Catalan distinguishes familiar and formal address, but the grammatical split does not match English you. Use tu for one familiar addressee and vosaltres for several; use vostè for one formally addressed person and vostès for several. The crucial rule is that tu/vosaltres take second-person verbs, while vostè/vostès take third-person verbs.
Modern practice varies by relationship, setting, age, and region. Tu is widespread in everyday Catalan, including many workplaces and shops, while vostè can express respect, professional distance, or deliberate formality. The choice is social, not a mechanical translation of “sir” or “ma'am.”
The agreement map
| addressee | pronoun | verb agreement | example |
|---|---|---|---|
| one, familiar | tu | second singular | tu parles / has vingut / ets |
| several, familiar or neutral | vosaltres | second plural | vosaltres parleu / heu vingut / sou |
| one, formal | vostè | third singular | vostè parla / ha vingut / és |
| several, formal | vostès | third plural | vostès parlen / han vingut / són |
Historically, vostè developed from a respectful noun phrase meaning “your mercy.” That origin explains the apparent mismatch: socially, the word addresses “you”; grammatically, it behaves like ell/ella. English gives no warning of this agreement shift.
Tu vius aquí o només hi treballes?
Do you live here, or do you only work here? (informal singular)
Vostè viu aquí o només hi treballa?
Do you live here, or do you only work here? (formal singular)
Addressing someone versus talking about them
The same person can be ella when talked about and vostè when addressed. Pronoun choice encodes the participant's role in the conversation, not an inherent property of the person.
Consider this replacement chain with la senyora Vidal:
Talking about her: La senyora Vidal ha d'esperar → Ella ha d'esperar.
Speaking to her: Senyora Vidal, vostè ha d'esperar → Senyora Vidal, ha d'esperar.
Senyora Vidal, vostè pot passar ara; la doctora ja l'espera.
Ms. Vidal, you may go in now; the doctor is already waiting for you. (formal)
The noun phrase senyora Vidal identifies the addressee. Vostè can then be omitted because pot and the speech situation make the formal addressee clear. The direct-object weak pronoun l' remains; subject omission never licenses deleting an object pronoun.
When to say the pronoun
Like other Catalan subject pronouns, forms of address are often omitted. In a one-to-one exchange, Vol seure? is naturally understood as formal “Would you like to sit down?” The third-person form could also mean “Does he/she want to sit?”, so state vostè when context does not settle the reference or when you contrast addressees.
Vol seure un moment mentre preparo els documents?
Would you like to sit down for a moment while I prepare the documents? (formal singular)
Vostès poden entrar ara; els altres visitants s'han d'esperar.
You may go in now; the other visitors must wait. (formal plural, contrastive)
The negative follows the same pattern:
No s'amoïni, senyor Puig: li enviarem una còpia avui mateix.
Don't worry, Mr. Puig: we'll send you a copy today. (formal singular)
S'amoïni is a third-person negative imperative used for vostè; li is the third-person indirect-object form. With familiar tu, the sentence would be No t'amoïnis... t'enviarem....
These strong address pronouns do not elide or attach to verbs: write vostè entra, never vost'entra or entri-vostè. Catalan also avoids the Spanish-style order Entri vostè: in a neutral instruction, omit the subject (Entri); when the explicit pronoun is contrastive, place it before the verb (Vostè entri primer). A right-dislocated reminder is possible after a complete clause and a pause: Ja saben on han d'anar, vostès?
Agreement beyond the finite verb
Vostè itself does not mark the addressee's gender. Adjectives and participles that describe the person do. Addressing a man, ask Està cansat?; addressing a woman, Està cansada?. For a mixed or all-masculine group, use masculine plural; for an all-feminine group, feminine plural.
Senyora Costa, està preparada per començar?
Ms. Costa, are you ready to begin? (formal singular, feminine agreement)
Senyores, si estan preparades, podem començar la visita.
Ladies, if you are ready, we can begin the tour. (formal plural, feminine agreement)
With vosaltres, adjective agreement works in the same way even though the pronoun has no gender variants: vosaltres esteu cansats for a masculine or mixed group, vosaltres esteu cansades for an all-feminine group.
Possessive seu/seva/seus/seves can refer to vostè, but it is also the third-person possessive “his/her/their.” In an ambiguous situation, repeat the noun or use de vostè: És el seu abric o el de la doctora? / És l'abric de vostè? The form is grammatical; the problem is reference.
Finite verbs and infinitives
Agreement appears on the finite verb, not on an infinitive that follows it. In vostè vol entrar, vol is third-person singular; entrar has no person ending and inherits its understood subject from vol. Do not repeat or attach the address pronoun at the infinitive.
Vostè vol entrar ara o prefereix esperar aquí?
Would you like to go in now, or would you prefer to wait here? (formal singular)
Abans d'entrar, deixi el paraigua al costat de la porta.
