As you may already know, in Spanish we have two ways of addressing a person: using “tú” (informal) and using “usted” (formal).

In some countries in Hispanic America, people use the informal way of addressing others with the word “vos”, instead of “tú”. It is typically used with friends, family and people who are close to us.

Although many people associate “vos” with Argentina and sometimes Uruguay, the use of “vos” (or “voseo”) is actually extended throughout many countries and regions in Hispanic America, including Central America and Mexico, though to a lesser degree. Its use varies from region to region and in most countries it coexists with “tú”.

Keep in mind that when people use “vos”, they also conjugate verbs differently in the second person. 

Notice how regular ar, er and ir verbs are conjugated:

*Note: Remember, in Spanish the use of the subject pronoun (yo, tú / vos, él, ella, nosotros / nosotras, ustedes, ellos / ellas) is usually omitted. This is because the conjugation of the verb already indicates the subject in the sentence.

In this lesson, we explored the use of the Spanish pronoun “vos” and we provided an overview of the Spanish-speaking contexts where it is used. Additionally, we looked at its conjugation. If you are interested in further enhancing your Spanish language skills, we recommend exploring related topics such as “Tú vs Usted. The formal You in Spanish” or “Introduction to Spanish Conjugations”.