Being polite in Spanish -TÚ vs USTED

Being polite is an important part of the speaking test, so mind your manners using the following expression:

Being polite in Spanish

Por favor y gracias (please and thank you)

You don’t want to sound rude in the exam, so don’t forget to use «por favor» and «gracias», these charming little words and phrases can save your day. 

Being polite in Spanish

You have to keep in mind that, in Spanish, we have an informal and a formal way of talking to someone. The latter is used when we want to show respect towards the person with whom we are speaking.

tú vs usted

«Vosotros» is only used in Spain,  people in America use «ustedes» for both formal and informal. For instance, if I want to say to my friends  «All of you play tennis quite well» I would say…

  • Todos vosotros jugáis al tenis muy bien (in Spain).
  • Todos ustedes juegan al tenis muy bien (in America).

Tú vs Usted in Spanish (informal vs formal)

Thanks to this video you will learn when and how to use Tú or Usted in Spanish, which is quite important not to offend anyone.