em>oseo reverencial<\/em> was used to address people of the highest orders, like emperors or kings.&nbsp; The familiar <strong>second person singular pronoun<\/strong> was <em>t\u00fa<\/em>, and the deferential <em>vos<\/em> was both singular and plural.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The grammatical forms were: <em>vos<\/em>, subject (\u201c<em>Vos dec\u00eds<\/em>\u201d) and prepositional complement (\u201c<em>Ir\u00e9 con vos<\/em>\u201d); <em>os<\/em>, object (\u201c<em>Yo os lo digo<\/em>\u201d). The verb was always in the plural form, even when a single person was addressed. In order to distinguish both uses, the formula <em>Vuestra Merced<\/em> (\u201cyour Grace\u201d) appeared in the XVI C. Over time, this form turned into the <em>usted<\/em> that we use nowadays to address a single interlocutor in formal contexts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>From then on, <em>vos<\/em> was used only as a <strong>singular second person<\/strong> <strong>pronoun<\/strong>, and speakers added the form <em>otros<\/em> (others) when used in the plural form (<em>vos otros<\/em> \u2192 <em>vosotros<\/em>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>According to the Venezuelan writer, essayist, critic and professor Iraset Paez Urdaneta, at some point between the VI and VII C the social use of <em>vos<\/em> to address someone from inferior to superior hierarchy, turned in the opposite direction- from superior to inferior; until it reached a point when it started to be used to address people of the same social status.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>By the XVIII Century, <strong>Spanish voseo<\/strong> disappeared completely from Peninsular Spanish, in favor of <em>usted<\/em> for formal address, and <em>t\u00fa<\/em> for familiar uses. Yet it was retained in the Americas, where the Spaniards used it to reinforce the social distance between the conqueror (Spain) and the conquered (the Americas). <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Over time, <strong>Spanish voseo<\/strong> disappeared from most of the territories that held economic bonds with Spain like Peru, Mexico, and the Caribbean; and remained only in the most Southern countries like Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay, where c<em>riollos<\/em> used it to address one another and displaced the use of <em>t\u00fa<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:100px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/latinamericanspanishcafe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/vos-in-spanish-Pinterest.jpg\" alt=\"vos in spanish (pinterest)\" class=\"wp-image-2207\" width=\"500\" height=\"750\" srcset=\"https:\/\/latinamericanspanishcafe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/vos-in-spanish-Pinterest.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/latinamericanspanishcafe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/vos-in-spanish-Pinterest-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/latinamericanspanishcafe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/vos-in-spanish-Pinterest-683x1024.jpg 683w, https:\/\/latinamericanspanishcafe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/vos-in-spanish-Pinterest-768x1152.jpg 768w, https:\/\/latinamericanspanishcafe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/vos-in-spanish-Pinterest-380x570.jpg 380w, https:\/\/latinamericanspanishcafe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/vos-in-spanish-Pinterest-150x225.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Traveling to a Spanish-speaking country, or communicating with Spanish speakers for business or any other reason, you&#8217;ll gain a closer relationship with your interlocutor if you can address them as a local. This is a complete guide to the conjugations, uses, history, and areas of influence of the pronoun vos in Spanish, as well as [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2208,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"Vos 101: How to Use the 2nd Person Singular Spanish Pronoun","_seopress_titles_desc":"Why do some countries use the pronoun vos instead of the pronoun t\u00fa? What is the difference and where to use both? ","_seopress_robots_index":"","_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2,68],"tags":[],"featured_image_urls":{"full":["https:\/\/latinamericanspanishcafe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/voseo-in-spanish-how-to-use.png",1200,800,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/latinamericanspanishcafe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/voseo-in-spanish-how-to-use-150x150.png",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/latinamericanspanishcafe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/voseo-in-spanish-how-to-use-300x200.png",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/latinamericanspanishcafe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/voseo-in-spanish-how-to-use-768x512.png",768,512,true],"large":["https:\/\/latinamericanspanishcafe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/voseo-in-spanish-how-to-use-1024x683.png",1024,683,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/latinamericanspanishcafe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/voseo-in-spanish-how-to-use.png",1200,800,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/latinamericanspanishcafe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/voseo-in-spanish-how-to-use.png",1200,800,false],"single-featured-image":["https:\/\/latinamericanspanishcafe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/voseo-in-spanish-how-to-use-1200x385.png",1200,385,true],"blog-featured-image":["https:\/\/latinamericanspanishcafe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/voseo-in-spanish-how-to-use-680x290.png",680,290,true],"home-featured":["https:\/\/latinamericanspanishcafe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/voseo-in-spanish-how-to-use-380x570.png",380,570,true],"gb-block-post-grid-landscape":["https:\/\/latinamericanspanishcafe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/voseo-in-spanish-how-to-use-600x400.png",600,400,true],"gb-block-post-grid-square":["https:\/\/latinamericanspanishcafe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/voseo-in-spanish-how-to-use-600x600.png",600,600,true]},"post_excerpt_stackable":"<p>Traveling to a Spanish-speaking country, or communicating with Spanish speakers for business or any other reason, you&#8217;ll gain a closer relationship with your interlocutor if you can address them as a local. This is a complete guide to the conjugations, uses, history, and areas of influence of the pronoun vos in Spanish, as well as its differences and similarities with the pronouns t\u00fa and usted.