How is VOS used in Argentina?

  • Post author:
  • Reading time:7 mins read

As you might have already learned, Spanish has two different 2nd person pronouns: TÚ and VOS, but for many students the revelation stops there. Do you know exactly what this means?

Stay tuned! In this article we’ll look at how VOS affects verb forms in Argentinian Spanish.

1# TENSES

VOS forms don’t affect all tenses, but only two: PRESENTE INDICATIVO and IMPERATIVO AFIRMATIVO. How does this impact verb forms? There is a shift of stress to the last syllable.

HABLARCOMERVIVIR
TÚhablascomesvives
VOShabláscomésvivís
PRESENTE INDICATIVO

Listen and try to note the difference:

ALL verb forms in VOS are regular. The only exception to this pattern is SER, which turns to SOS instead of ERES

When you come to Argentina, everyone will ask you ‘¿De dónde sos?‘ and not ‘¿De dónde eres?‘

PAGARHACERABRIR
TÚpagacomeabre
VOSpagácoméabrí
IMPERATIVO AFIRMATIVO

Listen again, this time to how the imperatives sound:

The only verb that does not follow these patterns is IR, which becomes ANDÁ instead of VÉ

2# PRONOUNS

VOS is a different PERSONAL PRONOUN, but TÚ pronouns are used with VOS everywhere else.

For example,

When you want to ask the same question to your interlocutor, instead of asking “¿Y tú?”, you would ask “¿Y vos?”.

In all other cases, it will be derivative from TÚ: ¿Cuál es TU nombre?’ or ‘¿Qué tal TU viaje?‘

Frequently asked questions

Let me try to answer some of que most frequent questions regarding the use of VOS in Argentina.

  • Are VOS forms used throughout the country?

Yes, in Argentina everyone uses VOS forms. In some regions, people might use the VOS pronoun and TÚ forms, though.

  • Which tenses are modified with the 2nd person VOS?

Most tenses keep the TÚ forms, except for the present indicative and the affirmative imperative. You can see exactly how here.

  • Is the 2nd person possessive adjective [tu] or other pronouns affected by ‘voseo’?

No, like we said above, tu (withouth the accent mark but pronounced all the same) remains the possessive adjective. The only difference is in the use of VOS is combined with the prepositions ‘con’ and ‘para’. In TÚ forms they become contigo | para tí, while in VOS forms it’s con vos | para vos.

  • Is TÚ the formal alternative to VOS in Argentinian Spanish?

No, the alternative is USTED, as in the other varieties of Spanish. It is used in situations where the other person is unknown and older, or of a higher rank in the company structure.

  • Do all Argentines use vos forms in all circumstances?

Almost always. VOS has advanced in many areas, both written and oral. It is now common for voseo to prevail in many situations that used to correspond to the use of USTED: movies, radio, television, advertisements, literature, interviews, government communication with citizens. However, as I mentioned above, USTED is still the form used for a respectful treatment: with older people and in certain work situations of great formality.

  • What’s the origin of VOS forms?

There are different opinions on the matter that involve Brazilian influences and Roman Emperors, but the one I find more solid is that over the centuries, the Spanish that arrived to present day Argentina in the 16th century changed gradually. The Viceroyalty of Río de la Plata was formed in 1776 and these territories became isolated from the centers of power. What was by those standards a respectful way of addressing someone of a higher status became the opposite. Both ‘tú’ and ‘vuestra merced’ were used in situations of closeness or trust, while ‘vos’ was used to show the other person was in a position of authority.

Please write a comment if you have any other questions related to the use of VOS. I’ll be happy to answer them.

And of course if you want to learn Argentinian Spanish with me, just head to the LESSONS MENU.

Thanks, and happy Spanish learning,

You might also want to read these articles:

Leave a Reply