voseo

{{Short description|Use in Spanish of the pronoun 'vos' for the second-person familiar singular}}

{{Title language|es|i=yes}}

{{Distinguish|text={{lang|es|italic=yes|vosotros}}, the second person plural familiar form for Spanish conjugations}}

{{more citations needed|date=June 2015}}

{{Spanish language}}

In Spanish grammar, {{lang|es|italic=yes|voseo}} ({{IPA|es|boˈseo}}) is the use of {{lang|es|italic=yes|vos}} as a second-person singular pronoun, along with its associated verbal forms, in certain regions where the language is spoken. In those regions it replaces {{lang|es|italic=yes|tuteo}}, i.e. the use of the pronoun {{lang|es|italic=yes|}} and its verbal forms. {{lang|es|italic=yes|Voseo}} can also be found in the context of using verb conjugations for {{lang|es|italic=yes|vos}} with {{lang|es|italic=yes|tú}} as the subject pronoun (verbal voseo).{{cite book |last=Miranda |first=Stewart |title=The Spanish Language Today |publisher=Routledge |year=1999 |isbn=0-415-14258-X |page=125}}

In all regions with {{lang|es|italic=yes|voseo}}, the corresponding unstressed object pronoun is {{lang|es|italic=yes|te}} and the corresponding possessive is {{lang|es|italic=yes|tu/tuyo}}.{{Cite web |author=Real Academia Española|author-link=Real Academia Española |title=voseo {{!}} Diccionario panhispánico de dudas |url=https://www.rae.es/dpd/voseo |access-date=2022-04-28 |website={{lang|es|Diccionario panhispánico de dudas}} |language=es}}

{{lang|es|italic=yes|Vos}} is used extensively as the second-person singular{{Cite web |title=vos |url=https://dle.rae.es/vos |access-date=30 September 2024 |website=Real Academia Española}} in Rioplatense Spanish (Argentina and Uruguay), Chilean Spanish, Eastern Bolivia, Paraguayan Spanish, and much of Central America (El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica); in Mexico, in the southern regions of Chiapas and parts of Oaxaca. It is rarely used, if at all, in places such as Cuba and Puerto Rico.

{{lang|es|italic=yes|Vos}} had been traditionally used in Argentina, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Paraguay, the Philippines and Uruguay, even in formal writing. In the dialect of Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay (known as 'Rioplatense'), the usage of {{lang|es|italic=yes|vos}} is prevalent, even in mainstream film, media and music. In Argentina, particularly from the second half of the 20th century, it has become very common to see billboards and other advertising campaigns using {{lang|es|italic=yes|voseo}}.{{cite news |last1=Borrini |first1=Alberto |title=Publicidad & Marketing. ¿Por qué usan el tuteo los avisos? |url=https://www.lanacion.com.ar/economia/por-que-usan-el-tuteo-los-avisos-nid88758/ |access-date=19 July 2020 |publisher=La Nación |date=24 February 1998 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211021113511/https://www.lanacion.com.ar/economia/por-que-usan-el-tuteo-los-avisos-nid88758/ |archive-date=21 October 2021 |url-status=live |df=dmy-all}}{{cite web |last1=Gassó |first1=María José |year=2009 |title=El voseo rioplatense en la clase de español |url=https://www.marcoele.com/descargas/enbrape/gasso-voseo.pdf |publisher=Instituto Cervantes Belo Horizonte |access-date=19 July 2020 |pages=11–12}}

{{lang|es|italic=yes|Vos}} is present in some regions of other countries, for instance in the Maracucho Spanish of Zulia State, Venezuela (see Venezuelan Spanish), the Azuero peninsula of Panama, in a few departments in Colombia,Díaz Collazos, Ana María. [https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/9783110404142/html?lang=en Desarrollo sociolingüístico del voseo en la región andina de Colombia (1555–1976)]. and in parts of Ecuador (Sierra down to Esmeraldas). In Peru, {{lang|es|italic=yes|voseo}} is present in certain Andean regions and Cajamarca, but the younger generations have ceased to use it. It is also present in Judaeo-Spanish, spoken by Sephardic Jews, where it is the archaic plural form that {{lang|es|italic=yes|vosotros}} replaced.

{{lang|es|italic=yes|Voseo}} is seldom taught to students of Spanish as a second language, and its precise usage varies across different regions.{{cite book |title=Advanced Spanish |author=Bruquetas, Francisco |publisher=Bruquetas Publishing |year=2015 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=59RHCgAAQBAJ |page=146|isbn=9780578104355 }} Nevertheless, in recent years, it has become more commonly accepted across the Hispanophone world as a valid part of regional dialects.

History

{{More citations needed|date=February 2019}}

Classical Latin, and the Vulgar Latin from which Romance languages such as Spanish are descended, had only two second-person pronouns{{snd}}the singular {{lang|la|italic=yes|tu}} and the plural {{lang|la|italic=yes|vos}}. Starting in the early Middle Ages, however, languages such as French and Spanish began to attach honorary significance to these pronouns beyond literal number. Plural pronouns were often used to refer to a person of respect to aggrandize them. {{lang|es|italic=yes|Vos}}, the second-person plural inherited from Latin, came to be used in this manner.

