![\"Be](\"https:\/\/mydailyspanish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/how-to-be-polite-in-Spanish_fb.png\" "\\"how")
<\/span><\/p>\nIt\u2019s all about you<\/h2>\n
In English, we use the word \u2018you\u2019 whether we\u2019re talking to a child, a group of friends, an elderly lady, or a group of politicians. In Spanish, all of these have different forms. The main thing to remember is that we have to distinguish between formal and informal (that\u2019s a very simplified way of putting it).<\/p>\n
- \n
- \u2018T\u00fa\u2019 \u2013 you use this when you\u2019re talking to someone (one person) of roughly equal age and\/or social standing to you, or someone you know well.<\/span><\/li>\n
- \u2018Usted\u2019 \u2013 you use this when you\u2019re talking to someone (one person) older and\/or of higher social standing than you. Use it when talking to an official or authority figure, and pretty much always with a stranger (unless the stranger is clearly a lot younger than you).<\/span><\/li>\n
- \u2018Vosotros\u2019 \u2013 this is the plural form of \u2018t\u00fa.\u2019 This is used pretty much only in Spain.<\/span><\/li>\n
- \u2018Ustedes\u2019 \u2013 this is the plural form of \u2018usted.\u2019 In most of Latin America, this is used regardless<\/strong> of age and social standing when talking to more than one person.<\/span><\/li>\n
- \u2018Vos\u2019 \u2013 this one isn\u2019t taught as widely as the others, but it\u2019s useful to know. It\u2019s used instead of \u2018t\u00fa\u2019 in certain Latin American countries, like Argentina and Uruguay. It has its own conjugations!<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Did you know?<\/strong><\/h4>\n
The Spanish language even has a verb to describe calling someone \u2018t\u00fa\u2019! It\u2019s \u2018tutear(se),\u2019 so if an old lady tells you \u2018puedes tutearme,\u2019 she\u2019s inviting you to be on less formal terms with her\u2014you can start calling her \u2018t\u00fa\u2019 instead of \u2018usted.\u2019
![\"T\u00fa](\"https:\/\/mydailyspanish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/www.mydailyspanish.com-Tu-Usted-Old-Lady.jpg\" "\\"www.mydailyspanish.com")
<\/span><\/p>\nImage Via<\/p>\n
When you look at a verb conjugation table, \u2018t\u00fa\u2019 and \u2018vosotros\u2019 each have their own spot, \u2018usted\u2019 shares with \u2018\u00e9l\/ella,\u2019 and \u2018ustedes\u2019 shares with \u2018ellos\/ellas.\u2019 As an example, we\u2019re using the verb \u2018ser\u2019 in the present tense, as it\u2019s one of the most important conjugations to learn!<\/p>\n\n
\n\n
\n\t Yo soy<\/i><\/td> Nosotros somos<\/i><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n\t T\u00fa<\/Strong> eres<\/i><\/td> Vosotros<\/Strong> sois<\/i><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n\t \u00c9l\/ella\/usted<\/Strong> es<\/i><\/td> Ellos\/ellas\/ustedes<\/Strong> son<\/i><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n The “magic words” in Spanish<\/h2>\n
Okay, now we know how to say \u2018you,\u2019 it\u2019s time to learn those little magic words that everyone learns as a kid in their native language. They were probably some of the first words you learnt when you were new to Spanish, too!<\/p>\n\n
\n\n
\n\t Por favor<\/i><\/td> Please<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n\t Gracias<\/i><\/td> Thank you<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n Simple enough, right?<\/p>\n
Saying \u2018excuse me\u2019 in Spanish<\/h2>\n
So, when you first meet someone, you want them to actually notice you. This is where \u2018excuse me\u2019 comes in handy.<\/p>\n
There are a few ways to say \u2018excuse me\u2019 to get someone\u2019s attention:<\/p>\n\n
\n\n
\n\t Perdona<\/i><\/td> Excuse me (\u2018t\u00fa\u2019 form<\/i>)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n\t Perdone<\/i><\/td> Excuse me (\u2018usted\u2019 form<\/i>)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n\t Perd\u00f3n*<\/i><\/td> Pardon<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n\t Disculpa<\/i><\/td> Excuse me (\u2018t\u00fa\u2019 form<\/i>)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n\t Disculpe<\/i><\/td> Excuse me (\u2018usted\u2019 form<\/i>)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n *This one adds an apologetic tone, for example if someone is in the middle of a conversation but you need to (apologetically) interrupt them for something.<\/p>\n
