Hello everyone! I had my second (and last) examen this Monday and I received a 95% percent on my oral exam. 10% increase since my last test! My classes end this Friday. I appreciate all the time I have had to learn my grammar and a large amount of vocabulary. Now it is up to me to buy the morning paper, start watching a little more local TV, and continue chatting with as many people as I can.
"Tu" versus "Vos"
It is amazing the difference in Spanish between the Latin American countries. Thank goodness for my Spanish classes. For those of you who had high school Spanish in the states, do you remember how the teachers never taught "vosotros" (the familiar form of ustedes) because they said we would never use it? Well, I went to Spain a few years back and indeed needed it! Here the Uruguayos do not use "vosotros" but they do use "vos" which is the familiar form of "tu." I know what you are thinking...I thought "tu" was the familiar form. It is, but the Argentines and Uruguayos decided to complicate matters for us extranjeros and use an even More familiar way of speaking called "vos". It sounds similiar. For example, instead of saying "como estas" one would say "como estes" (perdon my lack of accents...there is an accent over the "a" and the second "e". Also accents in the first "o" in como)
I have learned to recognize it and use it. However, I prefer to use the "tu" form. It is not that I am trying to be stubborn. It is just that if I go Mexico or Spain and say "como estes".....they might not understand me!
Lucky for me everyone understands the "tu" form perfectly. They way it has been explained to me, and they way I have observed it, is the "tu" form is somewhere between "vos" and "Ud" or is mixed in with speaking with "tu". Are there any Uruguayos have some comments on that? I thought at first I was being too formal, as the Uruguayos are very causal and familiar in general and use "vos" with just about anybody apart from a older person or maybe in a job interview. But I was assured, that it was fine to use "tu".
So there you have it. =)
Ahhh the adventures of learning a language!!!
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11 Comments:
Congratulations!
familiar form? None of this sounds familiar to me... I would rather speak english to everyone...that way they could get the rust off of the English they learned in school. =)
Hate to be the wet blanket, but doesnt that read 93 percent? still, that... is... Awesome!!!
Francine... you rock! Of course you did great!
Ok, "wet blanket" who ever you are...=) I have clarified for you. 95% on the oral exam.
Oh, so they speak Spanish here...that explains why I haven't done very well with my German phrase book--Gott im Himmel! Ich bin dumkopf!
Getting old, I get so easily confused.
well, Rioplatense Spanish is one of many dialects you will find in Latin America. The pronoun "vos" is used in many other countries.
Mexicans use only the formal "tu", Central American countries use "vos" for familiar purposes, "tu" very rarely or in conversations or literature, and "usted" when referring to someone with authority (parents, boss, officers, etc..)
For more information, check this link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voseo
exitos!
Thanks for the info!!
Gaucha Guapa (Congratulations on your "examen") and hi! to El Torero... just came upon your blog and this is the first time I'm embarking upon commenting on one... My husband and I relocated from beautiful, sunny San Diego, CA to Punta del Este in June - he's uruguayo-born and I'm a US citizen.. It's been quite an adventure these past six months. Nice to know you guys are here!
Welcome fellow Californians! I have heard that Punta del Este is just beautiful, and we mean to make it out there soon. You have moved from one sunny beach to another. Be sure to check out the other blog links on our site, as they are full of information. Best of luck!
I think you understand the use of vos, tu and usted. But if you want to ask how are you? you say como estás? and not cómo estés? I think there is a confusion.
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