Questions tagged [formalidad]
Preguntas relacionadas con tratamientos (forma "usted"), cómo dirigirse a alguien adecuadamente (Señor o señora) o cómo decir algo de manera educada. Questions related to the best way to address someone (_tú_ vs. _usted_, Señor/señora) or asking something politely.
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How do I ask someone not to call me "usted"?
Suppose you're in a situation where you have a formal/business relationship with someone, but the relationship has become more familiar over time. The other person continues to call you usted. How ...
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¿Quiénes son los más afectados por el ustedeo?
He encontrado que varias veces, mi empleo del español en conversación es afectado por el llamado "ustedeo". Afecta mis relaciones con gente que acabo de conocer, porque muchas personas piensan que ...
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Why is "Usted" grammatically a third person?
In English polite form of address is "You" which is second person singular and plural. In Russian it is "Вы" which is plural second person.
In Spanish (and probably French and Italian) polite address ...
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What is the etymology of the pronoun "usted"? What formal pronouns existed before?
What is the etymology of the pronoun "usted"? What formal pronouns existed before, and when did the current "usted" come into existence?
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Is there a Spanish equivalent to Ms.?
As far as I can tell, the honorifics to address a woman are:
Señora (Sra.) which is equivalent to "Mrs." and is used to address a married woman;
Señorita (Srta.) which is equivalent to "Miss" and is ...
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How formal is "cuán"? What are the informal alternatives?
How formal is the Spanish word cuán? When is it appropriate to use, and when does it seem out of place? How are sentences using cuán normally expressed in informal speech?
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Do Spaniards care much about "usted"?
I've just moved to Madrid and am trying to understand the way Spaniards use tú versus usted. My first hypothesis was that they are simply more inclined to tú than much of Latin America (even in work ...
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¿Por qué "don, doña" para el nombre pero "señor, señora" para el apellido?
El uso actual, al menos en España, dicta que "don, doña" se usa normalmente solo para los nombres; y que para los apellidos se debe usar "señor, señora":
Don Arturo, pero señor Pérez-Reverte;
Doña ...
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¿Por qué se usa la forma "tú" en publicidades en vez de "usted"?
Muchas veces he encontrado publicidades que usan la forma tú como lo siguiente:
Yo pienso que que estaría mejor usar la forma usted, porque es mas formal y profesional (en mi opinión).
¿Quizás no ...
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How regional or widespread are the colloquial "pa`" or "pa'" in place of "para"?
In Mexico I sometimes heard or saw the colloquial variant pa' or pa used for para.
But is this just a Mexicanism, or is it also used in Central America, all Latin America, or even in Spain?
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What is the difference between different ways of expressing desire and intention?
I hear a lot of different ways to express the idea of wanting something or wanting to do something. What is the difference between them?
Yo quiero (algo o hacer algo o que pase algo)
Me gustaría ...
...
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¿Es "Que sí/ Que no" incorrecto o agresivo como respuesta a una pregunta?
Mandé a un amigo esta frase (en el medio de una conversación más larga)
Que sí, lo he probado
Me ha respondido mi amigo
cuando dices 'que sí', es incorrecto, además suena 'agresivo', como si ...
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¿Cómo empezar una carta de manera formal/oficial?
Tengo que escribir una carta formal y quiero escribir de la misma manera y con el mismo respeto que en inglés (dear sir, dear madam), son dos personas que no son parientes pero quiero ser cortés con ...
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usted and its usage
I understand that usted is used for formal usage.
When conjugating a verb is there a rule for its use? Must it always be used along with the conjugated verb? Or are there any instances where an ...
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Using "he/she" and "usted's" possessive pronoun in a sentence
I have a sentence:
"Father, he was writing in your notebook."
Wouldn't that translate into:
"Padre, él estaba escribiendo en su cuaderno."
Wouldn't that be confusing because it could also read:...
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What is the meaning of "tuteándome" in Spanish?
Estaba ardiendo en dudas cuando una secretaria me invitó a seguirla por la misma
puerta del fondo, hasta una oficina pequeña, con una larga estantería de gruesos
volúmenes. Un beduino colosal se ...
