Although English today has only one kind of second-person pronoun (although it used to have more, including ones for just two people), Spanish has many more. The most widespread of these are usted, vos, tú, and vosotros, although there are others. Because the pronoun used depends on the social setting or even regional differences, people are often more familiar with one pronoun than another.
Frecuentemente leo textos redactados en español en los Estados Unidos en los cuales se mezclan el ‘usted’ y el ‘tú’ sin criterio evidente. A continuación, explicaré lo que creo que causa esta confusión.
En inglés hay una sola forma de expresarse para la segunda persona: you.
- You are my friend.
- Your Honor, I disagree with you.
- I would like you (the whole group) to come to my party.