While in English we only have the word "you", in Mexican Spanish, there are three different forms of this word.
There's tú, which is the informal, second person singular. We use this for friends, people younger than ourselves, and sometimes for family members like moms and dads.
Usted, shortened in writing to Ud. is the formal second person singular. This is used to show respect to people older than yourself, people you've just met, and in some families, for your folks.
And another form, Ustedes, shortened to Uds. is used in Mexico for both informal and formal second person plural. Maybe it could be translated as "you all." (Spain Spanish has another form, vosotros, which is used for informal, second person plural, but this isn't used in Mexico.)
Generally, I like the distinctions. It's nice to know when the "you" is plural or when it's singular, and I like the ability to show respect through my language in a very obvious way. I didn't grow up calling my friend's parents "Mr." and "Mrs.", though I think that's a nice way to show respect, especially for children.
But here, there's a problem when I can't figure out whether I should use tú or Ud. When I first got here and used the formal you the person didn't know about whom I was talking (the verb endings are the same for the third person singular). And I don't want to offend someone by using an informal form when they don't think we're buddies. But I want to connote a desire to get to know someone; I guess this would entail connecting my informal language with actions - visiting, talking, making an exertion to get to know people on a deeper level.
For the most part I try to fall on the respectful side of things and wait to see which form they with me and when it changes. I think conversations about which forms to use with the other person can be a bit odd - if you think you're close enough for tú and the other person doesn't, for example.
When we refer to God, we use the tú form. I asked about this once, why God didn't garner more respect in how we referred to him. It was explained to me, that our relationship with God is closer, because of the reconcilling work of Jesus Christ. Remember, he calls us "friends," and we can call God "abba," a close, intimate term used by children for their father.
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2 comments:
There's a similar distinction in Russian. "Ty" is informal and singular, while "By" is formal and singular or plural. The degree of familiarity in a relationship is also shown by how you address someone. For example, I may address a professor by his or her first name and patronymic (Maria Georgievna), but I call my classmates by a diminutive form of their first name (Masha instead of Maria, Misha instead of Mikhail).
yeah. i like how in french (and spanish and others) you can say "you" plural. so in some ways the invention of "ya'll" makes sense.
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