Before going in, leave your umbrella beside the door. (formal singular)
In the second sentence, the understood subject of entrar is the same formal addressee as the imperative deixi. Catalan does not say abans de vostè entrar in ordinary neutral instructions.
Plural address: vosaltres is not gendered
Vosaltres is the ordinary second-person plural throughout the standard language. Unlike Peninsular Spanish vosotros/vosotras, Catalan does not change the pronoun for gender. That makes the pronoun simpler, although following adjectives still agree.
Vosaltres sou les noves tècniques? Passeu, que us esperen a la sala gran.
Are you the new technicians? Come in; they're waiting for you in the large room. (informal/neutral plural, all-feminine group)
Vostès adds formal distance and takes third-person plural agreement. It can sound appropriate in a public announcement, formal customer service, a hearing, or an interaction where the speaker has chosen vostè with each individual. It is not automatically “more polite” in every setting; among friends it may sound cold, theatrical, or humorous.
Vostès han reservat dues habitacions, oi? Els preparo les claus ara mateix.
You have reserved two rooms, right? I'll prepare the keys for you now. (formal plural)
Regional spelling and other respectful forms
The Central baseline writes vostè, vostès with a grave accent, reflecting an open vowel. (regional: Valencian; formal AVL standard) writes vosté, vostés with an acute accent, reflecting the Valencian pronunciation. Both spellings belong to the standard language in their regional norms; use one consistently.
Vosté necessita ajuda per a omplir el formulari?
Do you need help filling out the form? (Valencian formal singular)
(formal, regional, or archaic depending on context) vós uses second-person plural verb forms even for one addressee: vós sabeu. It survives in certain administrative, religious, historical, and local uses. It is not a synonym to scatter randomly among tu and vostè; see formal and archaic pronouns.
A natural dialogue
—Bon dia. Vostè és la doctora Ferrer? —Sí, soc jo. Què necessita? —Tinc visita a dos quarts d'onze. —Perfecte. Pot esperar a la sala del fons.
—Good morning. Are you Dr. Ferrer? —Yes, that's me. What do you need? —I have an appointment at ten thirty. —Perfect. You can wait in the room at the end of the hall. (formal dialogue)
The patient uses vostè és and the doctor later omits the pronoun in pot esperar. The doctor answers with emphatic jo. Every finite verb addressing the other person remains in the third person.
Common Mistakes
1. Giving vostè a second-person verb.
❌ Vostè vols esperar aquí?
Incorrect — vostè requires third-person singular agreement.
✅ Vostè vol esperar aquí?
Would you like to wait here? (formal singular)
2. Giving vosaltres a third-person verb.
❌ Vosaltres poden entrar ara.
Incorrect — vosaltres is second-person plural.
✅ Vosaltres podeu entrar ara.
You can go in now. (informal/neutral plural)
3. Copying English adjective invariability after vosaltres.
❌ Vosaltres esteu preparat per començar?
Incorrect for an all-feminine group — preparat is masculine singular and does not agree.
✅ Vosaltres esteu preparades per començar?
Are you ready to begin? (addressing an all-feminine group)
4. Treating a regional accent as optional within one norm.
❌ Vosté pot esperar i vostès poden entrar.
Inconsistent spelling — use vostè/vostès together or vosté/vostés together.
✅ Vostè pot esperar i vostès poden entrar.
You can wait, and you all can go in. (Central baseline)
5. Adding a preposition before the subject because the person is being addressed.
❌ A vostè pot signar aquí.
Incorrect — subject vostè is not introduced by a.
✅ Vostè pot signar aquí.
You can sign here. (formal singular)
Key Takeaways
Use tu + second singular and vosaltres + second plural for familiar or neutral address; use vostè + third singular and vostès + third plural for formal address. Omit the subject when the situation and verb make it clear, but state it for contrast or disambiguation. Keep adjective and weak-pronoun agreement in the third person with vostè/vostès, and keep Central vostè distinct from Valencian vosté in a consistent regional model.
Related Topics
- Subject Pronouns and Pro-DropA1 — Choose and omit Catalan subject pronouns according to verb agreement, emphasis, contrast, and reference.
- Strong Pronouns after PrepositionsA1 — Use mi, tu, ell, ella, nosaltres, vosaltres, ells, elles, and reflexive si as stressed complements of Catalan prepositions.
- Formal and Archaic PronounsC1 — Recognize hom, altri, ço, llur, and vós in institutional, legal, religious, and literary Catalan.
- Subject–Verb AgreementA1 — Match Catalan finite verbs to six person–number combinations, omit recoverable subjects, and handle coordinated subjects and polite vostè correctly.
- Affirmative ImperativesA2 — Form affirmative Catalan commands for tu, vostè, nosaltres, vosaltres, and vostès, with correct agreement and weak-pronoun placement.
- Vostè, Vós, and Institutional AddressC1 — Choose and maintain Catalan formal address with vostè, vós, and plural forms across conversation, correspondence, and institutional communication.