If you're learning Spanish, you've probably noticed that saying "you" isn't as straightforward as it is in English. While English has just one word for "you," Spanish offers three main options: tú, usted, and vos. Each one reflects different levels of formality, regional preferences, and social contexts. Today, we'll break down when and how to use each of these pronouns, plus we'll reveal a surprising grammatical quirk that often confuses learners.
Let's start with the basics. Spanish has three primary second-person singular pronouns:
Tú: Informal "you" (used with friends, family, peers)
Usted: Formal "you" (used to show respect)
Vos: Informal "you" (used in specific regions like Argentina, Uruguay, and parts of Central America)
The choice between these pronouns depends on two main factors: your relationship with the person you're addressing and the Spanish-speaking region where you are.
Generally speaking, usted is the go-to pronoun when you want to show respect or maintain a professional distance. You'll typically use usted when speaking with:
Older adults
Authority figures (doctors, teachers, police officers)
People you've just met
Professional or business contexts
Here's a perfect example of usted in action:
¿Usted qué... qué me recomienda, doctor?
What do you... what do you recommend to me, Doctor?
Caption 14, Los médicos explican - El tratamiento de las fracturas
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Now, here's where things get interesting. If you've been watching the Colombian series Los Años Maravillosos, you might have noticed something unusual: people use usted even when talking to family members and close friends!
¿Y a usted qué le pasa, mi hijito?
And what's going on with you, my little boy?
Caption 35, Los Años Maravillosos - Capítulo 1
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This isn't a mistake. In Bogotá, Colombia, and surrounding areas, usted is commonly used in everyday situations where other Spanish speakers would use tú. This regional variation shows that the "formality rule" isn't universal across the Spanish-speaking world.
Here's the part that confuses many Spanish learners: even though usted means "you" (second person), we conjugate it as if it were third person singular, just like él (he) or ella (she). Let's see this in action with the verb trabajar (to work):
Él trabaja entre las nueve de la mañana
He works between nine in the morning
Caption 48, La casa - De Chus
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¿Dónde trabaja usted?
Where do you work?
Caption 9, 75 minutos - Gangas para ricos
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Notice how both él and usted use the same conjugation: trabaja. This pattern holds true for all verbs in all tenses.
To make this clearer, let's see all three pronouns in action with the verb tener (to have):
Claro que sí, tú tienes un don.
Of course, you have a gift.
Caption 79, Los casos de Yabla El examen - Part 2
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usted tiene dos caminos para solucionar este problema:
you have two paths to solving this problem:
Caption 66, Confidencial: Asesino al Volante Capítulo 3 - Part 7
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Ella se fue y vos tenés derecho a enamorarte.
She left and you have the right to fall in love.
Captions 65-66, Yago 12 Fianza - Part 6
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Notice the different conjugations:
• Tú tienes | You have
• Vos tenés | You have
• Usted tiene | You have
As you can see, tú and vos have their own distinct conjugations, but usted uses tiene, the same form as él or ella would use.
Understanding when and how to use tú, usted, and vos is essential for communicating naturally in Spanish. Remember these key points:
• Usted shows respect and formality in most contexts
• In some regions like Bogotá, usted is used even in casual settings
• Despite meaning "you," usted always conjugates as third person
• For casual conversations, tú is universally understood across the Spanish-speaking world
• Vos is the preferred informal pronoun in Argentina, Uruguay, and parts of Central America
Want to dive deeper into the differences between tú, usted, and vos? Make sure to check out our series about Tuteo, Ustedeo y Voseo for a comprehensive look at these fascinating regional variations.
We'd love to hear your thoughts on this topic! Share your questions and experiences with us.
In one of our latest videos, Raquel tells us about a very traditional festival in Spain: The "Fallas." When she explains what these "Fallas" are, she uses an expression that is worth exploring:
Se trata de unas figuras de gran tamaño
It's about some large-sized figures
hechas de cartón y de madera.
made of cardboard and wood.
