The Animated Book
of SpanishGrammar Reference

Vos: The Other Informal “You”

Adapted from The Animated Book of Spanish, an interactive Spanish grammar book.

In much of Latin America, the informal you isn't tú but vos. It means exactly the same thing, but has its own verb forms, mostly in the present tense and in commands.
  1. With tú
    ¿Tú eres de aquí?
    With vos
    ¿Vos sos de acá?

    Are you from here?

  2. With tú
    ¿Qué quieres tomar?
    With vos
    ¿Qué querés tomar?

    What do you want to drink?

  3. With tú
    Ven aquí.
    With vos
    Vení acá.

    Come here.

On this page

Where it's used

Vos is informal, like tú. In the places that use it, the formal you is still usted, and the plural is ustedes.

Where vos is used
WhereHow common
Argentina, UruguayEveryone, all the time. Tú sounds foreign.
ParaguayVery common in everyday speech
Central AmericaVery common in Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala
Colombia, Bolivia, Venezuela, EcuadorIn some regions

The present tense

The easiest way to get the vos form is to start from vosotros and drop the i: habláis becomes hablás. For ‑ir verbs, there's no i to drop, so the form is the same. The stress always falls on the ending.

Present tense of tú, vosotros, and vos
Verbtúvosotrosvos
hablarhablashabláishablás
comercomescoméiscomés
vivirvivesvivísvivís

  • ¿Vos hablás inglés?

    Do you speak English?

  • ¿Dónde vivís?

    Where do you live?

  • ¿Comés carne?

    Do you eat meat?

No stem changes

Because the stress is on the ending, the boot verb stem changes don't happen with vos. The stem stays the same as the infinitive.

Stem-changing verbs with tú and vos
Verbtúvos
quererquieresquerés
poderpuedespodés
dormirduermesdormís
tenertienestenés
venirvienesvenís
decirdicesdecís

  • ¿Querés un café?

    Do you want a coffee?

  • ¿Tenés hora?

    Do you have the time?

  • Si podés, llamame.

    If you can, call me.

Sos, and the rest

Ser has its own vos form: sos. A few other common verbs keep the same form as tú.

Irregular and unchanged vos forms
Verbtúvos
sereressos
irvasvas
estarestásestás
haberhashas

  • ¿De dónde sos?

    Where are you from?

  • Vos sos muy amable.

    You’re very kind.

  • ¿Cómo estás?

    How are you?

Te, tu, and con vos

Only the subject and the preposition forms change. The object pronoun and the possessive are the same as with tú.

The pronouns that go with tú and with vos
With túWith vos
you (subject)túvos
you (object)tete
yourtu, tustu, tus
for youpara tipara vos
with youcontigocon vos

  • Te quiero mucho.

    I love you a lot.

  • Este regalo es para vos.

    This present is for you.

  • ¿Puedo ir con vos?

    Can I go with you?

Commands

Affirmative vos commands are the infinitive without the final ‑r, with the stress on the end. Even the verbs that are irregular with tú are regular with vos.

Affirmative commands with tú and with vos
Verbtú commandvos command
hablarhablahablá
comercomecomé
venirvenvení
decirdidecí
tenertentené

  • Vení acá un momento.

    Come here for a second.

  • Decime la verdad.

    Tell me the truth.

  • Contame todo.

    Tell me everything.

Other tenses

Outside the present and commands, vos takes the same forms as tú. So once you know the tú forms, you already know most of vos.

  • ¿Vos hablaste con ella?

    Did you talk to her?

  • ¿Qué vas a hacer mañana?

    What are you going to do tomorrow?

  • Cuando vos eras chico, ¿dónde vivías?

    When you were a kid, where did you live?

Should you use it?

Tú is understood everywhere, including in places that use vos, so you don't need to switch. But if you're living in Argentina, Uruguay, or Central America, or learning from people from there, using vos will make you sound much more natural. Whichever you choose, stick with one: mixing them (vos hablas, tú hablás) sounds odd.

Common mistakes

  1. Using eres with vos

    Incorrect:Vos eres muy amable.
    Correct:Vos sos muy amable.

    With vos, the form of ser is sos.

  2. Keeping the stem change

    Incorrect:¿Vos quierés un café?
    Correct:¿Vos querés un café?

    With the stress on the ending, the stem doesn't change.

  3. Mixing vos with the tú form

    Sounds unnatural:Vos hablas muy rápido.
    Correct:Vos hablás muy rápido.

    The vos present tense stresses the ending.

  4. Using contigo with vos

    Sounds unnatural:Voy contigo.
    Correct:Voy con vos.

    Where people use vos, with you is con vos.

Questions about vos

What is vos in Spanish?

Vos is an informal word for "you" (one person), used instead of tú in several countries. It has its own verb forms in the present tense and in commands: vos hablás, vos sos, vení.

Where is vos used?

In Argentina and Uruguay, everyone uses it. It's also very common in Paraguay and Central America (Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala), and heard in parts of Colombia, Bolivia, Venezuela, and Ecuador.

How do you conjugate vos?

In the present tense, take the vosotros form and drop the i: habláis → hablás, coméis → comés. -ir verbs stay the same: vivís. Stem changes disappear (querés, podés), and ser is sos. Most other tenses use the tú forms.

Is vos formal or informal?

Informal, like tú. In places that use vos, the formal "you" is still usted, and the plural is still ustedes.

Do I need to learn vos?

To understand people from Argentina, Uruguay, or Central America, yes, at least to recognize it. To speak, tú is understood everywhere, so you only need vos if you're living in or focusing on one of those regions.

Next upThe present tenseRegular endings, boot verbs, yo-go verbs, and the other irregulars.

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