Already by the late 18th century, however, {{lang|es|italic=yes|vos}} itself was restricted to politeness among one's familiar friends. The following extract from a textbook is illustrative of usage at the time:

{{Quote|text=We seldom make use in Spanish of the second Person Singular or Plural, but when through a great familiarity among friends, or speaking to God, or a wife and husband to themselves, or a father and mother to their children, or to servants.

{{Smallcaps|Examples}}.

{{lang|es|italic=yes|O Dios, sois vos mi Padre verdadéro}}, O God, thou art my true Father; {{lang|es|italic=yes|Tú eres un buen amígo}}, Thou art a good friend.|author=Raymundo del Pueyo|source=A New Spanish Grammar, or the Elements of the Spanish LanguageDel Pueyo, Raymundo (1792). [https://books.google.com/books?id=NekRAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA159 A New Spanish Grammar, or the Elements of the Spanish Language]. London: F. Wingrave. 159.}}

The standard formal way to address a person one was not on familiar terms with was to address such a person as {{lang|es|italic=yes|vuestra merced}} ("your grace", originally abbreviated as {{lang|es|italic=yes|v.m.}}) in the singular and {{lang|es|italic=yes|vuestras mercedes}} in the plural. Because of the literal meaning of these forms, they were accompanied by the corresponding third-person verb forms. Other formal forms of address included {{lang|es|italic=yes|vuestra excelencia}} ("your excellence", contracted phonetically to {{lang|es|italic=yes|ussencia}}) and {{lang|es|italic=yes|vuestra señoría}} ("your lordship/ladyship", contracted to {{lang|es|italic=yes|ussía}}). Today, both {{lang|es|italic=yes|vos}} and {{lang|es|italic=yes|tú}} are considered to be informal pronouns, with {{lang|es|italic=yes|vos}} being somewhat synonymous with {{lang|es|italic=yes|tú}} in regions where both are used. This was the situation when the Spanish language was brought to the Río de la Plata area (around Buenos Aires and Montevideo) and to Chile.

In time, {{lang|es|italic=yes|vos}} lost currency in Spain but survived in a number of areas in Spanish-speaking America: Argentina, Paraguay, Bolivia (east), Uruguay, El Salvador, Honduras, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Nicaragua, and some smaller areas; it is not found, or found only in internally remote areas (such as Chiapas) in the countries historically best connected with Spain: Mexico, Panama, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Colombia, Peru and Equatorial Guinea. {{lang|es|italic=yes|Vuestra merced}} evolved into {{lang|es|italic=yes|usted}}: {{lang|es|italic=yes|vuestra merced > usarced > usted}}; in fact, {{lang|es|italic=yes|usted}} is still abbreviated as either {{lang|es|italic=yes|Vd}} or {{lang|es|italic=yes|Ud}}). Note that the term {{lang|es|italic=yes|vosotros}} is a combined form of {{lang|es|italic=yes|vos otros}} (meaning literally 'ye/you others'), while the term {{lang|es|italic=yes|nosotros}} comes from {{lang|es|italic=yes|nos otros}} ("we/us others").

In the first half of the 19th century, the use of {{lang|es|italic=yes|vos}} was as prevalent in Chile as it was in Argentina. The current limitation of the use of {{lang|es|italic=yes|vos}} in Chile is attributed to a campaign to eradicate it by the Chilean education system. The campaign was initiated by Andrés Bello who considered the use of {{lang|es|italic=yes|vos}} a manifestation of lack of education.Luizete Guimarães Barros. 1990. [http://www.mec.es/sgci/br/es/publicaciones/anuario/abeh2000.pdf#page=47 Lengua y nación en la Gramática de Bello]. Anuario brasileño de estudios hispánicos.

Usage

=''Vos'' in relation to other forms of ''tú''=

The independent disjunctive pronoun {{lang|es|italic=yes|vos}} also replaces {{lang|es|italic=yes|ti}}, from the {{lang|es|italic=yes|tuteo}} set of forms. That is, {{lang|es|italic=yes|vos}} is both nominative and the form to use after prepositions. Therefore, {{lang|es|italic=yes|para vos}} ("for you") corresponds to the {{lang|es|italic=yes|tuteo}} form {{lang|es|italic=yes|para ti}}, etc.

The preposition-pronoun combination {{lang|es|italic=yes|con vos}} ("with you") is used for the {{lang|es|italic=yes|tuteo}} form {{lang|es|italic=yes|contigo}}.

The direct and indirect object form {{lang|es|italic=yes|te}} is used in both {{lang|es|italic=yes|voseo}} and {{lang|es|italic=yes|tuteo}}.

cellpadding="3" rules="all" style="border:1px solid #fff; border-collapse:collapse; margin:auto;"
style="background:#a0c0a0; text-align:center;"| Nominative