Captions 26-27, Raquel - Fiestas de España
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The verb tratar means "to treat," "to try" or "attempt," but also "to deal with" and, like in the previous example, "to be about." Let's review some examples to master this useful verb.
When tratar means "to treat," is used the same way as in English:
¿Podrías tratarlo un poco mejor a tu hijo, no?
You could treat your son a little better, no?
Caption 31, Muñeca Brava - 1 Piloto
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In Spanish, however, this verb has many different applications. For example:
Necesitamos tratarnos.
We need to get to know each other.
Caption 18, El Ausente - Acto 3
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Bueno, a Felipe he tenido el privilegio de tratarlo.
Well, I have had the privilege to know Felipe.
Caption 38, Felipe Calderón - Publicidad
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Encerrarlos y maltratarlos es una cosa muy cruel.
To lock them up and abuse them is a very cruel thing.
Caption 33, Kikirikí - Animales
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Para tratar a alguien de "tú",
To address someone with "tú,"
tienes que tener una cierta cercanía...
you have to have a certain closeness...
Captions 22-23, Fundamentos del Español - 6 - Tú y Usted
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Me gusta tratar con... con el público,
I like dealing with... with the public,
con las personas que vienen.
with the people who come.
Captions 22-23, El Instituto Cervantes - Jefa de biblioteca
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Just as, in English, you can't use the verb "to treat" to translate the previous examples, in Spanish you can't use the verb tratar to express an idea such as "to treat someone to something." Instead you have to use the verbs invitar or convidar (to invite, to share):
Ni siquiera te convidé un café.
I didn't even treat you to a cup of coffee.
Caption 55, Muñeca Brava - 7 El poema
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Additionally, tratar can also mean "to try or attempt":
Pero en Andalucía varias iniciativas tratan de protegerlo.
But in Andalucia several initiatives attempt to protect it.
Caption 26, Club de las ideas - Batería de breves
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But don't ever try to use the verb tratar in the same way we use "to try" in expressions such as "try the food" or "try on the jeans." For that, Spanish uses another verb: probar. So, you must say prueba el pastel ("try the cake"), and me probé los pantalones ("I tried on the jeans") but never ever: trata el pastel or me traté los pantalones.
Tratar de (to try to) looks like tratarse de (to be about) but has a different meaning and it's not reflexive. Here is another example of tratarse de, using negation:
Ya ves que el juego no se trata de vestir mejor
You see that this game is not about dressing better
Caption 24, Hector Montaner - Apariencias
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These two examples are interesting. The same expression is used in Spanish, but English requires the use of different wording:
Es posible que alguna vez haya pensado usted,
It's possible that some time you have thought,
al escuchar el nombre del famoso arqueólogo
when hearing the name of the famous archeologist
Federico Kauffman Doig,
Federico Kauffman Doig,
que se trata de un investigador extranjero.
that he is a foreign researcher.
Captions 9-11, Federico Kauffman Doig - Arqueólogo
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Y más aún si se trata de ti
And even more so when it's related to you
Caption 7, Gloria Trevi - Cinco minutos
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Do you want to find more examples of the verb tratar in our catalog? You can use the search tool at the top of the screen in the Videos tab of our site to do so. Maybe you can find a use of tratar that we haven't discussed here. ¡Todo se trata de tratar, verdad?! (It's all about trying, right?). If you find some, tweet us @yabla or share them with us at [email protected].
The Spanish verb caer means "to fall." Listen to what our artist friend Francisco tells us about a big coastal flood that took place in Venezuela a few years back:
Mucha madera cayó al mar.
A lot of wood fell into the sea.
Caption 13, Playa Adícora - Francisco
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When describing the tumble-down of a person, caer is very commonly used in the reflexive, caerse. Notice it when Venezuelan pop band Sondulo sings this line:
Si me caigo, me vuelvo a parar
If I fall, I stand up again
Caption 8, Sondulo - Que te vaya mal
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On the other hand, it is also possible to use caer when someone drops something.
