When is vosotros used

Using vosotros instead of ustedes is one of the slight differences that distinguish Latin American Spanish from European Spanish.

It is possible to learn when to use it by recognizing key variations from one country to another in their usage of the Spanish language. Keep reading for an insightful lesson on how to use vosotros when you talk to Spanish speakers in Spain. Vosotros is a Spanish personal pronoun used to refer to the second person plural in Spain. Vosotros is used when an individual person or speaker is addressing a group of 2 or more people.

Vosotros lo hicieron mejor que el otro grupo. You did better than the other group. You always have my support. People from Spain use vosotros as a personal pronoun in informal situations.

The common use of vosotros in Spain dates back to the origins of the Spanish language in the Iberian Peninsula. Learn more about The History and Origin of the Spanish Language in this fascinating and insightful article. The counterpart to vosotros in Latin America is ustedes. Ustedes is used in Latin America in both formal and informal situations.

Both vosotros and ustedes convey the same sense when speaking Spanish—the preference of one over the other relies on geography. Vosotros has different conjugations based on the ending of a verb and the tense. You talk on the phone a lot. Before the holidays, you guys were talking about going to the gym every day. In class tomorrow you will talk about the film. I like that you talk about school. The teacher wanted you to talk to her. Do you open the restaurant friday?

Did you open the restaurant yesterday? I dreamt you were opening my window. Do you think that with the remodeling you will open up to more markets? If Barcelona wins tomorrow, would you open the restaurant for longer hours? I would like you to open every day. Vosotros is NOT another way to say nosotros. You use it to talk to a pet, small child, friend, etc.

Vosotros is "You all" or as we say down here in the south, "Ya'll. One thing to note is that it is only used in Spain. That's probably why your teacher said not to bother with it. In most countries, the only way to speak to a group is with "Ustedes. Here is the reference article on personal pronouns which explains both "Vos" and "Vosotros", which are not the same thing. Most Spanish teachers of English students may not be familiar with vosotros , and have just not taught it in the past.

These days, both native and non-native Spanish teachers are keen on teaching this pronoun due to globalized learning initiatives. Vosotros is present in any context where 1 there is more than one person, and 2 the occasion is less formal.

Otherwise, the vosotros form rules the day in Spain. When do you use the vosotros subject pronoun? Share your stories with us below!

This article was originally published on September 11, , and then was edited for comprehensiveness on July 9, Inquire about our Language Courses.