Vosotros vs ustedes
Talking to more than one person? In Spain you have two ways to say "you all". In most of Latin America there’s just one.
English has one word for talking to a group: you, or "you all", or "you guys". Spanish from Spain has two, and which one you pick says something about who you’re talking to.
If you learn Spanish with Lucía, you’ll hear both. Here’s the difference, and why a friend from Mexico might never say vosotros at all.
Two ways to say "you all"
Vosotros (or vosotras for an all-female group) is the informal plural. Use it with friends, family, classmates, children: anyone you’d call tú on their own.
Ustedes is the formal plural, the group version of usted. In Spain you’ll hear it from a waiter addressing a table of strangers, in shops, at the bank, or in a formal speech.
«¿Vosotros qué queréis tomar?»
The verb forms
The two pronouns take different verb endings. Vosotros has its own set; ustedes borrows the "they" form, which makes it easier to learn.
| Verb | vosotros | ustedes |
|---|---|---|
| hablar · to speak | habláis | hablan |
| comer · to eat | coméis | comen |
| vivir · to live | vivís | viven |
| ser · to be | sois | son |
Vosotros also brings its own words for "your" and "you" as an object: vuestro (your) and os (you). «Os veo mañana» means "See you (all) tomorrow".
Where you’ll hear each
Most of Spain uses both: vosotros for friends, ustedes for formal situations. That’s what Lucía teaches.
Latin America uses ustedes for every group, formal or not. A mother in Bogotá calls her own children ustedes, and it sounds perfectly warm. You’ll still meet vosotros in older texts, the Bible and some songs.
Spain vs Latin America
The Canary Islands and parts of western Andalusia also use ustedes for friends, just like Latin America. If you only ever say ustedes, people everywhere will understand you: it’s never wrong, just a little formal in most of Spain.
Useful phrases
Tap the speaker to hear each one in Castilian Spanish.
With a group
A1–A2- ¿Qué tal estáis?[keh tahl ehs-TAH-ees] How are you all? (informal, Spain)
- ¿Cómo están ustedes?[KOH-moh ehs-TAHN oos-TEH-dehs] How are you all? (formal / Latin America)
- ¿De dónde sois?[deh DOHN-deh SOH-ees] Where are you all from? (informal, Spain)
- Os veo mañana.[ohs BEH-oh mah-NYAH-nah] See you (all) tomorrow.
- ¿Es vuestro?[ehs BWEHS-troh] Is it yours? (to a group, informal)
Try it
You’re in Madrid, asking two friends if they’re hungry. Which is more natural: «¿Tenéis hambre?» or «¿Tienen hambre?»?
Answer: ¿Tenéis hambre? With friends in Spain, use the vosotros form. In Latin America you’d say ¿Tienen hambre?
What’s the vosotros form of hablar (to speak)?
Answer: habláis, as in «¿Habláis inglés?», "Do you (all) speak English?"
