Tú is used with close people: family, friends, trusted colleagues, children and people your age in relaxed contexts. The verb goes in second person singular: tú tienes, tú vives, tú quieres. Also appear possessives and terms of close treatment, such as tu casa, te llamas, contigo. In an informal conversation, social distance is low and the tone sounds natural and direct. With a young neighbor, a colleague you already have confidence with or a cousin, the normal choice is tú. If the relationship still does not allow that closeness, it is advisable to wait before switching to familiar treatment. The use of tú marks equality or closeness, not a lack of respect.

Use of tú in informal address

Idea
Use tú with people you trust to sound close and natural.
Use tú with family and friends in everyday conversations.
Use tú when the environment is relaxed and no one needs distance.

Usted is used to show respect, distance or courtesy in formal situations: with strangers, older people, customers, teachers, bosses or professionals who attend the public. The verb goes in third person singular: usted tiene, usted vive, usted quiere. Pronouns also change: su nombre, le puede ayudar, con usted. In a bank, an interview, a job call or when talking to an older person you don’t know, usted fits better than tú. The formal register depends not only on the situation; it also depends on the relationship. If someone asks you to address them as usted, keep that treatment even if the conversation is friendly. To see how that difference is expressed in other structures, it helps to review Estilo Indirecto and Voz Activa o Voz Pasiva.

Use of usted in respectful address

Idea
Use usted to show respect in formal situations.
Use usted with older people when you want to sound attentive.
Use usted in service, care, or courtesy contexts.

Vos replaces tú in several areas of the Americas, especially in parts of Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Central America and some regions of Colombia and other countries. It is not inherently more formal or informal by itself: it is a regional form. When used, it has its own conjugation: vos tenés, vos querés, vos vivís. In some regions it coexists with tú and usted, and the choice depends on trust and place. In others, vos is the normal form of close address. For a speaker or student, the most common error is mixing vos with tú conjugations, such as vos tienes or vos hablas. If a region uses vos, it is learned as part of its everyday system, not as decorative variation. The relationship with the interlocutor remains the same idea as with tú: closeness, trust and direct address.

vosvosvos

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Se usa como trato cercano habitual en muchas zonas del paísSe usa en muchos contextos informales junto con otras formas localesSe usa en conversación cotidiana con confianza y naturalidad

Variants of vos by region

Region	Variant	Definition	Example
Argentina	vos	It is used as habitual close address in many areas of the country.	Vos sabés dónde vive el loro cantante.Vos know where the singing parrot lives.
Uruguay	vos	It is used in everyday conversation with confidence and naturalness.	Vos venís conmigo al desfile de bicicletas.Vos come with me to the bicycle parade.
Guatemala	vos	It is used in many informal contexts together with other local forms.	Vos tenés la mejor receta de helado de frijol.Vos have the best recipe for bean ice cream.

Scramble

The greeting opens the register before the rest of the conversation appears. In informal dealings, hola, qué tal, buenas, ¿cómo estás? and closings like chao, hasta luego, nos vemos are used. In formal dealings, buenos días, buenas tardes, mucho gusto, encantado and phrases like que tenga un buen día or hasta pronto appear. In a letter, an email or an interview, estimado and atentamente place the message at a more careful level; in a note to a friend, those forms feel too rigid. The tone also changes in the brief greeting: hola works in almost any close context, but buen día or buenas tardes sound more controlled and professional. A greeting not only names the moment; it also fixes the distance between people.

encantadohasta luegomucho gustobuenos díasholacon permisoadiósbuenas tardesqué talestimado

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Es una despedida amable para volver a ver a alguien despuésEs una expresión amable para presentarse o conocer a alguienEs una fórmula cortés al presentarse en contextos formalesEs una expresión respetuosa para pasar o salir sin interrumpirEs un saludo formal o neutro para la mañanaEs una despedida general y segura en muchos contextosEs un saludo neutro y muy común para casi cualquier situaciónEs un saludo informal y cercano para iniciar conversaciónEs una forma formal para iniciar cartas o mensajesEs un saludo formal o neutro para la tarde

Greetings and farewells by register

Word	Definition
hola	It is a neutral and very common greeting for almost any situation.
qué tal	It is an informal and close greeting to start a conversation.
mucho gusto	It is a friendly expression to introduce yourself or meet someone.
encantado	It is a courteous formula when introducing oneself in formal contexts.
buenos días	It is a formal or neutral greeting for the morning.
buenas tardes	It is a formal or neutral greeting for the afternoon.
adiós	It is a general and safe farewell in many contexts.
hasta luego	It is a friendly farewell to see someone again later.
con permiso	It is a respectful expression to pass or exit without interrupting.
estimado	It is a formal way to begin letters or messages.

Scramble

The same question changes according to the treatment because pronouns, conjugation and sometimes the vocabulary change. With informal treatment you say ¿Dónde vives?, ¿Me ayudas?, ¿Qué quieres?; with formal treatment, ¿Dónde vive usted?, ¿Me ayuda?, ¿Qué desea?. The structure stays the same, but the verb shifts from second to third person singular. In polite requests, ¿me puede decir…? and ¿me podría ayudar…? sound more formal than ¿me dices…? or ¿me ayudas…?. To ask for a location, ¿Dónde está el baño? works in both registers if no pronoun is added, but ¿Dónde está usted? already marks formality by the use of usted. When moving a question from one register to another, it is not enough to change one word; you must review the whole sentence. That is seen clearly together with Estilo Directo and Estilo Indirecto, where the treatment also modifies how another person’s voice is introduced.

Changes in questions by register

Usage	Explanation
Asking for help	A more familiar form with you and a more respectful one with you are used depending on the relationship.
Asking for a location	The question is adapted to the form of address when you want to sound informal or formal.
Requesting confirmation	The pronoun is changed to adjust the level of familiarity.
Asking someone to do something	The same idea can sound familiar or respectful depending on the pronoun used.

The imperative reflects the level of closeness. In informal treatment direct forms are used: ven, escucha, abre la puerta, dime. They sound natural among trusted people and in quick instructions. In formal treatment, the request is usually made with usted and with softer structures: venga, escuche, abra la puerta, dígame. Forms like por favor, si puede, si quiere, podría are also common. The difference is not only grammatical; it changes the tone. Cierra la ventana sounds blunt among friends or family, while ¿Podría cerrar la ventana? asks for the same action with more courtesy. The formal treatment avoids sounding imperative even if the intention is to request a clear action. In written signals, notices or instructions, the tone can approach the active or passive voice; that’s why it helps to contrast it with Voz Activa o Voz Pasiva and with Elisión y Contracción, where the form is also adjusted to the context.

Commands according to familiarity and tone

Idea
Use a gentle imperative with you when you want to ask for something politely.
Use a direct imperative with you when the relationship is familiar.
Use a firmer instruction when the situation requires immediate clarity.
Adjust the tone of the command to your relationship with the other person.

The most frequent error is translating a sentence word by word without changing the register. If in English or another language there is a single form for you, in Spanish you have to decide between tú, usted or vos depending on the relationship. You must also adjust the object pronoun, the possessive and the verb: ¿Te puedo ayudar? does not equal ¿Le puedo ayudar? simply by changing one word; it changes the whole relationship between speakers. Another common mistake is mixing a formal greeting with a too-close phrase, such as starting with estimado señor and continuing with ¿qué tal?. The level of formality must be maintained in vocabulary, pronouns and tone. In Spanish, querer and desear do not always mean the same in register: quiero una mesa sounds natural in an informal shop, while deseo una mesa may sound excessive or artificial. Before translating, you must ask who is speaking, to whom, in what situation and with what social distance.