ti / vostede
Informal Ti and Formal Vostede
Galician has two words for one person you talk to: ti (informal) and vostede (formal). Ti es de aquí? and Vostede é de aquí? both mean "Are you from here?"
How It Works
When to use each one. Use ti with friends, family, children, classmates and most people your own age. Use vostede to show respect or distance: with an older person you do not know, a customer, an official, or anyone who addresses you as vostede first. In everyday Galician, ti is very common, so switching to ti when invited is normal.
Verb forms. Vostede takes the third-person singular form, the same one used with el and ela:
- Ti falas galego. / Vostede fala galego. (You speak Galician.)
- Ti es de Lugo. / Vostede é de Lugo. (You are from Lugo.)
- Ti tes tempo? / Vostede ten tempo? (Do you have time?)
Pronouns follow the same logic. Ti goes with te and che (Como te chamas?), while vostede goes with third-person se, o/a and lle (Como se chama vostede?). The possessive for vostede is o seu, a súa. See indirect object pronouns and seu and súa.
Dropping the pronoun. Ti is usually left out because the verb already shows who you mean (dropping subject pronouns). Vostede is kept more often, because fala alone could also mean "he speaks" or "she speaks".
Spelling notes. The standard written forms are ti and vostede. You may hear tu in some areas, but the standard uses ti. In writing, vostede is sometimes abbreviated Vde. For more than one person, see vós and vostedes.
Examples (6)
- Ti es de aquí?
Are you from here? (informal)
Word by Word: You are from here?
- Vostede é de aquí?
Are you from here? (formal)
Word by Word: You is from here?
Vostede takes é, the same form as el é and ela é.
- Como te chamas?
What is your name? (informal)
Word by Word: How yourself you-call?
- Como se chama vostede?
What is your name? (formal)
Word by Word: How self calls you?
With vostede the reflexive pronoun is se, not te.
- Desculpe, vostede fala inglés?
Excuse me, do you speak English? (formal)
Desculpe is the vostede form of desculpar; with ti you would say desculpa.
- Queres un café?
Do you want a coffee? (informal)
Word by Word: You-want a coffee?
Common Mistakes
Using a ti verb form with vostede.
Vostede es de aquí?Vostede é de aquí?Vostede always takes the third-person form. Es belongs to ti; é is the form for vostede, el and ela.
Using te instead of se when asking vostede's name.
Como te chama vostede?Como se chama vostede?To ask a stranger's name, say Como se chama vostede? Te belongs to ti, so Como te chama vostede? mixes ti and vostede in one question and no longer asks the person's name.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Ti and vostede distinguish familiar from formal address and select different verb persons.
Related Patterns
- vós / vostedesPlural You: Vós and Vostedes
The plural version of the same informal/formal choice.
Level 1 - Dropping Subject Pronouns
Explains why ti is often dropped while vostede is usually kept.
Level 1 - o seu / a súaHis, Her and Their: Seu and Súa
The possessive used for vostede (o seu coche = your car, formal).
Level 1 - Commands With vostedeFormal Commands with Vostede
Formal commands such as Desculpe and Pase use the vostede forms.
Level 2 - Present of ser
Shows es (ti) and é (vostede) side by side.
Level 1
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Words in This Pattern
Practice ti / vostede in Bubblegum
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