| colspan="4" style="background:#c0b0a0; text-align:center;"| Oblique

| colspan="3" style="background:#b0b0c0; text-align:center;"| Reflexive

style="background:#a0c0a0;"|subject

| style="background:#c0b0a0;"|direct object

| style="background:#c0b0a0;"|indirect object

| style="background:#c0b0a0;"|prepositional object

| style="background:#c0b0a0;"|fused with {{lang|es|italic=yes|con}}

| style="background:#b0b0c0;"|direct/indirect object

| style="background:#b0b0c0;"|prepositional object

| style="background:#b0b0c0;"|fused with {{lang|es|italic=yes|con}}

style="background:#e0f0e0;"|{{lang|es|vos}}

| style="background:#f0e0e0;"|{{lang|es|te}}

| style="background:#f0e0e0;"|{{lang|es|te}}

| style="background:#f0e0e0;"|{{lang|es|vos}}

| style="background:#f0e0e0;"|{{lang|es|con vos}}

| style="background:#e0e0f0;"|{{lang|es|te}}

| style="background:#e0e0f0;"|{{lang|es|vos}}

| style="background:#e0e0f0;"|{{lang|es|con vos}}

style="background:#e0f0e0;"|{{lang|es|usted}}

| style="background:#f0e0e0;"|{{lang|es|lo/la}}

| style="background:#f0e0e0;"|{{lang|es|le}}

| style="background:#f0e0e0;"|{{lang|es|usted}}

| style="background:#f0e0e0;"|{{lang|es|con usted}}

| style="background:#e0e0f0;"|{{lang|es|se}}

| style="background:#e0e0f0;"|{{lang|es|sí}}

| style="background:#e0e0f0;"|{{lang|es|consigo}}

style="background:#e0f0e0;"|{{lang|es|tú}}

| style="background:#f0e0e0;"|{{lang|es|te}}

| style="background:#f0e0e0;"|{{lang|es|te}}

| style="background:#f0e0e0;"|{{lang|es|ti}}

| style="background:#f0e0e0;"|{{lang|es|contigo}}

| style="background:#e0e0f0;"|{{lang|es|te}}

| style="background:#e0e0f0;"|{{lang|es|ti}}

| style="background:#e0e0f0;"|{{lang|es|contigo}}

style="background:#e0f0e0;"|{{lang|es|vosotros}}

| style="background:#f0e0e0;"|{{lang|es|os}}

| style="background:#f0e0e0;"|{{lang|es|os}}

| style="background:#f0e0e0;"|{{lang|es|vosotros}}

| style="background:#f0e0e0;"|{{lang|es|con vosotros}}

| style="background:#e0e0f0;"|{{lang|es|os}}

| style="background:#e0e0f0;"|{{lang|es|vosotros}}

| style="background:#e0e0f0;"|{{lang|es|con vosotros}}

The possessive pronouns of {{lang|es|italic=yes|vos}} also coincide with {{lang|es|italic=yes|tú}} <{{lang|es|italic=yes|tu(s)}}, {{lang|es|italic=yes|tuyo(s)}}, {{lang|es|italic=yes|tuya(s)}}> rather than with {{lang|es|italic=yes|vosotros}} <{{lang|es|italic=yes|vuestro(s)}}, {{lang|es|italic=yes|vuestra(s)}}>.

=''Voseo'' in Chavacano=

Chavacano, a Spanish-based creole spoken in the Philippines, employs {{lang|es|italic=yes|voseo}},{{Cite journal | last=De Castro | first=Gefilloyd L. | title=The role of second person pronouns in expressing social behavior: An undocumented case in Zamboanga Chavacano | url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/330467058 | journal=Philippine Journal of Linguistics | pages=26–40 | volume=49 | year=2018 | access-date=April 4, 2023 | issn=0048-3796 | via=ResearchGate}}{{Cite news | last=Herrera | first=Jerome | title=Differences and Similarities Among the Chavacano Languages in the Philippines | url=https://lajornadafilipina.com/culture/chavacano-language-differences/ | work=La Jornada Filipina | date=December 17, 2021 | access-date=April 4, 2023}} while the standard Spanish spoken in the country does not.{{cite book | last1=Quilis | first1=Antonio | last2=Casado-Fresnillo | first2=Celia | title=La lengua española en Filipinas: historia, situación actual, el chabacano, antología de textos | trans-title=The Spanish Language in the Philippines: History, Current Situation, Chavacano, Anthology of Texts | page=117 | year=2008 | publication-place=Madrid | publisher=Spanish National Research Council | isbn=978-84-00-08635-0}} The Chavacano language below in comparison of other Chavacano dialects and level of formality with {{lang|es|italic=yes|Voseo}} in both subject and possessive pronouns. Note the mixed and co-existing usages of {{lang|es|vos, tú, usted}}, and {{lang|es|vosotros}}.

class="wikitable"

!{{lang|cbk|Zamboangueño}}

!{{lang|cbk|Caviteño}}

!{{lang|cbk|Bahra}}

!{{lang|cbk|Davaoeño (Castellano Abakay)}}

2nd person singular

|{{lang|cbk|vos/vo/evo/evos}} (common/informal)
{{lang|cbk|tú}} (familiar)
{{lang|cbk|usted}} (formal)

|{{lang|cbk|vo/bo}} (common)
{{lang|cbk|tu}} (familiar)
{{lang|cbk|usté}} (formal)

|{{lang|cbk|vo/bo}} (common/informal)
{{lang|cbk|usté}} (formal)

|{{lang|cbk|usted}} (formal)

{{lang|cbk|vos}} (informal)

2nd person plural

|{{lang|cbk|kamó}} (common)
{{lang|cbk|vosotros}} (familiar)
{{lang|cbk|ustedes}} (formal)

|{{lang|cbk|vusos}}
{{lang|cbk|busos}}

|{{lang|cbk|buhotro}}
{{lang|cbk|bujotro}}
{{lang|cbk|ustedi}}
{{lang|cbk|tedi}}

|{{lang|cbk|ustedes}}

{{lang|cbk|vosotros}}

class="wikitable"

