How do you say "you" in Spanish? In contrast to English, where "you" just say "you," there are a plethora of different ways to say this in Spanish, which we'll explore today.
Subject pronouns in Spanish (e.g. yo (I), tú (you), él/ella (he/she), etc.) are the most basic way to say "you." While in English, "you" is the only second person subject pronoun, in Spanish, there are five different ones, and the one you choose will depend on such factors as whether you are addressing one or more than one person, if the situation is more or less formal, and what region you are in. Let's take a closer look.
Simply put, tú means "you" for speaking to just one person in less formal situations, such as speaking to someone you already know. This is the most common familiar second person subject pronoun in most Spanish-speaking countries.
Tú hablas obviamente muy bien el español, pero
You obviously speak Spanish very well, but
Caption 10, Carlos y Xavi Part 4 Tradiciones y comida de Barcelona
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Vos is used in a similar fashion as tú in certain countries/regions. It is heard predominantly in Argentina and Uruguay but also in certain areas of Paraguay, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Panama, Mexico, and Venezuela.
¿Y vos hablás de mí?
And you talk about me?
Caption 51, Muñeca Brava 18 - La Apuesta - Part 11
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Usted is used to address just one person in more formal situations. Examples might be when you don't know someone and wish to be polite or, perhaps, when addressing an elder.
¿Usted habla del ganso ese? -Sí.
Are you talking about that goose? -Yes.
Caption 54, Muñeca Brava 1 Piloto - Part 10
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Vosotros and vosotras are employed to address more than one person informally and are thus the plural equivalent of tú. Vosotros is used for a group of all males or a mixed male-female group, while vosotras is used for more than one person when everyone is female. Vosotros and vosotras are only used in Spain.
Vosotros habláis.
You [plural] speak.
Caption 11, Fundamentos del Español 7 - Ser y Estar
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Ustedes is used in all Spanish-speaking countries except Spain as the only plural form of saying "you," regardless of formality. However, in Spain, it is used more formally as the plural equivalent of usted (to distinguish it with the less formal vosotros/as).
Y es que hay muchas diferencias entre la forma en que ustedes hablan el español
And it's just that there are a lot of differences between the way in which you guys speak Spanish
Captions 44-45, Carlos y Xavi Part 2 Ustedes y Vosotros
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All of the aforementioned subject pronouns in these clips have been translated as "you" with the exception of the last one, which was translated with the informal "you guys" to emphasize that it is directed to more than one person. However, it would be perfectly acceptable to translate ustedes as merely "you" since English often employs this pronoun to address multiple people.
For an abundance of additional information on these five subject pronouns for "you" in Spanish, we recommend Carlos' five-part video series on the Tuteo, ustedeo y voseo.
As you may have noticed in the examples above, all of which contain the simple present form of the verb hablar (to speak), the form of "you" utilized affects the verb conjugation. Although this happens in every verb tense in Spanish, let's start by taking a look at the simple present tense conjugations of three common Spanish verbs with their various "you" forms highlighted.
| Personal Pronoun | Hablar | Comer | Subir |
| Yo | hablo | como | subo |
| Tú | hablas | comes | subes |
| Vos | hablás | comés | subís |
| Él/ella | habla | come | sube |
| Usted | habla | come | sube |
| Nosotros/nosotras | hablamos | comemos | subimos |
| Ellos/ellas | hablan | comen | suben |
| Ustedes | hablan | comen | suben |
| Vosotros/vosotras | habláis | coméis | subís |
You will note that the verb conjugations for all of the five forms of "you" in Spanish differ from one another. Additionally, the conjugation for usted is the same as the conjugation for the third person singular él/ella (he/she) while the conjugation for ustedes is the same as the third person plural conjugation for ellos/ellas (they). Additionally, the conjugations for vos and vosotros/as are the same for -ir verbs.
Remember that in Spanish, you don't necessarily need to explicitly say the subject pronoun in order to know which one is in use because the verb tenses themselves make that clear. That said, let's examine a few examples with different forms of "you" and the verb saber (to know).
¿Sabéis qué es un volcán?
Do you know what a volcano is?
Caption 18, Aprendiendo con Silvia Los volcanes
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Ay, ¿sabes qué?
Oh, you know what?
Caption 21, Club 10 Capítulo 1 - Part 1
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¿Sabe que no me parece suficiente?
Do you know that it doesn't seem like enough to me?
Caption 62, Confidencial: El rey de la estafa Capítulo 3 - Part 3
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Despite the absence of subject pronouns, you can tell from the verbs' conjugation that the first example refers to vosotros, the second example refers to tú, and the third example refers to usted, and for this reason, all three have been translated with "you know." While the third example could technically refer to él or ella as well since the conjugations for all three are the same, the context (one person speaking directly to another rather than talking about anyone else) alerts you that the speaker is addressing the other person as usted.
