vosotrasvosotros

Vosotras and vosotros are the informal second-person plural pronouns in Spanish, used to address a group of people the speaker considers familiar or equals. Vosotros is masculine or mixed-gender; vosotras is feminine. They correspond to "you all" in English and are distinct from the formal ustedes. In many Spanish-speaking regions, ustedes serves as the standard second-person plural for both formal and informal situations, especially in Latin America, while vosotros/vosotras remains the conventional form in Spain for informal address.

Regional usage and variation

In Spain, vosotros and vosotras are the default forms in informal speech, particularly among friends, family, and within schools, while ustedes is used in formal contexts or in places where regional custom dictates. In Latin America, ustedes is generally used for both formal and informal second-person plural, with regional preferences sometimes affecting perceived formality or familiarity.

Grammar and conjugation

Verbs with vosotros or vosotras share the same verb form, which is the second-person plural. Present indicative endings are -áis, -éis, -ís (habláis, coméis, vivís). Preterite endings are -asteis, -isteis, -isteis (hablasteis, comisteis, vivisteis); imperfect forms are -abais, -íais, -íais (hababais? actually habíais, comíais, vivíais). Subjunctive present forms are -éis or -áis or -áis (habléis, comáis, viváis). The affirmative imperative is -ad, -ed, -id (hablad, comed, vivid); the negative imperative is no + -éis/-áis/-ís (no habléis, no comáis, no viváis). Gender only affects the pronoun itself; the verb endings do not change with masculine or feminine.

Origins

The forms originate from medieval Spanish and Latin-derived second-person plural forms. Vosotros/vosotras developed as the plural counterpart to the familiar singular vos, with ustedes later absorbing the plural usage in many regions.