Sunday, April 18, 2021

Use of Pronoun Vos in Spanish

The pronoun vos means you. It is an informal singular pronoun that is never used in Spain. However, it is used in a number of countries. They include Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Honduras.

For speakers who use vos, it is also used after prepositions. The word contigo (with you) is con vos. To say the phrase without you, sin vos is used instead of sin ti and  to say for you, para vos is used instead of para ti.

In most dialects that use vos, the verb only varies in the simple present and in the imperative. Here are examples with and vos in the simple present:

(tú) 

comes (eat)
duermes (sleep)
eres (are)
escribes (write)
hablas (speak)
haces (make)
juegas (play)
puedes (can)
quieres (want)
vienes (come)

(vos)

comés (eat)
dormís (sleep)
escribís (write)
hablás (speak)
hacés (make)
jugás (play)
podés (can)
querés (want)
sos (are)
venís (have)

The imperative with vos is stressed on the final syllable while the one with is stressed on the penultimate. Here are examples:

¡Comé!(Eat!)
¡Hablá! (Talk!)
¡Vení! (Come!)

¡Come!(Eat!)
¡Habla! (Talk!)
¡Ven! (Come!)

The pronoun vos is used exclusively in Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay and also in other countries. However, it is not used in Spain and only in a small part of Mexico. In most dialects that use vos, verbs are the same as they are with with the exception of the simple present and the imperative.

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