Voseo
Voseo, that is to say the use of vos, is one of the two forms of informal address in Latin American Spanish along with tuteo (the use of tú). In Spain, this form is not used. It is found in the countries shown in blue on the map opposite: Central American countries, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay. In these countries, informal address is done with vos and formal address with usted. Ustedes is the plural of both vos and usted.
The formation of voseo causes a modification in the tonic stress. Note that voseo is not used in all tenses but only in the present indicative, the imperative and the present subjunctive.
| Spanish from Spain with tú |
Spanish from America with vos |
Translation |
| Present Indicative | ||
|
(tú) amas (tú) temes (tú) partes |
(vos) amás (vos) temés (vos) partés |
you love you fear you leave |
| Imperative | ||
|
(tú) ama (tú) teme (tú) parte |
(vos) amá (vos) temé (vos) partí |
love! fear! leave! |
| Present Subjunctive | ||
|
(tú) ames (tú) temas (tú) partas |
(vos) ames (vos) temás (vos) partás |
that you love that you fear that you leave |
Here are some examples of use:
Y vos ¿cómo consumís?
Contame de vos.