voseo

Voseo is the linguistic pattern in which the pronoun vos is used as the second-person singular address in place of tú, together with a distinct set of verb forms. It is a characteristic feature of several Spanish dialects, most notably in Rioplatense Spanish of Argentina and Uruguay, and is also found in Paraguay and various regional varieties across parts of Central and South America. In many places where voseo occurs, it coexists with tú (tuteo) and with usted for formal address.

Grammatical profile and examples vary by region, but a common core includes the present indicative endings vos voz form: hablas becomes hablás, comes becomes comés, vives becomes vivís. Verbs with vos often use the so-called -ás/-és/-ís endings in the present. Other pervasive forms include ser → sos, tener → tenés, ir → vas. The pronominal reflexive construction is vos te llamás (you call yourself). The imperative is often formed as hablá, comé, viví (affirmative), with negative forms such as no hables, no comas, no vivas. In many varieties, negation and other tenses retain regional variations, and some regions also employ vos in imperfect, future, and conditional forms with their own patterns.

Regional distribution and status vary: voseo is strongest and most stable in Argentina, Uruguay, and parts of Paraguay, where it functions as a primary polite/informal address in everyday speech. It is also attested in several Central American and Andean varieties, and to a lesser extent in Colombia, Chile, and Venezuela, often alongside tú or usted depending on social context. Voseo has been the subject of extensive linguistic study as a major feature of national and regional Spanish identities.