Tú, usted or ustedes? Talking to people in Latin America

by Vocafy Beripikado

Espanyol A1 11 tanong People & relationships History & culture

Practice choosing between tú, usted and ustedes in everyday situations, from greeting a child to ordering in a café, and match each one with the right verb form.

1. 1. Piliin ang tamang sagot.

   At a bus stop, you want to speak to an older woman you don't know. Which word do you use for "you"?

   Disculpe, señora…

   • usted
   • tú
   • ustedes
   • nosotros

   Think about respect and distance: she is older and a stranger.

   Show solution

   • usted

   Use usted with strangers, older people and in polite situations. Tú is for friends, family and children. Ustedes is for more than one person.

2. 2. Piliin ang tamang sagot.

   You meet a young child at a family party. Which question fits best?

   • ¿Cómo te llamas?
   • ¿Cómo se llama usted?
   • ¿Cómo se llaman ustedes?
   • ¿Cómo me llamo?

   With children, people speak in a friendly, informal way.

   Show solution

   • ¿Cómo te llamas?

   "¿Cómo te llamas?" uses tú, which is natural with children. Usted would sound too formal, ustedes is for a group, and "¿Cómo me llamo?" means "What is my name?"

3. 3. Punan ang patlang.

   You are talking to your friend Ana.

   Ana, ¿tú ___ español?

   • hablas
   • habla
   • hablan
   • hablo

   Verb forms with tú usually end in -s.

   Show solution

   Ana, ¿tú hablas español?

   With tú, the verb ends in -s: tú hablas. Usted habla, ustedes hablan, yo hablo.

4. 4. Punan ang patlang.

   An older man is visiting your office and you want to ask what he would like to drink.

   Señor, ¿usted ___ café o té?

   • quiere
   • quieres
   • quieren
   • quiero

   Usted uses the same verb form as él and ella.

   Show solution

   Señor, ¿usted quiere café o té?

   Usted takes the same verb form as él/ella: usted quiere. Quieres is for tú, quieren for ustedes.

5. 5. Punan ang patlang.

   You meet a group of students and ask where they are from.

   Chicos, ¿ustedes ___ de México?

   • son
   • eres
   • es
   • somos

   Ustedes uses the same verb form as ellos and ellas.

   Show solution

   Chicos, ¿ustedes son de México?

   Ustedes takes the same verb form as ellos/ellas: ustedes son. Eres is for tú, es for usted, somos for nosotros.

6. 6. Piliin ang tamang sagot.

   In Latin America, you are talking to two close friends at the same time. Which word do you use for "you"?

   • ustedes
   • vosotros
   • tú
   • usted

   You are talking to more than one person.

   Show solution

   • ustedes

   In Latin America, ustedes is used for any group: friends, family or strangers. Vosotros is used in Spain, not in Latin America.

7. 7. Piliin ang tamang sagot.

   A waiter comes to the table where you and your friend are sitting. Which question does he ask you both?

   • ¿Qué quieren tomar?
   • ¿Qué quiere tomar?
   • ¿Qué quieres tomar?
   • ¿Qué queréis tomar?

   He is talking to two people.

   Show solution

   • ¿Qué quieren tomar?

   For two or more people, the verb takes the ustedes form: quieren. Quiere and quieres are for one person, and queréis (vosotros) is used in Spain.

8. 8. Piliin ang tamang sagot.

   Which sentence is correct?

   • Usted es muy amable.
   • Usted eres muy amable.
   • Tú es muy amable.
   • Ustedes es muy amables.

   Match each pronoun with its form of ser: tú eres, usted es, ustedes son.

   Show solution

   • Usted es muy amable.

   "Usted es muy amable" means "You are very kind" (polite). Usted always goes with es, never with eres.

9. 9. Punan ang mga patlang.

   First you talk to your mom, then to an older neighbor, Mrs. López.

   Mamá, ¿tú ___ café? Y usted, señora López, ¿___ té?

   • tomas
   • toma
   • toman
   • tomo

   Verb forms with tú usually end in -s; verb forms with usted do not.

   Show solution

   Mamá, ¿tú tomas café? Y usted, señora López, ¿toma té?

   With your mom you use tú: tú tomas. With Mrs. López you use usted: usted toma.

10. 10. Ilagay sa tamang pagkakasunod-sunod ang mga salita.

    Politely ask an older woman if she has a cell phone.

    • ¿usted
    • celular?
    • un
    • Señora,
    • tiene

    Start with the person's title, then the question.

    Show solution

    Señora, ¿usted tiene un celular?

    Usted goes with tiene. With tú it would be "¿tú tienes un celular?"

11. 11. Ilagay sa tamang pagkakasunod-sunod ang mga salita.

    Ask two guests if they want orange juice.

    • de
    • naranja?
    • ¿Ustedes
    • quieren
    • jugo

    In Spanish you say "juice of orange".

    Show solution

    ¿Ustedes quieren jugo de naranja?

    Ustedes goes with quieren. "Jugo de naranja" means orange juice.