If you want to use \u2018excuse me\u2019 to ask someone to move out of the way, use these:<\/p>\n\n
\n\n
\n\t Con permiso<\/i><\/td> Excuse me (Literally: with permission)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n\t Permiso<\/i><\/td> Excuse me (Literally: permission)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n\t Disculpa\/e<\/i><\/td> Excuse me<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n\t Perd\u00f3n*<\/i><\/td> Pardon<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n *As mentioned above, this is more of an apology, so you could use it if you\u2019ve already gone ahead and pushed past someone and they don\u2019t look too happy about it!<\/p>\n
How to Politely Introduce Yourself in Spanish<\/h2>\n
Once you\u2019ve got your Spanish-speaker\u2019s attention, you\u2019ll want to introduce yourself. Here are some ways of doing it:<\/p>\n\n
\n\n
\n\t Encantado\/a*<\/i><\/td> Nice to meet you (Literally: enchanted\/happy)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n\t Mucho gusto<\/i><\/td> Nice to meet you (Literally: much pleasure)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n\t Es un placer conocerte<\/i><\/td> It\u2019s a pleasure to meet you (informal)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n\t Es un placer conocerlo\/la**<\/i><\/td> It\u2019s a pleasure to meet you (formal)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n *The ending depends on the gender of the speaker.<\/p>\n
**The ending depends on the gender of the person you\u2019re speaking to.<\/p>\n
Physical interactions<\/h2>\n
Something fascinating about studying various cultures is observing their greeting customs. In a lot of Spanish-speaking countries, it\u2019s customary to give one or two cheek kisses when you meet up with someone you know. <\/p>\n
As a very general rule, Latin Americans give one kiss, and Spaniards give two. If it\u2019s two, then start with one where you lean to the left (right cheek touches right cheek) then lean to the right (left cheek touches left cheek). <\/p>\n
In Latino and Spanish cultures, the cheek kissing is usually only applied when at least one of the people is female. It\u2019s generally not commonplace for two men to do the cheek kisses.<\/p>\n
When you\u2019re meeting someone new, kisses may be appropriate, like within your social circle. But try and read the social cues: if it\u2019s someone like a super formal new business associate, shake their hand, don\u2019t start kissing without consent, okay?<\/p>\n
![\"Shaking](\"https:\/\/mydailyspanish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/www.mydailyspanish.com-Shaking-Hands.jpg\" "\\"www.mydailyspanish.com")
<\/span><\/p>\nImage Via<\/p>\n
Titles in Spanish<\/h2>\n
Obviously it\u2019s important to know who you\u2019re speaking to. Here are some words and titles that you might use.<\/p>\n\n
\n\n
\n\t Se\u00f1or<\/i><\/td> Sir\/Mr.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n\t Se\u00f1ora<\/i><\/td> Ma\u2019am\/Mrs.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n\t Don<\/i><\/td> Sir\/Mr. (formal)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n\t Do\u00f1a<\/i><\/td> Ms.\/lady (formal)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n\t Doctor<\/i><\/td> Dr. (male)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n\t Doctora<\/i><\/td> Dr. (female)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n\t Profesor<\/i><\/td> Teacher\/professor (male)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n\t Profesora<\/i><\/td> Teacher\/professor (female)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n Asking how it\u2019s going in Spanish<\/h2>\n
When you run into someone you know, it\u2019s polite to ask how they\u2019re doing. Here are some ways of doing it:<\/p>\n\n
\n\n