Subject pronouns are not the only way to represent the word "you" in Spanish. Other types of Spanish pronouns (direct object, indirect object, and prepositional) also mean "you." Let's see which of each of these types of pronouns correspond with which "you" subject pronouns:
| Subject Pronoun | Direct Object Pronoun | Indirect Object Pronoun | Prepositional Pronoun |
| Tú | te | te | ti |
| Vos | te | te | vos |
| Usted | lo, la | le | usted |
| Ustedes | los, las | les | ustedes |
| Vosotros/as | os | os | vosotros/as |
While we won't delve too deeply into these topics, we will provide a brief summary of each of them and give you some examples.
Direct object pronouns take the place of the direct object (the recipient of an action) in a sentence and answer the question of "what" or "who." Let's see a couple of examples:
Vale, no... no os veo... no os veo con mucha...
OK, I don't... I don't see you... I don't see you with a lot...
Caption 39, Escuela BCNLIP Clase con Javi: el futuro - Part 3
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Los veo en el próximo video.
See you in the next video.
Caption 44, Manos a la obra Postres de Minecraft
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In both examples, the translation of the direct object pronoun is "you." In the first, os takes the place of vosotros, and in the second, los takes the place of ustedes.
Indirect object pronouns answer the question "to who/whom" or "for who/whom" an action is carried out. Let's take a look:
De verdad, yo le doy la plata que tengo ahí;
Seriously, I'll give you the money I have there;
Caption 25, Confidencial: Asesino al Volante Capítulo 1 - Part 1
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Otra recomendación que les puedo hacer es que traigan zapatos para el agua,
Another recommendation that I can give you is to bring water shoes,
Captions 35-36, Alan x el mundo Mi playa favorita de México! - Part 2
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In the first example, le lets you know that the speaker will give the money "to" usted, while in the second, the recommendation is being given "to" ustedes. While the indirect object pronouns in these two captions have been translated with simply "you," the translator might also have opted for "I'll give the money I have there to you" and/or "Another recommendation that I can give to you is to bring water shoes."
To learn more about indirect and direct object pronouns, check out this two-part lesson on How to Use Direct and Indirect Object Pronouns.
Prepositional pronouns are pronouns that follow a preposition (words like para (for), de (of, about), en (in, about), etc.) in a sentence.
Este libro es para ti. Este libro es para vos.
This book is for you. This book is for you.
Captions 47-48, Carlos y Cyndy Uso del Voseo en Argentina
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y hoy, he preparado para ustedes estos objetos
and today, I've prepared these objects for you
Caption 3, Ana Carolina El uso correcto de los adjetivos
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Interestingly, ti is the only prepositional pronoun meaning "you" that differs in form from its corresponding subject pronoun.
We hope that this lesson has made clear the many different ways that Spanish expresses the concept of "you." That's all for today... and don't forget to leave us your suggestions and comments.
Unfortunately, we all have times when we feel tired (cansado) or angry (enojado). So, how can we describe these emotions in Spanish, beyond those basic terms? In this lesson, we will go over some more evocative expressions to explain how you feel, say, after a hard day at the office or when you are sick and tired of arguing with that certain someone once more.
There are several adjectives and phrases to show that we have run out of energy, one of which is estar agotado/a (to be exhausted):
Yo también estoy agotada.
I am also exhausted.
Caption 27, NPS No puede ser - 1 - El concurso
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In addition, the girls on Muñeca Brava, who are always colorful in their vocabulary and ready to share their emotions, give us three expressions in a row!
Te juro, Mili, que estoy muerta.
I swear to you, Mili, that I'm dead tired.
No doy más. Knockout.
I'm exhausted. Knocked out.
Captions 2-3, Muñeca Brava - 43 La reunión
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Sometimes we are so tired that we tend to get irritable, and, in this kind of limbo before anger itself, you might feel agobio or fastidio. Unlike the previous examples, feeling agobiado or fastidioso cannot result from physical activity since these terms are related to your emotions.
de un tipo que está agobiado.
of a guy who is overwhelmed.
Caption 60, Bersuit Vergarabat - EPK
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On those other days when we are just plain mad, vocabulary like cabreado (annoyed), harto (sick and tired), and arrecho (angry) might come in handy.
It is worth mentioning that both bronca and rabia collocate, or tend to go along with, the same verbs: dar (in this case "to cause"), tener ("to be" or "feel" in these examples), and pasar (when that feeling has "passed," or "ended"):
Me da bronca/rabia. It makes me angry/annoys me.
Tengo bronca/rabia. I'm angry/furious.