!{{lang|cbk|Zamboangueño}}

!{{lang|cbk|Davaoeño (Castellano Abakay)}}

2nd person singular

|{{lang|cbk|de vos}} (common)
{{lang|cbk|de tu}} (familiar)
{{lang|cbk|tuyo}} (familiar)
{{lang|cbk|de tuyo/di tuyo}} (familiar)
{{lang|cbk|de usted}} (formal)

|{{lang|cbk|de tu}}

2nd person plural

|{{lang|cbk|de iño/di inyo}} (common)
{{lang|cbk|de vosotros}} (familiar)
{{lang|cbk|de ustedes}} (formal)

|{{lang|cbk|(de) vos}}

=Conjugation with ''vos''=

All modern {{lang|es|italic=yes|voseo}} conjugations derive from Old Spanish second person plural {{lang|es|italic=yes|-ades}}, {{lang|es|italic=yes|-edes}}, {{lang|es|italic=yes|-ides}}, and {{lang|es|italic=yes|-odes}} (as in {{lang|es|italic=yes|sodes}}, 'you are').{{in lang|es}} Lapesa Melgar, Rafael. 1970. "[http://www.cvc.cervantes.es/obref/aih/pdf/03/aih_03_1_060.pdf Las formas verbales de segunda persona y los orígenes del voseo]", in: Carlos H. Magis (ed.), Actas del III Congreso de la Asociación Internacional de Hispanistas (México, D.F., 26–31 Aug 1968). México: Colegio de México, 519–531. The 14th and 15th centuries saw an evolution of these conjugations, with {{lang|es|italic=yes|-ades}} originally giving {{lang|es|italic=yes|-áis}}, {{lang|es|italic=yes|-edes}} giving {{lang|es|italic=yes|-és}} (or {{lang|es|italic=yes|-ís}}),{{in lang|es}} García de Diego, Vicente. [1951] 1981. Gramática histórica española. (3rd edition; 1st edition 1951, 2nd edition 1961, 3rd edition 1970, 1st reprint 1981.) Madrid: Gredos, 227–229. {{lang|es|italic=yes|-ides}} giving {{lang|es|italic=yes|-ís}},{{lang|es|italic=yes|-ides}} did not produce {{lang|es|italic=yes|-íes}} because {{lang|es|italic=yes|-iés}} and {{lang|es|italic=yes|íes}} were already in use as Imperfect forms, cf. García de Diego ([1951] 1981: 228) and Lapesa (1970: 526). and {{lang|es|italic=yes|-odes}} giving {{lang|es|italic=yes|-óis}}. Soon analogous forms {{lang|es|italic=yes|-ás}} and {{lang|es|italic=yes|-éis}} appeared. Hence the variety of forms the contemporary American {{lang|es|italic=yes|voseo}} adopts, some varieties featuring a generalized monophthong (most of them), some a generalized diphthong (e.g. Venezuela), and some combining monophthongs and diphthongs, depending on the conjugation (e.g. Chile). In the most general, monophthongized, conjugation paradigm, a difference between {{lang|es|italic=yes|voseo}} forms and respective {{lang|es|italic=yes|tuteo}} forms is visible exclusively in the present indicative, imperative and subjunctive, and, most of the time, in the preterite. Below is a comparison table of the conjugation of several verbs for {{lang|es|italic=yes|tú}} and for {{lang|es|italic=yes|vos}}, and next to them the one for {{lang|es|italic=yes|vosotros}}, the informal second person plural currently used orally only in Spain; in oratory or legal language (highly formal forms of Spanish) it is used outside of Spain. Verb forms that agree with {{lang|es|italic=yes|vos}} are stressed on the last syllable, causing the loss of the stem diphthong in those verbs, such as {{lang|es|italic=yes|poder}} and {{lang|es|italic=yes|venir}}, which are stem-changing.

class="wikitable" style="margin:auto;text-align:center"
style="background:#e0e0ff;"

! Verb

{{lang|es|Tú}}
2. Sg.
{{lang|es|Vos}}
General
{{lang|es|Tú/Vos}}
Chile1
{{lang|es|Vos}}
Southeastern Cuba,
Northeastern Colombia1, 2,
Venezuela3
and Panama4
{{lang|es|Vosotros}}
2. Pl.
in Spain
{{lang|lad|Vosotros – בֿוֹזוֹטרוֹז}} general 2.Pl
And {{lang|lad|Vos – בֿוֹז}} formal 2.Sg
Ladino
{{lang|es|Ustedes}}
2. Pl
Meaning
ser

| eres || sos || erís/sois || colspan=2 | sois || sosh סוֹש /soʃ/ || son || you are

comer

| comes || comés || comís || colspan=2 | coméis || komesh קוֹמֵיש /koˈmeʃ/ || comen || you eat

poder

| puedes || podés || podís || colspan=2 | podéis || podesh פּוֹדֵיש /poˈdeʃ/ || pueden || you can/may

hablar

| hablas || hablás ||hablái

| colspan="2" |habláis

| favlash פֿאבֿלאשׁ /faˈvlaʃ/ || hablan || you speak

recordar

| recuerdas || recordás ||recordái

| colspan="2" |recordáis

| recordash רֵיקוֹרדאשׁ /rekorˈdaʃ/ || recuerdan || you remember

vivir

| vives || colspan=4 | vivís || bivish בִּיבִֿיש /biˈviʃ/ || viven || you live

venir

| vienes || colspan=4 | venís || venish בֵֿינִיש /veˈniʃ/ || vienen || you come

colspan=10 | 1 Because of the general aspiration of syllable-final [s], the -s of this ending is usually heard as [h] or not pronounced.
2 In Colombia, the rest of the country that uses vos follows the General Conjugation.
3 In the state of Zulia
4 in Azuero

General conjugation is the one that is most widely accepted and used in various countries such as Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, parts of Bolivia, Ecuador, and Colombia, as well as Central American countries.

