Usted vs Tú: How To Avoid Confusing The Spanish “YOU”

It’s easy to see why Spanish students are commonly confused by usted vs tú.

Both pronouns in Spanish mean you, whereas in English, you is used as a one-size-fits-all pronoun, regardless of who you are speaking to.

The easiest way to remember the differences between both words is that usted is formal while tú is informal.

If you remember this rule, then you’ll avoid confusing the two words, 90% of the time.

We should mention that while remembering this rule will help you, the use of usted vs tú as formal vs informal is more common in some Spanish-speaking countries than others.

Generally, you don’t need to worry about disrespecting somebody by using the wrong pronoun, especially as a Spanish student, since locals will understand that you aren’t speaking your native language.

Now with that little introduction out of the way, let’s look at the differences between how usted vs tú are conjugated with the most commonly used Spanish verbs.

Conjugating Tú vs Usted

Let’s review how to conjugate some basic verbs. Usted uses the third-person singular conjugation, which is the same as for él and ella.

Verb	Usted	Tú
Ser (To be)	es	eres
Estar (To be)	está	estás
Tener (To have)	tiene	tienes
Ir (To go)	va	vas
Querer (To want)	quiere	quieres

Now, let’s review how usted and tú are used as direct object pronouns and as reflexive pronouns.

Pronoun	Usted	Tú
Direct object	Lo (masculine) La (feminine)  Le (objects)	Te
Reflexive pronoun	Se	Te

Now, let’s see some examples of formal vs informal sentences based on using usted vs tú.

Formal (usted)	Informal (tú)
¿Usted es su mamá? – Are you her mom?	¿Tú eres su mamá? – Are you her mom?
¿Quiere que lo/la despierte temprano? – Do you want me to wake you up early?	¿Quieres que te despierte temprano? – Do you want me to wake you up early?
Hola, ¿Cómo está? ¿ En qué puedo ayudarlo/la? – Hello how are you? How can I help you?	Hola, ¿Cómo estás? ¿En qué puedo ayudarte? – Hello how are you? How can I help you?
¿Se siente bien? – Do you feel well?	¿Te sientes bien? – Do you feel well?

As you can see, the differences in conjugations are subtle, yet noticeable.

When To Use Tú

Below are the most common scenarios when you’ll need to use the tú pronoun.

1) When there is a relationship of trust between people

Use tú to talk with friends, family, coworkers, couple, classmates, etc.

• I came early to help you with the project. – Vine temprano para ayudarte con el proyecto.

• Mom, I’m going to invite you to lunch today. – Mamá, te voy a invitar a almorzar hoy.

• You told me you’d go to the party with me, don’t leave me alone. – Tu me dijiste que irías conmigo a la fiesta, no me dejes solo/a.

2) When you talk to a stranger who is perceived to be of a similar age

You can use tú to talk to waiters, waitresses, sellers, hotel receptionists, people on the street to ask for the time, etc, whenever they appear to be a similar age to you or younger.

• Could you please bring me the menu? – ¿Por favor podrías traerme el menú?

• Can you tell me the price of those pants? – ¿Puedes decirme el precio de ese pantalón?

• Are you lost? If you want, I can go with you to the police station. – ¿Estás perdido/a? Si quieres, yo puedo ir contigo hasta la estación de policía.

3) When you talk to children

To talk with children, always use the simplest vocabulary and always use tú.

• Do you want to eat now or later? – ¿Quieres comer ahora o más tarde?

• You have to do your homework. – Tienes que hacer tu tarea.

• Call your grandmother and say thanks for the gift. – Llama a tu abuela y da las gracias por el regalo.

Sidenote: Remember that in Spanish, personal pronouns can be omitted, but conjugations must match.

When To Use Usted

1) To talk with older people

It’s common for some people to use usted with their in-laws in order to show respect.

You can also use it to talk to your friends’ grandparents, or anyone older than you, whether you know them or not – it’s simply a nice gesture of respect.

• Do you want me to help you with dinner? – ¿Quiere que le ayude con la cena?

• You were very pretty as a young woman and still are. – Usted era muy guapa de joven y aún sigue siéndolo.

• Could you tell me your last name to find  your reservation? – ¿Podría decirme su apellido para buscar su reservación?

2) To talk to your boss or senior executives

Whenever you talk with your boss, or a coworker who has a higher rank within the company, it is better that you use usted instead of tú.

• Here are the documents you requested early. – Aquí están los documentos que me solicitó temprano.

• Remember that your meeting starts in 15 minutes. – Recuerde que su reunión comienza en 15 minutos.

• Do you want me to send someone to buy your lunch? – ¿Quiere que mande a alguien a comprar su almuerzo?

Don’t want to use Usted? No problem, change it for Señor or Señora

For some people, using usted may seem a bit too formal or awkward.

In that case, you can show the same level of respect for the person you are speaking to by simply substituting usted for Señor (Sir, Mr.) or Señora (Lady, Mrs.) before the person’s name.

The conjugation of the verb stays the same, as if you were using usted.

• Good morning, Mr. Pablo. – Buenos días, Señor Pablo.

• Good evening, Mrs. Patricia. – Buenas noches, Señora Patricia.

• Mr. Francisco, how are you today? – ¿Cómo está hoy, Señor Francisco?

• Have a nice day Mrs. Clara. – Que tenga un buen día Señora Clara.

Usted vs Tú: Some Final Examples

Before we wrap up this blog post, we’ll leave you with a couple of final examples of common expressions that differ in conjugation depending on whether you choose to use usted vs tú.

English	Tú	Usted
How are you?	¿Cómo estás?	¿Cómo está?
Need help?	¿Necesitas ayuda?	¿Necesita ayuda?
What’s your name?	¿Cuál es tu nombre?	¿Cuál es su nombre?
Where are you from?	¿De dónde eres tú?	¿De dónde es usted?
Can you give me your phone number?	¿Me das tu número de teléfono?	¿Me da su número de teléfono?
Let me help you with this	Déjame ayudarte con esto	Déjeme ayudarlo/la con esto
I go with you	Yo voy contigo	Yo voy con usted
Do you want something to drink?	¿Quieres algo para beber?	¿Quiere algo para beber?

Usted vs Tú: Exercices

Choose the correct conjugation based on whether the sentence should be formal or informal.

1) No se _____ Señor. (preocupes / preocupe)

Don’t worry sir.

2) Puedo _____ con tu tarea. (ayudarte / ayudarlo)

I can help you with your homework.

3) Bienvenido al hotel ¿Me _____ su apellido? (dices / dice)

Welcome to the hotel. Can you tell me your last name?

4) Ella es _____ nueva compañera de trabajo. (tu / su)

She is your new coworker.

5) Tú _____ mucho trabajo atrasado. (tienes / tiene)

You have a lot of delayed work.

6) ¿Señora, _____ darme su pasaporte por favor? (puedes / puede)

Ma’am, Can you give me your passport please?

Answers

1. No se preocupe Señor.
2. Puedo ayudarte con tu tarea.
3. Bienvenido al hotel ¿Me dice su apellido?
4. Ella es tu nueva compañera de trabajo.
5. Tú tienes mucho trabajo atrasado.
6. Señora, ¿Puede darme su pasaporte por favor?