\n\t \u00bfQu\u00e9 tal?<\/i><\/td> How are you?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n\t \u00bfQu\u00e9 pasa?<\/i><\/td> What\u2019s up?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n\t \u00bfQu\u00e9 onda?<\/i><\/td> What\u2019s up? (Certain countries, e.g. Mexico)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n\t \u00bfC\u00f3mo est\u00e1s?<\/i><\/td> How are you? (informal singular)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n\t \u00bfC\u00f3mo est\u00e1is?<\/i><\/td> How are you? (informal plural)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n\t \u00bfC\u00f3mo est\u00e1 usted?<\/i><\/td> How are you? (formal singular) <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n\t \u00bfC\u00f3mo est\u00e1n?<\/i><\/td> How are you? (formal plural for Spain\/all plural for most of Latin America)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n “I didn\u2019t quite catch that”<\/h2>\n
If you\u2019re anything like me, you\u2019ll find that Spanish seems to go about a hundred times faster than English. Understanding spoken Spanish comes with practice, and it\u2019s totally normal to need to ask someone to repeat something.<\/p>\n\n
\n\n
\n\t \u00bfC\u00f3mo?<\/i><\/td> Sorry?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n\t \u00bfPerd\u00f3n?<\/i><\/td> Pardon?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n\t \u00bfPodr\u00eda hablar m\u00e1s despacio, por favor?<\/i><\/td> Could you speak more slowly, please?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n\t \u00bfPodr\u00eda repetir lo que ha dicho, por favor?<\/i><\/td> Could you repeat what you said, please?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n “I\u2019m so sorry” in Spanish<\/h2>\n
Maybe you\u2019ve asked the person on the phone to repeat themselves five times, and you still can\u2019t quite catch what they\u2019re saying. Maybe you\u2019ve just spilt your drink on someone. Maybe you\u2019ve accidentally broken someone\u2019s phone. Whatever the situation, you might need to apologize. Here\u2019s how:<\/p>\n\n
\n\n
\n\t Lo siento<\/i><\/td> Sorry<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n\t Siento que + subjunctive<\/i><\/td> I\u2019m sorry that \u2026<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n\t Perd\u00f3n<\/i><\/td> Sorry<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n\t Perd\u00f3name\/disc\u00falpame, por favor<\/i><\/td> Forgive me, please (\u2018t\u00fa\u2019 form)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n\t Perd\u00f3neme\/disc\u00falpeme, por favor<\/i><\/td> Forgive me, please (\u2018usted\u2019 form)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n Polite Ways to Make Requests in Spanish<\/h2>\n
When you want to request something, there are a variety of ways of going about it.<\/p>\n
One way is to use the imperative<\/a> form with \u2018por favor.\u2019 Here are some examples. <\/p>\n\n
\n\n
\n\t Ponme un zumo de naranja, por favor.<\/i><\/td> Give me an orange juice, please.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n\t Espere aqu\u00ed, por favor.<\/i><\/td> Wait here, please.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n These phrases may sound a bit blunt to native English-speakers. Certainly as a Brit, I\u2019ve been conditioned to go in hard with, \u2018Sorry, please may I have an orange juice if it\u2019s not too much trouble, please? Thank you, sorry, thanks.\u2019 However, in Spanish (at least in most of Spain), using the imperative is polite enough as long as you have a smile on your face and maybe even throw in a \u2018por favor.\u2019 <\/p>\n
If you want to play it safe and be extra polite, try using \u2018poder\u2019 (\u2018to be able to) in the conditional tense:<\/p>\n\n
\n\n
\n\t \u00bfMe podr\u00edas ayudar?<\/i><\/td> Could you help me?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n\t \u00bfPodr\u00eda esperarme aqu\u00ed, por favor?<\/i><\/td> Could you wait for me here, please?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n You can even use the imperfect subjunctive with \u2018querer\u2019 (to want) to say that you would like something:<\/p>\n\n
\n\n