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Translating "Slow down!" (in informal contexts)
English
WordReference translates "slow down" as disminuir la velocidad or desacelerar. But those sound pretty precise or technical to me. How would you translate "Slow down!" in other, more informal ...
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Tratamiento formal plural en Argentina: "vosotros" versus "ustedes"
En Argentina es común el uso de ustedes para referirse a un grupo de personas no formalmente. ¿Pero entonces vosotros sería formal? Hasta donde tengo entendido es demasiado formal (y arcaico), es ...
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Use of "usted" to convey formality *and* affection? (in Ecuador)
My prometida (she's Ecuadorian) has occasionally referred to me as usted, but she said that in this context it can convey not only formality / respect, but also affection! I'm fascinated by this ...
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Grados de formalidad en las expresiones para ir al baño
En español para decir que alguien ha ido al cuarto de baño, podemos elegir entre váter, aseo, baño, escusado... y seguramente algunas más que no recuerdo o que desconozco.
Sin embargo, en mi caso al ...
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What is the usage of the pronoun "su"? Is it a correct translation from "your"?
English:
I've always thought the Spanish pronoun "su" means "his/hers", as in su perro es grande. Recently though in my language studies, I've noticed "su" being used in the "your" context as in por ...
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Equivalent of "To whom it may concern:"
When writing formal letters in English where there is no named recipient (for example, a job application sent to a Human Resources department, or a letter sent to an organization in general as opposed ...
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Addressing a person in mail, person has a title
I would like to address a person with a medical Dr. title formally in mail. In English it is simple, just adding the title: "Dear Dr. X." In German, on the other hand, it is a bit more complex: I also ...
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Why can the third person plural also mean ‘you’ like second person but never ‘we‘ like first person?
For this sentence:
Siento decirles que quedan sin trabajo.
Why can quedan sometimes mean “you are” but never “we are”?
Is it because quedan is a third-person plural for quedar?
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Using “tener” as English “to have” to ask for things (“can I have...?”)
Recently there was a question that incidentally included an ungrammatical example: “¿Puedo tener un vaso de agua?”, obviously a literal translation from English “¿May I have a glass of water?”. This ...
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Formalidad de "Tu mujer"
So I saw this tweet on Twitter:
Which for me raises the question of formality and dialect uses of "tu mujer" vs. "tu esposa". Is one more formal than the other? I ask because I know that "tu mujer"...
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Is it OK to use "tú" (tutear) when addressing a stranger in Spain?
Is it OK to use tú (tutear) when addressing a stranger in Spain?
By stranger I mean a person that is unknown or with whom one is unacquainted, I do not mean a foreigner.
Background: I recently ...
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When writing a post to people you don't know, which form of address should you use: 'tú', 'usted', or 'ustedes'?
When writing a post to people you don't know, which form of address should you use: "tú," "usted," or "ustedes?"
Primero mi pregunta en español:
Al escribir un post a la gente que no conoce, ¿cuál ...
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Ending a formal letter / Terminar una carta formal
English
When writing a formal letter in English, I would normally end with something along the lines of
I look forward to hearing from you [soon|as soon as possible|at your earliest convenience].
...
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¿Qué debo poner antes del nombre, "C." o "Ing."?
Normalmente en mi contrato de prestación de servicios profesionales yo antecedo a mi nombre mi título universitario (Ing.). Sin embargo, un cliente me hizo notar que debería utilizar mejor C. (Como ...
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En España, ¿el Gobierno usa "tú" o "usted"?
Mi experiencia indica que en México se usa "usted", pero sé que en España quizás son un poco menos formales.
Tengo que traducir una carta de la Seguridad Social de EE.UU. en frases dirigidas a mí, ¿...
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Usage of "tú" between men, implying homosexuality?
I recently read that, in some parts of Latin America (I don't know exactly which countries), the use of "tú" or tuteo could carry additional connotations beyond the formal/informal way to address ...
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How can I translate "Leave to cool" for a recipe? Should it be "Deje " or "Deja que se enfríe"?
