If you're learning Latin American Spanish, here is good news: you can ignore the entire vosotros conjugation. It is not used in any Latin American country. The plural "you" is always ustedes, regardless of whether you are speaking formally or informally.
The split
Here is the contrast between the two varieties:
| Context | Spain | Latin America |
|---|---|---|
| Singular informal | tú | tú / vos |
| Singular formal | usted | usted |
| Plural informal | vosotros / vosotras | ustedes |
| Plural formal | ustedes | ustedes |
In Spain, vosotros and ustedes are two different pronouns for two different registers. In Latin America, the informal–formal distinction simply does not exist in the plural.
Examples
Chicos, ¿ustedes van al cine?
Guys, are you all going to the movies? (Latin America — perfectly informal with ustedes.)
Chicos, ¿vosotros vais al cine?
Guys, are you all going to the movies? (Spain — informal vosotros.)
Señores, ¿ustedes quieren algo de tomar?
Gentlemen, would you like something to drink? (Formal — works in both varieties.)
Verb conjugation: ustedes takes the ellos form
Even though ustedes means "you all," it conjugates like third person plural — exactly like ellos and ellas. This is because ustedes, like usted, historically comes from vuestras mercedes ("your graces").
| Verb | Vosotros (Spain) | Ustedes (everywhere) |
|---|---|---|
| hablar | habláis | hablan |
| comer | coméis | comen |
| vivir | vivís | viven |
| ser | sois | son |
| tener | tenéis | tienen |
Ustedes viven en Lima, ¿verdad?
You all live in Lima, right? (Verb viven = ellos/ellas form.)
Ustedes son mis amigos.
You all are my friends.
Matching possessives and object pronouns
Because Latin America uses only ustedes, the possessive is su / sus and the object pronoun is los / las / les / se. There is no vuestro in everyday Latin American speech.
| Category | Vosotros (Spain) | Ustedes (Lat. Am.) |
|---|---|---|
| Possessive | vuestro / vuestra | su / sus |
| Object (direct) | os | los / las |
| Object (indirect) | os | les / se |
| Reflexive | os | se |
¿Trajeron sus pasaportes?
Did you bring your passports? (Latin America — su/sus.)
¿Trajisteis vuestros pasaportes?
Did you bring your passports? (Spain — vuestros.)
Why this is good news for learners
Avoiding vosotros makes Latin American Spanish noticeably simpler. In all verb tables you can skip one column. You will still recognize vosotros forms when reading Spanish literature or European subtitles, but you do not need to produce them.
Ambiguity: does ustedes sound formal?
No. In Latin America, ustedes is completely neutral. A grandmother talks to her grandchildren with ustedes. A teacher talks to her students with ustedes. Friends at a bar greet each other with "¿Cómo están ustedes?" and no one thinks twice.
Niños, ¡ustedes tienen que lavarse las manos!
Kids, you have to wash your hands! (A mother speaking — ustedes is the only option.)
Amigos, ¿ustedes qué opinan?
Friends, what do you all think? (Friends talking to friends.)
One mild exception: religious and poetic language
In some old hymns, church texts, and poetic writing, vosotros forms can still appear in Latin America for stylistic effect. Church readings may preserve "vosotros sois la luz del mundo". This is ceremonial — never used in conversation.
Vosotros sois la sal de la tierra.
You are the salt of the earth. (Biblical register — sounds archaic.)
Summary
- Latin America uses ustedes for both formal and informal plural "you."
- Vosotros exists only in Spain.
- Ustedes conjugates like third-person plural (ellos/ellas).
- The matching possessives and object pronouns are su, sus, los/las/les/se.
- You can safely skip vosotros in Latin American Spanish.
Related Topics
- Subject Pronouns OverviewA1 — The complete set of Spanish subject pronouns and when to use them
- Tú vs UstedA1 — The informal (tú) and formal (usted) singular 'you' and when to use each
- Vos and Voseo in Latin AmericaB1 — Large parts of Latin America use 'vos' instead of 'tú' — how and where