Skip to main content
Commonmark migration
Source Link

I think what was being asked was, is it okay to omit the subject usted similarly to omitting other subject pronouns.

Yes, it's often fine to do that, but this subject pronoun is omitted less often than others. Including the optional subject pronoun tends to happen for a couple reasons:

  • to eliminate ambiguity, since the conjugated verb by itself looks/sounds the same as for he/she/it

  • to sound a bit more polite and flowery

Similarly, usted used as an object tends to be omitted a bit less often too. Compare, for example:

Ya te dije.

 

Ya le dije a usted.

Including "a usted," which is optional (assuming the context has made clear who "le" refers to), softens the statement.

However: if one were to do this in 100% of one's sentences in a particular conversation, one might start to border on sounding obsequious.

I think what was being asked was, is it okay to omit the subject usted similarly to omitting other subject pronouns.

Yes, it's often fine to do that, but this subject pronoun is omitted less often than others. Including the optional subject pronoun tends to happen for a couple reasons:

  • to eliminate ambiguity, since the conjugated verb by itself looks/sounds the same as for he/she/it

  • to sound a bit more polite and flowery

Similarly, usted used as an object tends to be omitted a bit less often too. Compare, for example:

Ya te dije.

 

Ya le dije a usted.

Including "a usted," which is optional (assuming the context has made clear who "le" refers to), softens the statement.

However: if one were to do this in 100% of one's sentences in a particular conversation, one might start to border on sounding obsequious.

I think what was being asked was, is it okay to omit the subject usted similarly to omitting other subject pronouns.

Yes, it's often fine to do that, but this subject pronoun is omitted less often than others. Including the optional subject pronoun tends to happen for a couple reasons:

  • to eliminate ambiguity, since the conjugated verb by itself looks/sounds the same as for he/she/it

  • to sound a bit more polite and flowery

Similarly, usted used as an object tends to be omitted a bit less often too. Compare, for example:

Ya te dije.

Ya le dije a usted.

Including "a usted," which is optional (assuming the context has made clear who "le" refers to), softens the statement.

However: if one were to do this in 100% of one's sentences in a particular conversation, one might start to border on sounding obsequious.

Source Link
aparente001
  • 10.7k
  • 7
  • 33
  • 55

I think what was being asked was, is it okay to omit the subject usted similarly to omitting other subject pronouns.

Yes, it's often fine to do that, but this subject pronoun is omitted less often than others. Including the optional subject pronoun tends to happen for a couple reasons:

  • to eliminate ambiguity, since the conjugated verb by itself looks/sounds the same as for he/she/it

  • to sound a bit more polite and flowery

Similarly, usted used as an object tends to be omitted a bit less often too. Compare, for example:

Ya te dije.

Ya le dije a usted.

Including "a usted," which is optional (assuming the context has made clear who "le" refers to), softens the statement.

However: if one were to do this in 100% of one's sentences in a particular conversation, one might start to border on sounding obsequious.