Some Uruguayan speakers combine the pronoun with the vos conjugation (for example, tú sabés). Conversely, speakers in some other places where both and vos are used combine vos with the conjugation (for example, vos sabes). This is a frequent occurrence in the Argentine province of Santiago del Estero.

The verb forms employed with vos are also different in Chilean Spanish: Chileans use {{Lang|es|-ái}} and {{Lang|es|soi}} 'you are' instead of {{Lang|es|-áis}} or {{Lang|es|-ás}} and {{Lang|es|sois}} or {{Lang|es|sos}}. Chileans never pronounce these conjugations with a final -s. The forms {{Lang|es|erís}} for 'you are', and {{Lang|es|habís}} and {{Lang|es|hai}} for 'you have' are also found in Chilean Spanish.

In the case of the ending -ís (such as in comís, podís, vivís, erís, venís), the final -s is pronounced like any other final {{IPA|/s/}} in Chilean Spanish. It is most often pronounced as an aspiration similar to the 'h' sound in English. It can also be pronounced as a fricative {{IPA|[s]}}, or be dropped completely. Its variable pronunciation is a phonological rather than a morphological phenomenon.

Venezuelan Maracucho Spanish is notable in that they preserve the diphthongized plural verb forms in all tenses, as still used with vosotros in Spain. Chilean Spanish also notably uses the diphthong {{Lang|es|-ái}}.

In Ladino, the -áis, -éis, -ís, & -ois endings are pronounced {{IPA|/aʃ/}}, {{IPA|/eʃ/}}, {{IPA|/iʃ/}}, & {{IPA|/oʃ/}}.

In Chile, it is much more usual to use + vos verb conjugation ( sabís). The use of pronominal vos (vos sabís) is reserved for very informal situations and may even be considered vulgar in some cases.

== Present indicative ==

  1. General conjugation: the final -r of the infinitive is replaced by -s; in writing, an acute accent is added to the last vowel (i.e. the one preceding the final -s) to indicate stress position.
  2. Chilean:
  3. the -ar ending of the infinitive is replaced by -ái
  4. both -er and -ir are replaced by -ís, which sounds more like -íh.
  5. Venezuelan (Zulian): practically the same ending as modern Spanish vosotros, yet with the final -s being aspirated so that: -áis, -éis, -ís sound like -áih, -éih, -íh (phonetically resembling Chilean).

class="wikitable" style="margin:1em auto 1em auto;text-align:center"

|+ VOSEO

! rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|Infinitive

! colspan="3" style="text-align:center;"|Present Indicative

style="text-align:center;"|General

! style="text-align:center;"|Venezuelan1

! style="text-align:center;"|Chilean

oír

| colspan=3 style="text-align:center;"| oís

venir

| colspan=3 style="text-align:center;"| venís

decir

| colspan=3 style="text-align:center;"| decís

dormir

| colspan=3 style="text-align:center;"| dormís

sentir

| colspan=3 | sentís

escribir

| colspan=3 | escribís

concluir

| colspan=3 | concluís

ir

| vas

| vais

| vai(s)

pensar

| pensás

| pensáis

| pensái

contar

| contás

| contáis

| contái

jugar

| jugás

| jugáis

| jugái

errar

| errás

| erráis

| errái

poder

| podés

| podéis

| podís

querer

| querés

| queréis

| querís

mover

| movés

| movéis

| movís

saber

| sabés

| sabéis

| sabís

ser

| sos

| sois

| soi/erís

haber

| has

| habéis

| habís/hai

colspan=4 | 1 in Zulia; identical ending to modern vosotros

Unlike , which has many irregular forms, the only voseo verbs that are conjugated irregularly in the indicative present are ser, ir and haber. However, haber is seldom used in the indicative present, since there is a strong tendency to use preterite instead of present perfect.

== Affirmative imperative ==

Vos also differs in its affirmative imperative conjugation from both and vosotros. Specifically, the vos imperative is formed by dropping the final -r from the infinitive, but keeping the stress on the last syllable. The only verb that is irregular in this regard is ir; its vos imperative is not usually used, with andá (the vos imperative of andar, which is denoted by *) being generally used instead; except for the Argentine province of Tucumán, where the imperative ite is used. For most regular verbs ending in -ir, the vos imperatives use the same conjugations as the yo form in the preterite; almost all verbs that are irregular in the preterite (which are denoted by ) retain the regular vos imperative forms.