&nbsp;&nbsp; Table of Contents ToggleWhat\u2019s the difference between t\u00fa, vos, and usted?Where in the world is voseo used?Voseo ConjugationsThe origin and backstory of Vos in Spanish What\u2019s the difference between t\u00fa, vos, and usted? Usted is&hellip;<\/p>\n","category_list":"<a href=\"https:\/\/latinamericanspanishcafe.com\/category\/argentina\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Argentina<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/latinamericanspanishcafe.com\/category\/grammar\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Grammar<\/a>","author_info":{"display_name":"Keith","author_link":"https:\/\/latinamericanspanishcafe.com\/author\/s83cw\/"},"comments_num":"0 comments","featured_image_urls_v2":{"full":["https:\/\/latinamericanspanishcafe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/voseo-in-spanish-how-to-use.png",1200,800,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/latinamericanspanishcafe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/voseo-in-spanish-how-to-use-150x150.png",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/latinamericanspanishcafe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/voseo-in-spanish-how-to-use-300x200.png",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/latinamericanspanishcafe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/voseo-in-spanish-how-to-use-768x512.png",768,512,true],"large":["https:\/\/latinamericanspanishcafe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/voseo-in-spanish-how-to-use-1024x683.png",1024,683,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/latinamericanspanishcafe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/voseo-in-spanish-how-to-use.png",1200,800,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/latinamericanspanishcafe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/voseo-in-spanish-how-to-use.png",1200,800,false],"single-featured-image":["https:\/\/latinamericanspanishcafe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/voseo-in-spanish-how-to-use-1200x385.png",1200,385,true],"blog-featured-image":["https:\/\/latinamericanspanishcafe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/voseo-in-spanish-how-to-use-680x290.png",680,290,true],"home-featured":["https:\/\/latinamericanspanishcafe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/voseo-in-spanish-how-to-use-380x570.png",380,570,true],"gb-block-post-grid-landscape":["https:\/\/latinamericanspanishcafe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/voseo-in-spanish-how-to-use-600x400.png",600,400,true],"gb-block-post-grid-square":["https:\/\/latinamericanspanishcafe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/voseo-in-spanish-how-to-use-600x600.png",600,600,true]},"post_excerpt_stackable_v2":"<p>Traveling to a Spanish-speaking country, or communicating with Spanish speakers for business or any other reason, you&#8217;ll gain a closer relationship with your interlocutor if you can address them as a local. This is a complete guide to the conjugations, uses, history, and areas of influence of the pronoun vos in Spanish, as well as its differences and similarities with the pronouns t\u00fa and usted.&nbsp;&nbsp; Table of Contents ToggleWhat\u2019s the difference between t\u00fa, vos, and usted?Where in the world is voseo used?Voseo ConjugationsThe origin and backstory of Vos in Spanish What\u2019s the difference between t\u00fa, vos, and usted? Usted is&hellip;<\/p>\n","category_list_v2":"<a href=\"https:\/\/latinamericanspanishcafe.com\/category\/argentina\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Argentina<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/latinamericanspanishcafe.com\/category\/grammar\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Grammar<\/a>","author_info_v2":{"name":"Keith","url":"https:\/\/latinamericanspanishcafe.com\/author\/s83cw\/"},"comments_num_v2":"0 comments","featured_image_src":"https:\/\/latinamericanspanishcafe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/voseo-in-spanish-how-to-use-600x400.png","featured_image_src_square":"https:\/\/latinamericanspanishcafe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/voseo-in-spanish-how-to-use-600x600.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/latinamericanspanishcafe.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2204"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/latinamericanspanishcafe.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/latinamericanspanishcafe.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/latinamericanspanishcafe.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/latinamericanspanishcafe.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2204"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/latinamericanspanishcafe.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2204\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2884,"href":"https:\/\/latinamericanspanishcafe.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2204\/revisions\/2884"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/latinamericanspanishcafe.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2208"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/latinamericanspanishcafe.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2204"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/latinamericanspanishcafe.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2204"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/latinamericanspanishcafe.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2204"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}