When you’re addressing multiple people with “you all” in Spanish, you’re going to use the subject pronoun ustedes (you, plural form) in Latin America. In Spain, you’ll choose between either ustedes for formal situations or vosotros/vosotras (you, plural form) for casual conversations.
The form of “you all” you need to use, formal or informal, will also indicate how to conjugate the verb that follows these subject pronouns. In this guide, you’ll master the difference as well as how to add some flair or affection to emphasize the statement “you all” in Spanish.
Table of Contents
Ustedes vs. vosotros
If you’re speaking Spanish anywhere other than with speakers from Spain, you only have one choice for the second person plural subject pronoun “you”: ustedes. It can stand for all of the plural ways to say “you” in regional English dialects, like “y’all,” “you all,” “you guys,” “you lot,” or even “yinz” (a regional slang term for “you” common in the Pittsburgh, PA area). So you see, Spanish isn’t the only language with multiple ways to express “you.”
If you’re in Spain, you will have to decide between:
- ustedes = used only in formal situations in Spain;
- vosotros = used informally, when at least one member of the group is a man or boy;
- vosotras = used informally, when the group is exclusively women or girls.
While the choice may seem complicated at first, as you spend time with speakers of Peninsular Spanish (from Spain), you may notice that usted (you – singular, formal) is used far less frequently than tú (you – singular, casual).
This is also the case with vosotros/vosotras, which will be the more common term in social situations among people of the same age. If you’re unsure, listen to those around you or ask a local. Spanish-speakers are often very forgiving with beginners, and will appreciate your attempt to communicate in Spanish.
How to emphasize ‘you all’ in Spanish
Technically, just using a plural subject pronoun in Spanish is enough to convey that you’re speaking to more than one person. And, in fact, you don’t even need the subject pronoun. It’s often omitted because the verb conjugation indicates who you’re speaking to or about.
- (Ustedes) Son muy creativos. = You are very creative.
- (Vosotras) Sois muy generosas. = You are very generous.
Sometimes, however, you’ll want to demonstrate that you are including absolutely everyone in your statement. Imagine you’re at a family reunion and you want to say “I love you all” in Spanish, or you’re leaving after a week with a host family and you want to say “thank you all” in Spanish. Here are some options to help you emphasize inclusivity.
Todos/todas
Use todos/todas (all/everyone) to say “you all.” Whether or not you use ustedes or vosotros/vosotras, the modifier “all” in Spanish will need to agree in grammatical gender with the group to which you’re referring, an important grammar rule for Spanish adjectives and other parts of speech.
While it’s possible to include the subject pronoun, Spanish-speakers will often omit it in these types of phrases.
- Gracias a todos (ustedes/vosotros). = Thank you all. (male or mixed group)
- Gracias a todas (ustedes/vosotras). = Thank you all. (exclusively female group)
- ¿Cómo están todos (ustedes)? = How are you all? (male or mixed group)
- ¿Cómo están todas (ustedes)? = How are you all? (exclusively female group)
- ¿Cómo estáis todos (vosotros)? = How are you all? (male or mixed group)
- ¿Cómo estáis todas (vosotras)? = How are you all? (exclusively female group)
Because people around the world are increasingly careful to be inclusive of all people, if you’re in a large group, a presenter might welcome the crowd using both todos and todas.
The Real Academia Española acknowledges this trend in public discourse but considers it unnecessary from a linguistic standpoint, as the term todos applies to everyone, and avoids tedious duplication. Some speakers don’t mind the bit of extra effort, especially in a welcome address or at the opening of an event.
- ¡Bienvenidos y bienvenidas a todos y a todas! = Welcome to everyone!/Welcome to you all!
- ¡Bienvenidos a todos! = Welcome everyone!/Welcome to you all!
Los/las/os (you, plural direct object pronouns)
If you’re saying “I love you all” in Spanish, “you” is actually the object of the verb “to love.” The subject is yo (I) and you would need to use one of the direct object pronouns los, las, or os for “you.”
Los is for the plural “you” in Spanish, except if the group is all women and girls, in which case it would be las. In Spain, there is only os as an object pronoun for a group in informal speech.
Here’s how you’d structure your statement with direct object pronouns for “you all”:
- Los quiero. = I love you all. (Latin America, male or mixed group)
- Las quiero. = I love you all. (Latin America, exclusively female group)
- Os quiero. = I love you all. (Spain, any group).
Les/os (you, plural indirect object pronouns)
Use les or os, indirect object pronouns in Spanish, when the verb indirectly affects the noun. For instance, in the sentence “I will write to you all,” you are writing “to you all.” Nothing changes for the vosotros/vosotras form os (you all) for Peninsular Spanish, but in Latin America, the correct Spanish pronoun for either gender is les.
- Les enviaré un mensaje la semana que viene. = I will send you all a message next week. In other words, I will send the message (the direct object) to you all (the indirect object).
- Les escribiré pronto. = I will write to you all soon.
- Os enviaré un correo mañana. = I will send you all an email tomorrow.
Key takeaways about how to say ‘you all’ in Spanish
If you remember these important facts, you’ll be able to address more than one person at a time by saying “you all” in Spanish.
- Use ustedes in Latin America or in Spain if the situation is formal.
- In Spain, vosotros is less formal than ustedes. Use vosotras if the group is exclusively female.
- Often the subject pronouns are omitted in Spanish, so the conjugated verb form is what will express “you all.”
- Object pronouns that mean “you all” can be direct (los/las/os), or indirect (les/os).
0 Commentaires