class="wikitable" style="margin:auto;text-align:center"
style="background:#e0e0ff;"| Verb || Meaning || || Vos || Vosotros (written)
ser

| to be || || || sed

estar

| to be || está/estate || está/estate || estad

ir

| to go || ve || i/ite{{Cite web |title=ir, irse {{!}} Diccionario panhispánico de dudas {{!}} RAE - ASALE |date=22 July 2024 |url=https://www.rae.es/dpd/ir}}{{Cite web |title=voseo {{!}} Diccionario panhispánico de dudas {{!}} RAE - ASALE |date=22 July 2024 |url=https://www.rae.es/dpd/voseo}} *(andá/andate) || id

hablar

| to speak || habla || hablá || hablad

callar

| to become silent || calla || callá || callad

soltar

| to release/let go || suelta || soltá || soltad

comer

| to eat || come || comé || comed

mover

| to move || mueve || mové || moved

venir

| to come || ven || vení ||venid

poner

| to put || pon || poné || poned

salir

| to leave || sal || salí || salid

tener

| to have || ten || tené || tened

decir

| to say || di || decí || decid

pedir

| to ask/order || pide || pedí || pedid

Again, the conjugation of has far more irregularities, whereas vos has only one irregular verb in the affirmative imperative.

In Chile, the general vos conjugation is not used in the affirmative imperative.

== Subjunctive ==

In most places where voseo is used, it is applied also in the subjunctive. In the Río de la Plata region, both the -conjugation and the voseo conjugation are found, the tú-form being more common. In this variety, some studies have shown a pragmatic difference between the -form and the vos-form, such that the vos form carries information about the speaker's belief state, and can be stigmatized.{{cite journal |last=Johnson |first=Mary |year=2016 |title=Epistemicity in voseo and tuteo negative commands in Argentinian Spanish |journal=Journal of Pragmatics |volume=97 |pages=37–54 |doi=10.1016/j.pragma.2016.02.003}}{{cite book |title=Forms of Address in Spanish across the Americas |author=Moyna, María Irene |author2=Rivera-Mills, Susana |name-list-style=amp |publisher=John Benjamins |year=2016 |isbn=9789027258090 |pages=127–148 }} For example, in Central America the subjunctive and negative command form is no mintás, and in Chile it is no mintái; however, in Río de la Plata both no mientas and no mintás are found. Real Academia Española models its voseo conjugation tables on the most frequent, unstigmatized Río de la Plata usage and therefore omits the subjunctive voseo.See for example in Real Academia Española Dictionary, [http://buscon.rae.es/draeI/SrvltGUIVerbos?IDVERBO=7900 mentir] or [http://buscon.rae.es/draeI/SrvltGUIVerbos?IDVERBO=8765 preocupar], where mentís and preocupás are present, but mintás and preocupés are missing.

class="wikitable" style="margin:auto;"
style="background:#e0e0ff;"|Central America1
Bolivia

! style="background:#e0e0ff;"|Río de la Plata region

! style="background:#e0e0ff;"|Chile

! style="background:#e0e0ff;"|Venezuela (Zulia)
Panama (Azuero)

! style="background:#e0e0ff;"|meaning

No quiero que mintás.No quiero que mientas.No quiero que mintái.

|No quiero que mintáis.

I don't want you to lie.
No temás.No temas.No temái.

|No temáis.

Do not fear.
Que durmás bienQue duermas bien.Que durmái bien.

|Que durmáis bien.

Sleep well.
No te preocupés.No te preocupes.No te preocupís.No te preocupéis.Don't worry.
colspan=5 | 1including areas in Colombia with voseo, e.g. the Paisa region.

= Verbal ''voseo'' and pronominal ''voseo'' =

  • 'Verbal voseo{{'}} refers to the use of the verb conjugation of vos regardless of which pronoun is used.

:Verbal voseo with a pronoun other than vos is widespread in Chile, in which case one would use the pronoun and the verb conjugation of vos at the same time. E.g.: tú venís, tú escribís, tú podís, tú sabís, tú vai, tú estái.

:There are some partially rare cases of a similar sort of verbal voseo in Uruguay where one would say for example tú podés or tú sabés.

  • 'Pronominal voseo{{'}} is the use of the pronoun vos regardless of verb conjugation.

Geographical distribution

[[File:Voseo-extension-real.PNG|thumb|left|200px|Distribution of voseo:

{{legend|#000070|primarily spoken + written}}

{{legend|#0077E5|primarily spoken}}

{{legend|#A2D2FC|spoken, alternating with tuteo}}

{{legend|#8F8F8F|absent}}]]

=Countries where ''voseo'' is predominant=

File:Voseo Buenos Aires.jpg in Buenos Aires, Argentina: ¿Querés cambiar? Vení a Claro ("Do you want to change? Come to Claro."). In tuteo, it would have been ¿Quieres cambiar? Ven a Claro.]]

File:Voseo Usage in Honduras.png, Honduras: En City sí encontrás de todo para lucir como te gusta ("At City you find everything to look how you like"). The tuteo equivalent would have been En City sí encuentras de todo para lucir como te gusta]]

File:Pedi Voseo El Salvador.jpg

In South America:

  1. Argentina – both pronominal and verbal voseo, the pronoun is not preferred.
  2. Paraguay – both pronominal and verbal voseo, the pronoun is uncommon in most of the country.
  3. Uruguay – dual-usage of both pronominal and verbal voseo and a combination of the pronoun + verb conjugated in the vos form, except near the Brazilian border, where only pronominal and verbal tuteo is common.

