If you watch a series from Buenos Aires or chat with friends from Central America, you will hear a friendly pronoun that is not túyou (singular informal). Meet vosyou (singular informal). The system that uses vos is called voseo.
Where do people use vos?
Think of voseo like an accent for grammar. It is normal and friendly in many places.
- Strong and widespread
- Argentina and Uruguay
- Paraguay
- Central America: Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica
- Common in regions
- Colombia: Antioquia and the Coffee Region, Valle del Cauca, parts of the west
- Bolivia: Santa Cruz and lowlands
- Ecuador: Sierra and coastal cities like Guayaquil
- Chile: informal speech, with local twists
- Venezuela: Zulia and some Andean areas
- Limited or historical pockets
- Southern Mexico, especially Chiapas and nearby areas
- Rare or not used
- Spain and most of the Caribbean
How does vos change the verb?
The magic of voseo is in the stress and endings. Here is the everyday present tense pattern:
- -ar verbs: vos hablás
- -er verbs: vos comés
- -ir verbs: vos vivís
Notice the accent mark on the last syllable. For a quick refresher on regular present endings, see our guides to -ar verbs and -er/-ir verbs.
Tú vs. vos at a glance
اسحب المقبض للمقارنة
Another common pair:
اسحب المقبض للمقارنة
And in case you are wondering about Spain:
اسحب المقبض للمقارنة
Irregulars you will hear all the time
- ser: vos sos
- tener: vos tenés
- venir: vos venís
- poder: vos podés
- querer: vos querés
- decir: vos decís
- hacer: vos hacés
- poner: vos ponés
- salir: vos salís
- ir: vos vas
Affirmative commands use a similar feel (see our overview of affirmative commands):
- hablá, comé, viví
- vení, decí, hacé, poné, salí, tené, andá, sé
If you want a deeper dive into key verbs mentioned above, review tener and ir in the present.
Want to review how the present perfect (has/have + past participle) works? Check our guide to the present perfect tense.
Real-life phrases you will hear
- ¿De dónde sos?
- ¿Cómo te llamás?
- ¿Qué hacés hoy?
- ¿Podés ayudarme un segundo?
- Si querés, nos vemos mañana.
رتب الكلمات لتكوين جملة صحيحة:
Want to see voseo in context? Try a short graded story at A1: Spanish stories (A1)
Common mistakes to avoid
- Mixing pronouns and endings in the same style
- Avoid: "vos tienes"
- Use: "vos tenés" or "tú tienes"
- Forgetting the accent mark in the present
- Use: "hablás, comés, vivís"
- Confusing singular vos with plural ustedes
- Singular informal: vos
- Plural you in Latin America: ustedesyou all
Quick practice
Which sentence would you most likely hear in Buenos Aires?
Should you learn vos?
- Planning time in Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, or Central America? Learn it
- Studying general Latin American Spanish? Know how to recognize it
- Traveling to Spain only? You can skip it for now, but still good to understand
Final takeaway
Vos is friendly, local, and very alive. Learn a handful of patterns and you will understand it fast. If you aim for a voseo region, go ahead and use it with confidence.