Se me pasó la bronca/rabia. I'm not angry anymore.
me empezó a apretar y lo que más bronca me dio que me...
he started to squeeze me and what annoyed me the most [was] that...
Caption 14, Muñeca Brava - 2 Venganza
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que una forma de manejar la rabia
that a way to manage rage
es aceptar que tengo rabia y por qué,
is to accept that I feel rage and why,
Captions 51-52, Escribiendo un libro - Algunos consejos sobre cómo comenzar
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Other useful adjectives are podrido/a (informal, colloquial), which is common in Argentina, or encabronado/a, which is common in Spain:
Mira, mi madre y vos me tienen podrido.
Look, I'm sick and tired of you and my mother.
Caption 30, Muñeca Brava - 1 Piloto - Part 3
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On an episode of El Aula Azul's - La Doctora Consejos, we learn the expression sacar de quicio (to annoy someone) and recommend watching this video to hear several examples of this expression:
¿qué cosas te sacan de quicio?
what things do you find annoying?
Caption 65, El Aula Azul - La Doctora Consejos: Subjuntivo y sentimientos
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This same video contains another idiom with a similar meaning that also uses the verb sacar:
¡Eso sí que me saca de mis casillas!
That really drives me crazy!
Caption 77, El Aula Azul - La Doctora Consejos: Subjuntivo y sentimientos
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And when someone has lost his or her temper, you might hear others say "Está sacado/a" (He/she lost it).
This additional idiom can be useful if you feel you've had enough and are short of patience:
Muy bien, estaba hasta la coronilla.
Just great, I was fed up.
Caption 16, Los Años Maravillosos - Capítulo 6
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Some other common verbs that can be used when something or someone "makes you angry" (or perhaps the less polite "pisses you off") include joder, reventar, sacar, embolar, and cabrear. In Spain, joder is also used as an extremely common exclamation (meaning anything on the spectrum of curse words from "Damn!" to worse), and in many countries, it can also mean "to party, "joke around with," or "kid" someone.
Me revienta que me digas "te lo dije."
I hate it when you say "I told you so."
Caption 35, Muñeca Brava - 1 Piloto - Part 10
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Keep in mind that, as all these verbs are informal and could potentially be perceived as rude outside the company of friends, it is always safer to go with more neutral verbs like enojar, irritar, molestar, or enfadar to express the idea that something has "made you mad." In doing so, you will also avoid regionalisms that could cause confusion across different Spanish dialects.
Some words can mean either angry or, of all things, horny! As a misunderstanding in this realm could be embarrassing, always analyze the context. In Argentina, for instance, the very informal calentarse or estar caliente can have either meaning.
Bueno, Llamita, pero eso tiene solución;
Well, Llamita, but that has a solution;
no te calentés.
don't get mad.
Captions 65-66, Yago - 14 La peruana
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The same thing happens across countries with the word arrecho. While arrecho means "angry" in Venezuela, in Colombia it can either mean "cool" or, once again, "horny." A bit confusing, right?
Yabla's video Curso de español - Expresiones de sentimientos elaborates on this and other expressions of emotion:
Entonces, "arrecho" en Venezuela significa enojado,
So, "arrecho" in Venezuela means mad,
pero en otros países significa otra cosa diferente
but in other countries it means different things
Captions 49-50, Curso de español - Expresiones de sentimientos
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The word arrecho is also used by the Colombian band ChocQuibTown, with its alternative meaning:
Y si sos chocoano, sos arrecho por cultura, ¡ey!
And if you are from Chocó, you are horny by culture, ay!
Caption 20, ChocQuibTown - Somos Pacifico
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That's all for now. We hope that you have found these alternative manners of talking about tiredness and anger useful (and that you don't need to use them too often)! And don't forget to send us your suggestions and comments.
Did you know that Spanish can sometimes use the subjunctive mood to state facts? For example:
Ahora, qué raro que lo haya atacado un puma.
But, it's strange that a puma attacked him.
Caption 66, Yago - 1 La llegada
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You may wonder, if the person was indeed attacked by a puma, why do we use the subjunctive here? The reason is the phrase que raro (it's strange). The subjunctive is caused by the person's judgment about the incident. The same applies to similar phrases used to express a judgment in Spanish: es raro (it's strange), es triste (it's sad), etc.
¿Sabés que éste es un lindo departamento?
Do you know that this is a nice apartment?
Es una pena que lo dejes. ¿Por qué?
It's a shame for you to leave it. Why?
Captions 5-6, Muñeca Brava - 36 La pesquisa
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Here's another example that states a fact with the subjunctive:
¿No te pone contenta que quiera vivir con vos aquí?
Doesn't it make you happy that I want to live here with you?