In Central America:

  1. Guatemala – three-tiered system is used to indicate the degree of respect or familiarity: usted, , vos. Usted expresses distance and respect; corresponds to an intermediate level of familiarity, but not deep trust; vos is the pronoun of maximum familiarity and solidarity. Pronominal is frequent with verbal voseo.
  2. Honduras – three-tiered system is used to indicate the degree of respect or familiarity: usted, , vos. Usted expresses distance and respect; corresponds to an intermediate level of familiarity, but not deep trust; vos is the pronoun of maximum familiarity and solidarity.
  3. Nicaragua – both pronominal and verbal voseo throughout all social classes; is mostly used in writing''.
  4. Costa Ricavoseo has historically been used, back in the 2000s it was losing ground to ustedeo and tuteo, especially among younger speakers.{{cite book |last1=Maria Irene Moyna |first1=Susana Rivera-Mills |title=Forms of Address in the Spanish of the Americas |date=2016 |publisher=John Benjamins Publishing Company |location=Amsterdam/Philadelphia |isbn=978-90-272-6700-9 |pages=243–263}} Vos is now primarily used orally with friends and family in Cartago, Guanacaste province, the San José metropolitan area and near the Nicaraguan border and in advertising signage. Usted is the primary form in other areas and with strangers. Tuteo is rarely used, but when it is used in speech by a Costa Rican, it is commonly considered fake and effeminate.{{cite journal |last1=Solano Rojas |first1=Yamileth |title=Las formas pronominales: Vos – tu – usted en Costa Rica, análisis de una muestra |journal=Revista Pensamiento Actual |date=1995 |volume=1 |issue=1 |pages=42–57 |lang=es}}
  5. El Salvador – three-tiered system is used to indicate the degree of respect or familiarity: usted, , vos. Usted expresses distance and respect; corresponds to an intermediate level of familiarity, but not deep trust; vos is the pronoun of maximum familiarity and solidarity and also lack of respect.{{cite journal|url=https://johnlipski.github.io/sal2.pdf |title=El español que se habla en El Salvador y su importancia para la dialectología hispanoamericana |author=John M. Lipski |language=es}}

=Countries where ''voseo'' is extensive, but not predominant=

In South America:

  1. Bolivia – in the Lowlands of Eastern Bolivia—with mestizo, Criollo and German descendants majority—(Santa Cruz, Beni, Pando, Tarija and the Lowlands of La Paz) voseo is used universally; while in the Highlands of Western Bolivia—with indigenous peoples majority—(highlands of La Paz, Oruro, Potosí, Chuquisaca and Cochabamba) is predominant, but there is still a strong use of voseo, especially in verb forms.
  2. Chile – verbal voseo and pronominal is used in informal situations, whereas pronominal voseo is reserved only for very intimate situations or to offend someone. In every other situation and in writing, the normal or usted pronouns are used.

=Countries where ''voseo'' occurs in some areas=

In the following countries, voseo is used only in certain areas:

  • Colombia – in the following departments:
  • In the west (along the Pacific coast):
  • Chocó
  • Valle del Cauca
  • Cauca
  • Nariño
  • In the center – primarily the Paisa region (Antioquia, Risaralda, Quindío, and Caldas Departments).
  • In the (north)east:
  • Norte de SantanderOcaña region
  • La Guajira
  • Cesar
  • Cuba – in Camagüey Province, often used alongside .
  • Ecuador – in the Sierra, the center, and Esmeraldas.
  • Mexico – widely used in the countryside of the state of Chiapas by indigenous populations and becoming rare among the same groups in the state of Tabasco.{{Cite journal|last=Davis|first=Jack Emory|date=1971|title=The Spanish of Mexico: An Annotated Bibliography for 1940–69|url=http://www.jstor.org/stable/337708|journal=Hispania|volume=54|pages=624–656|doi=10.2307/337708|jstor=337708 |issn=0018-2133|url-access=subscription}}
  • Panama – in the west along the border with Costa Rica.
  • Peru – in some areas in both the Northern and Southern ends of the country.
  • Puerto Rico – At the eastern end of the island in Fajardo.{{cite book |last=Moreno de Alba |first=José G. |date=2001 |title=El español en América |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=s9oSunr8GwsC&pg=PA232 |location=Mexico City |publisher=Fondo de Cultura Económica |page=232 |isbn=9681663934 |edition=3rd |language=es}}
  • The Philippines – among Chavacano speakers in Mindanao and Luzon, but otherwise absent in standard Spanish.
  • Spain – in La Gomera island, in The Canaries, often used alongside .
  • The United States – Found among speakers with origins in countries where voseo is predominant—for instance, among Honduran Americans. In other circumstances, is used by default.
  • Venezuela – in the northwest (primarily in Zulia State).