I am trying to write a cooking recipe as homework (should point out I have a tutor who is trying to help me learn Spanish purely for my own development so not a school kid trying to cheat his teacher :...
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Is it good to use "tú" instead of "usted" to make a connection?
If I want to make a connection with someone, does using Tú instead of Usted indicate that? Or would it be too forward if you do that too soon?
I understand this is probably region specific. I live in ...
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What forms of address are used between criminals/suspected criminals and law enforcement/interrogators?
Primero mi pregunta en español:
¿Qué formas de apelativo se usan entre criminales/presuntos delincuentes y la policía/interrogadores?
Details in English:
Recently I’ve been reviewing the various ...
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"Pay your respects" in Spanish
I am looking for a good translation to the phrase "Pay your respects" in Spanish.
I haven't been able to figure out one that really conveys the meaning. These are the ones I currently came up with:
...
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What's the formal, genderless way to greet someone in a letter?
In English, I would start a letter like this:
Greetings <person's name>,
(...)
I'm trying to replace "greetings" with a word or an expression in Spanish that could work with both men and ...
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Singular and Plural "You" - how does one differentiate in Spanish between a singular and plural you?
What is the most accurate "you all" translation?
There are two "yous". Singular and plural you. The latter is sometimes called "you all", "y'all", or "youse guys" in American English. What is the ...
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"Estimado Equipo de (nombre de la empresa)", ¿es correcto?
¿Está bien encabezar una carta de presentación con lo siguiente?
Estimado equipo de (nombre de la empresa)
Es que eso es bueno en inglés.
Además, "equipo" debe ir con minúscula inicial, ¿...
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Should I use querido, estimado, or distinguido in an email to a teacher?
I have been sending emails to my teacher using:
Querido, ...
I recently found out that estimado and distinguido also mean "dear". Which form of "dear" should I use in an email (...
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Forma correcta para referirse a dos personas al mismo tiempo con diferente nivel de tratamiento
Ayer se me dio una circunstancia curiosa. Recibí en casa la visita de dos personas, a una de las cuales trato con familiaridad (de tú), y a la otra la trato con respeto (de usted). En un momento dado ...
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Difference between "salvo" and "salvado" (religion)
For expressing the religious concept of being "saved," what is the difference between salvo and salvado? Is there any difference in connotation or formality of the two words? Are there any contexts ...
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¿Por qué cambiar "usted" con "tú"?
Trabajo con mexicanos que suelen cambiar el uso de verbos de la forma de "usted" a la de "tú" platicando entre sí, y al revés también.
¿Hay reglas del uso de "usted" que cambian con la situación y ...
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How should I talk about something done in preparation for a visit? Should I use "su visita" or "tu visita"?
I am looking to say to someone something along the lines of "I've bought cheese for your visit". It's a dear friend I'm speaking to so it should be informal.
Does this work?
He comprado queso para ...
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Word Order- inversion
when saying something e.g. three bikes were stolen. is it better fo say "tres bicis fueron robadas" or "fueron robadas tres bicis". is one more formal than the other? thanks
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¿Qué tan adecuado es usar "en tanga" en un escrito formal?
Hace unos días leía la noticia de fútbol El Madrid gana de milagro a un PSG muy superior y me sorprendió ver esta frase:
En tanga todo el primer acto, el Madrid se fue de ejercicios
espirituales ...
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Alternativas a «El presente documento» en introducciones
A la hora de escribir las introducciones de documentos formales, artículos, trabajos, etc. se suelen escribir frases como:
El presente documento es un...
El presente documento versa sobre...
El ...
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1
answer
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Using Usted/Tu when talking with chatbots
I am developing an app for the Google Assistant and making Spanish translations.
My question is:
How should chatbots (the Google Assistant) refer to the user, and
How should users refer to the ...
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1
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¿Cómo se dice "ustedes" en un manera informal?
How exactly would one say ustedes in an informal way? I'm not talking about vosotros, since it is only used in Spain.
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Talking to strangers - tú or usted?
What form is normally used when talking to people like sales clerks, waiters? (It seems to me that real life Spanish is quite different from what the phrase books say).