Caption 15, Yago - 4 El secreto
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It's a fact that the person speaking wants to live with her interlocutor, so why is she then using the subjunctive? Well, because using the subjunctive stresses the fact that she is not imposing her wishes, making for a more polite and refined expression. In this case, however, you could use the indicative as well. It's still correct, and could be used to subtly express a firmer determination: ¿no te pone contenta que quiero vivir con vos?
However, there are cases in which you can't use the indicative. For example:
No es malo que Lucía fume.
It's not bad that Lucía smokes.
Again, it's a fact that Lucía smokes, but the subjunctive is triggered by the judgment that the person speaking is making. To say no es malo que Lucía fuma is incorrect, and the same happens with other similar expressions. So you can be sure that any phrase similar to no es malo (it's not bad), no es un delito (it's not a crime), es un pecado (it's a sin), etc., will trigger the use of the subjunctive.
An even more confusing example of using the subjunctive to state a fact is:
Me revienta que me digas "te lo dije."
I hate it when you say "I told you so."
Caption 35, Muñeca Brava - 1 Piloto
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This is a very common use of the subjunctive but one that many learners might miss. The person speaking is not doubting or questioning what his interlocutor is saying, or the fact that he is saying it. The subjunctive is caused by the emotion of me revienta (I hate it) + another verb with a change of subject.
If you were to say, for example, me revienta escucharte (I hate listening to you), there is no change of subject in the verbs me revienta (I hate) and escucharte (to listen to you): both actions are performed by the same person, so you can use the indicative. But if there's a change of subject as in the example above, meaning that the action of the verbs me revienta (I hate) and digas (you say) belongs to different subjects, it's better to use the subjunctive for the second verb.
Some expressions of gratitude that use the verb agradecer (to thank) are classic examples of this construction: te agradezco que me ayudes (I thank you for helping me), te agradezco que me digas (I thank you for telling me), etc.
Compare the following examples, all of which use the subjunctive to state a fact:
Y me encanta que la gente disfrute con el deporte que practico.
And I love that people enjoy the sport that I do.
Caption 14, Los Juegos Olímpicos - Adrián Gavira
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bonitas o feas,
[whether] beautiful or ugly...
no soporto que las golpeen.
I can't tolerate for them to be beaten.
Captions 47-48, El Ausente - Acto 4
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¿Por qué no? -No me gusta que vivas sola, por eso.
Why? -I don't like it that you live alone, that's why.
Caption 89, Muñeca Brava - 2 Venganza
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Reventar
transitive verb
1. (a un caballo) "to ride to death"
2. (una propuesta, huelga) "to break"
3. (molestar mucho, enfadar) "to annoy, bother": Le revienta que le lleven la contraria, "he hates it when people cross him"
4. (un globo, las costuras) "to burst"
Courtesy of WordReference.com
As you see in the definitions above, reventar is quite a loaded verb. Depending on the context, it can mean "to ride a horse [or some other beast of burden] to death." It can also mean "to break a strike" or "to burst a seam." But the definition we're interested in here is #3, when Muñeca Brava's housebound matriarch gives her poor son the third degree. Her son responds:
Me revienta que me digas "te lo dije."
I hate it when you say "I told you so."
Caption 35, Muñeca Brava - 1 Piloto
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You see, he hates it when his mother says, "I told you so." Really, who doesn't? And guess what mother says right after that? Te lo dije. Them's fighting words.
(As an aside: Did you notice that the same actress plays another cranky and bossy matriarch in Provócame? Yes, in our new clip this week she has choice words for just about everyone who enters her sight.)
Tratá siempre a desbordar y mandar centro, desbordar y mandar centro ¿eh?
Try to always overtake and kick it to the center, overtake and send it to the center, eh?
Captions 2-3, Muñeca Brava - 1 Piloto
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If you clicked on the word desbordar in caption 2 while watching the 10th installment of Muñeca Brava, you saw the most common definition -"to flood"- pop up first from our Spanish-English dictionary. But desbordar doesn't only mean to flood. Not on the soccer field, for example. It also means "to surpass; to overwhelm" -or, even more sports-specifically, "to outplay." Looking at Latin American papers' sports pages (always filled with fútbol), you'll see desbordar is a favorite verb among sportswriters. For example: Desbordar a sus rivales means "to outplay their rivals."
Back to our first scene in Muñeca Brava, the good Father/coach is directing a young player to "always try to overtake your opponent and send the ball to the center, overtake him and send it center, eh?" Sounds easier said than done.
Note: Even our native speakers aren't 100% in agreement if the priest is talking about overtaking the ball, overtaking the player, or simply "outplaying" the opposing player. One native thought he was talking about "faking" a move, but we can't come to an agreement on that -- the distinction probably wasn't important to the tv writers, who perhaps just were aiming for some "coach talk."
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