=Countries where ''voseo'' is virtually absent=

In the following countries, voseo has disappeared completely among the native population:

Synchronic analysis of Chilean and River Plate verbal ''voseo''

{{Original research section|date=December 2024}}

The traditional assumption that the Chilean and River Plate voseo verb forms are derived from those corresponding to vosotros has been challenged as synchronically inadequate in a 2014 article,{{cite journal |last1=Baquero Velásquez |first1=Julia M. |last2=Westphal Montt |first2=Germán F. |title=Un análisis sincrónico del voseo verbal chileno y rioplatense |journal=Forma y Función |date=16 July 2014 |volume=27 |issue=2 |pages=11–40 |doi=10.15446/fyf.v27n2.47558 |language=es |url=https://www.redalyc.org/pdf/219/21935715001.pdf|doi-access=free }} on the grounds that it requires at least six different rules, including three monophthongization processes that lacks phonological motivation. Alternatively, the article argues that the Chilean and River Plate voseo verb forms are synchronically derived from underlying representations that coincide with those corresponding to the non-honorific second person singular . In both Chilean and Rioplatense Spanish, the {{Lang|es|voseo}} form assigns stress to the syllable following the verb's root, or its infinitive in the case of the future and conditional conjugations. This alone derives all the Rioplatense {{Lang|es|voseo}} verb conjugations, in all tenses. Chilean verb forms also undergo rules of semi-vocalization, vowel raising, and aspiration. In semi-vocalization, {{IPA|/s/}} becomes the semivowel {{IPA|/j/}} when after {{IPA|/a, o/}}; thus, {{Lang|es|-ás}} becomes {{Lang|es|-ái}}, and {{Lang|es|sos}} becomes {{Lang|es|soi}} 'you are'. The vowel raising rule turns stressed {{IPA|/e/}} into {{IPA|/i/}}, so {{Lang|es|bebés}} becomes {{Lang|es|bebís}}. Aspiration, the norm in both Chilean and Rioplatense Spanish, means that syllable or word-final {{IPA|/s/}} becomes pronounced like an {{IPA|[h]}}.

The proposed theory requires the use of only one special rule in the case of Chilean voseo. This rule plus other rules that are independently justified in the language make it possible to synchronically derive all the Chilean and River Plate voseo verb forms in a straightforward manner. The article additionally solves the problem posed by the alternate verbal forms of Chilean voseo like the future indicative (e.g. bailaríh or {{Lang|es|bailarái}} 'you will dance'), the present indicative forms of haber (habíh and hai 'you have'), and the present indicative of ser (soi, eríh and eréi 'you are'), without resorting to any ad hoc rules. All these different verb forms would come from different underlying representations. The future forms {{Lang|es|bailarái}} and {{Lang|es|bailaríh}} come from underlying {{IPA|/bailaˈɾas/}} and {{IPA|/bailaˈɾes/}}, the latter related to the historical future form {{Lang|es|-és}}, which was documented in Chile in the 17th century. {{Lang|es|Habíh}} and {{Lang|es|hai}} come from {{IPA|/ˈabes/}} and {{IPA|/as/}}, while {{Lang|es|soi}} and {{Lang|es|eríh}} come from {{IPA|/sos/}} and {{IPA|/ˈeɾes/}}. The form {{Lang|es|erei}} also comes from {{IPA|/ˈeɾes/}}, with additional semi-vocalization. The theoretical framework of the article is that of classic generative phonology.

Attitudes

In some countries, the pronoun vos is used with family and friends (T-form), like in other varieties of Spanish, and contrasts with the respectful usted (V-form used with third person) which is used with strangers, elderly, and people of higher socioeconomic status; appropriate usage varies by dialect. In Central America, vos can be used among those considered equals, while usted maintains its respectful usage. In Ladino, the pronoun usted is completely absent, so the use of vos with strangers and elders is the standard.

Voseo was long considered a backward or uneducated usage by prescriptivist grammarians. Many Central American intellectuals, themselves from {{lang|es|voseante}} nations, have condemned the usage of {{lang|es|vos}} in the past. With the changing mentalities in the Hispanic world, and with the development of descriptive as opposed to prescriptive linguistics, it has become simply a local variant of Spanish. In some places it has become symbolically important and is pointed to with pride as a local defining characteristic.

See also

References

{{Reflist}}

Sources

  • {{in lang|es}} Díaz Collazos, Ana María. Desarrollo sociolingüístico del voseo en la región andina de Colombia (1555–1976)
  • {{in lang|es}} El voseo at Spanish Wikibooks
  • {{in lang|fr}} [http://www.elconjugador.com/frvoseo.php Le Voseo]
  • {{in lang|es}} Voseo Spanish Site dedicated to teaching Argentine Voseo usage
  • {{in lang|es}} Carricaburo. Norma Beatriz (2003). [http://www.elcastellano.org/artic/voseo.htm El voseo en la historia y en la lengua de hoy – Las fórmulas de tratamiento en el español actual]
  • {{in lang|es}} Hotta. Hideo (2000). [https://web.archive.org/web/20061216061101/http://www.aichi-pu.ac.jp/for/~hotta-hi/hh1997b.htm La estandarización y el regionalismo en el voseo del español argentino]
  • {{in lang|es}} Roca, Luis Alberto (2007). Breve historia del habla cruceña y su mestizaje
  • {{in lang|es}} Rosenblat, Ángel (2000). [https://web.archive.org/web/20070110205527/http://www.analitica.com/bitblioteca/rosenblat/castellano.asp El castellano en Venezuela]
  • {{in lang|es}} Toursinov, Antón (2005). [https://www.researchgate.net/publication/343635272_Formas_pronominales_de_tratamiento_en_el_espanol_actual_de_Guatemala Formas pronominales de tratamiento en el español actual de Guatemala]

Category:Spanish grammar

Category:Personal pronouns

Category:Second-person pronouns

fr:Dialectologie de la langue espagnole#Voseo