Breakdown of ¿Usted va al mercado los domingos?
ir
to go
al
to the
el mercado
the market
el domingo
the Sunday
Questions & Answers about ¿Usted va al mercado los domingos?
Why does the sentence use usted instead of tú?
Usted is the formal way to say you. It is used to speak politely, especially with:
- strangers
- older people
- people in positions of authority
- in more formal situations
In Spain, tú is very common in everyday life, and usted can sound quite formal or distant depending on the situation.
So this sentence is asking you in a polite/formal way: Do you go to the market on Sundays?
Why is it va and not vas?
Because usted uses the third-person singular form of the verb, not the tú form.
The verb is ir = to go.
- yo voy = I go
- tú vas = you go (informal)
- usted va = you go (formal)
- él/ella va = he/she goes
So:
This is one of the most important things to remember about usted: even though it means you, it behaves grammatically like he/she.
What does al mean, and why is it not ?