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Meaning & use

vos

pronoun, abbreviation·Advancedinformalregional

Last updated

UK/vɒs/
US/voʊs/

Meanings

  1. pronouninformalregional

    A second-person singular pronoun used instead of 'you' in some Spanish-speaking regions, especially Argentina and Uruguay.

    Grammar: It is a Spanish word, so it stays Spanish in form; in English sentences it is usually written in italics or quotes and takes Spanish verb forms.

    Patterns

    • vos sos (you are)
    • vos tenés (you have)

    In Buenos Aires many people say 'vos' where other Spanish speakers say 'tú'.

    The guide explains when to use 'vos' and when to use 'usted' in Argentina.

    Learners of Rioplatense Spanish have to master the verb forms that go with 'vos'.

  2. abbreviationrarelegal

    A written short form for 'versus' or 'verse', seen in some Latin and legal texts.

    Grammar: This use is rare in modern English; 'v.' or 'vs.' is far more common for 'versus'.

    Patterns

    • A vos B

    Older legal citations sometimes write 'Rex vos Smith' instead of 'Rex v. Smith'.

    You may see 'vos' in a Latin phrase, but English normally uses 'vs.'.

Common combinations

vos sos
In Argentine Spanish, 'vos sos' means 'you are'.
vos querés
'Vos querés' is the Rioplatense way of saying 'you want'.
usar vos
Spanish teachers explain when to usar vos rather than tú.
voseo
The use of 'vos' is called 'voseo' in Spanish linguistics.

Synonyms and how they differ

tú
The standard Spanish 'you' used in Spain and most of Latin America; 'vos' replaces it in Rioplatense and some Central American speech.
usted
The formal Spanish 'you'; 'vos' is informal, so the two are not interchangeable in polite contexts.
you
The ordinary English pronoun; English has no informal/formal split, so 'vos' has no direct English equivalent.

Opposites

túusted

Word family

voseo noun
The linguistic term for the practice of using 'vos' instead of 'tú'.
vosear verb
A Spanish verb meaning to address someone with 'vos'.

Commonly confused: vos or vos.? vos or VOS?

vos vs vos.

An old abbreviation for 'versus'; do not confuse it with the Spanish pronoun 'vos'.

vos vs VOS

An abbreviation in linguistics for 'verb-object-subject' word order, unrelated to the Spanish pronoun.

Practice

In which situation would you most likely hear the pronoun 'vos'?

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “vos”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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