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Old May 30, 2010, 06:51 AM
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JPablo JPablo is offline
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Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Southern California
Posts: 5,579
Native Language: Spanish (Castilian, peninsular)
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Yes, Brandon, in addition to the previous answers, in Spain, when you want to be FORMAL, you use "usted/ustedes" (2nd person = you, singular/plural.)

Nowadays there is a tendency to be informal (in Spain), so majority of people uses the "vosotros" form, while addressing a group of people. If I give a lecture to 40 students or 200, if I am rather familiar with them, I will use "vosotros".

But, for example, when I was 12, our language teacher (being Spanish Castilian) would address us with "ustedes" to make us "feel important/more adult" or grant us some [undeserved] respect. We were (or at least I was) a bit in "awe" about that way of addressing us.

In Mexico (and many other Latin American countries), however, you will use the "ustedes" form any time, and you will not see/heard the form "vosotros" used.

I hope I am not making this too complex. But ask if you have any question.
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