Learn Spanish (Latin America): Hola, usted es el doctor.

Hola, usted es el doctor.

Hello, you are the doctor.

Breakdown of Hola, usted es el doctor.

Questions & Answers about Hola, usted es el doctor.

Why do we use usted here instead of tú?

Usted is the formal version of 'you'. You use it to show respect, especially with people you don't know well, older people, or in professional situations like talking to a doctor. Tú is for friends, family, and people your own age.

Why do we use the verb es with usted? Isn't es for 'he' or 'she'?

That is a very common point of confusion! Even though usted means 'you', it is a formal pronoun that always shares the exact same verb forms as él (he) and ella (she). Because we say él es, we also say usted es.

Could I leave out the word usted and just say Hola, es el doctor?

You can, because Spanish speakers often drop subject pronouns. However, since the verb es can mean 'he is', 'she is', or 'you are' (formal), leaving out usted might make it sound like you are saying 'Hello, he is the doctor'. Including usted makes your meaning perfectly clear.

If the doctor were a woman, would the sentence change?

Yes! If you are speaking to a female doctor, you need to change both the article (el) and the noun (doctor) to their feminine forms. You would say: Hola, usted es la doctora.