¿Y en un momento se te cayó una birome al piso?
And at a certain moment you dropped a pen on the floor?
Caption 71, Cuatro Amigas - Piloto
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This is the same sort of “impersonal” (passive voice) construction that we saw in our lesson on olvidar. Literally, what the Spanish phrase is saying is that the pen fell and that this happened to “you.” (Spanish speakers will understand that you unintentionally dropped it.)
The reflexive verb caerse is conjugated in relation to the object dropped, the pen, not to the person who (unintentionally) dropped it. It is only thanks to the indirect object pronoun te that we know that it was “you” (tú) who dropped it. As a consequence, if we remove the pronoun “te” the meaning of the sentence will change:
¿Y en un momento se cayó una birome al piso? -Sí.
And at a certain moment a pen fell on the floor? -Yes.
We find the same construction when Mexican first lady Margarita Zavala talks about her husband, Felipe:
Felipe es un... muy buen papá.
Felipe is a... very good father.
Pues se le cae la baba por sus hijos, les toma fotos...
Well, he drolls over his children, he takes pictures of them...
Captions 16-17, Felipe Calderón - Publicidad
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Caérsele (a uno) la baba is an expression used to express deep fondness for someone or something. Literally, la baba means “the drool.” So the idea is that you like something so much it makes you drool (or “the drool falls”/”you drool”). Of course it’s an expression and native speakers do not think about it in literal terms.
Note that this “impersonal” construction is not used if someone drops something intentionally, in that case we look to the verb tirar:
Cuando vio la pistola, tiró el cuchillo.
When he saw the gun, he dropped the knife.
Keep your eye out for these and other interesting uses of caer when you tune into Yabla Spanish for your daily dose of authentic Spanish.
Did we mention Felipe Calderón is a politician? In Part 2 of the presidential candidate's promotional video, Calderón discusses his profound love for his family.
Y comparto con ella, pues, no solo el amor que nos tenemos, que es un amor sincero,
And I share with her, well, not only the love that we have for each other, that is a sincere love,
que es un amor profundo, que es un amor bello...
that is a deep love, that is a beautiful love...
sino también el amor que tenemos por nuestros tres magníficos hijos...
but also the love that we have for our three wonderful kids...
Captions 13-15, Felipe Calderón - Publicidad - Part 2
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María... es... una niña muy linda...
Maria... is... a very pretty girl...
Luis Felipe... es un niño muy lindo...
Luis Felipe... is a very lovely child...
Juan Pablo... es una lindura...
Juan Pablo, two years old, is so beautiful...
Captions 19-24, Felipe Calderón - Publicidad - Part 2
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He describes each one of his three kids -María, Luis Felipe and Juan Pablo- as lindo(a), meaning "pretty" or "beautiful." This synonym for bonito, hermoso or bello is an adjective that is used a lot in the Spanish-speaking world. See a baby on the street and "¡Qué lindo!" (or "¡Qué linda!") is a very common thing to say.
In the sentences quoted above, note that linda agrees with the feminine noun niña ("girl") and lindo agrees with the masculine noun niño ("boy"). Also note that Calderón employs the noun lindura ("a beauty") to describe his youngest son -a noun that's always feminine, despite his son's gender.
Another way the proud dad describes his tres magníficos hijos ("three magnificent children") appears in caption 18:
Bueno la verdad es que son tres chavos sensacionales.
Well the truth is that they are three sensational kids.
Caption 18, Felipe Calderón - Publicidad - Part 2
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We translate this as: "Well the truth is that they are three sensational kids." But instead of repeating the standard word hijos ("kids" or "sons [and daughters]"), Calderón uses chavos, which is a colloquialism heard in Calderón's native Mexico as well as Honduras and Nicaragua, according to the authoritative Real Academia Española. Like hijos or niños, chavos means "kids," but not necessarily in the sense of sons and daughters. Got that, muchachos?