\n\t Quisiera una hamburguesa, por favor.<\/i><\/td> I would like a hamburger, please.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n\t Mi hermana y yo quisi\u00e9ramos hablar con usted.<\/i><\/td> My sister and I would like to speak to you.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n You might also see \u2018hacer el favor de.\u2019<\/p>\n\n
\n\n
\n\t H\u00e1game el favor de acompa\u00f1arme.<\/i><\/td> Would you do me the favor of coming with me?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n Polite Ways to Say Goodbye in Spanish<\/h2>\n
Once your interactions with someone have finished, it\u2019s polite to say \u2018goodbye.\u2019 Here are some options:<\/p>\n\n
\n\n
\n\t Adi\u00f3s<\/i><\/td> Goodbye<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n\t Hasta luego<\/i><\/td> See you later<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n\t Hasta la pr\u00f3xima<\/i><\/td> Until next time<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n\t Hasta ma\u00f1ana<\/i><\/td> See you tomorrow<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n\t Que te vaya bien<\/i><\/td> Take care<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n\t Cu\u00eddense<\/i><\/td> Look after yourselves<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n ![\"Wave](\"https:\/\/mydailyspanish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/www.mydailyspanish.com-Wave-Goodbye.jpg\" "\\"www.mydailyspanish.com")
<\/span><\/p>\nImage Via<\/p>\n
If you did the cheek kisses to greet each other, then you\u2019d probably do it again when parting ways.<\/p>\n
\u00a1Hasta la pr\u00f3xima!<\/em><\/h2>\n
Hopefully this lesson has given you some insight into politeness in Spanish-speaking countries across the world, and that extra bit of confidence to speak with natives! <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I think we can probably all agree that being polite is a golden rule when talking to people. In this article, we\u2019ll look at politeness in Spanish from a variety of different angles. Be careful, though. If you\u2019re usually super polite (looking at you, Canada and the UK), bear in mind that Spanish (especially in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":12811,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","tve_updated_post":"
\tI think we can probably all agree that being polite is a golden rule when talking to people. In this article, we\u2019ll look at politeness in Spanish from a variety of different angles.<\/p>
Be careful, though. If you\u2019re usually super polite (looking at you, Canada and the UK), bear in mind that Spanish (especially in Spain) isn\u2019t quite as excessive with the pleading and thanking. Overdo it and you risk sounding sarcastic and\/or rude!<\/p><\/div>
<\/span><\/div>__CONFIG_colors_palette__{\"active_palette\":0,\"config\":{\"colors\":{\"83001\":{\"name\":\"Main Accent\",\"parent\":-1},\"caaeb\":{\"name\":\"Main Accent Light\",\"parent\":\"83001\",\"lock\":{\"lightness\":1,\"saturation\":1}},\"ab61c\":{\"name\":\"Main Accent Dark\",\"parent\":\"83001\"}},\"gradients\":[]},\"palettes\":[{\"name\":\"Default\",\"value\":{\"colors\":{\"83001\":{\"val\":\"var(--tcb-color-3)\",\"hsl\":{\"h\":213,\"s\":0.5952,\"l\":0.01,\"a\":1}},\"caaeb\":{\"val\":\"rgba(75, 122, 180, 0.22)\",\"hsl_parent_dependency\":{\"h\":213,\"l\":0.5,\"s\":0.41}},\"ab61c\":{\"val\":\"rgb(7, 35, 70)\",\"hsl_parent_dependency\":{\"h\":213,\"l\":0.15,\"s\":0.83}}},\"gradients\":[]},\"original\":{\"colors\":{\"83001\":{\"val\":\"rgb(170, 75, 180)\",\"hsl\":{\"h\":294,\"s\":0.41,\"l\":0.5,\"a\":1}},\"caaeb\":{\"val\":\"rgba(170, 75, 180, 0.22)\",\"hsl_parent_dependency\":{\"h\":294,\"s\":0.41,\"l\":0.5,\"a\":0.22}},\"ab61c\":{\"val\":\"rgb(127, 30, 137)\",\"hsl_parent_dependency\":{\"h\":294,\"s\":0.64,\"l\":0.32,\"a\":1}}},\"gradients\":[]}}]}__CONFIG_colors_palette__<\/div> - \u2018Usted\u2019 \u2013 you use this when you\u2019re talking to someone (one person) older and\/or of higher social standing than you. Use it when talking to an official or authority figure, and pretty much always with a stranger (unless the stranger is clearly a lot younger than you).<\/span><\/li>\n