Use of Vosotros

Question

I was wondering... Why isn't vosotros used in Latin countries other than Spain? Is there some reason as to why other Latin countries haven't adopted the usage of vosotros? Suppose you went to Peru and used "vosotros" there. Would the residents of Peru understand what you meant or would they ignore it and start using ellos?

• I'm interested in this also. The history behind it would be nice! Good Question. - MitchOwen Feb 8, 2012
• Thank you! Maybe etymology can help us here... - Virtuoso Feb 8, 2012

Answer 1

Yes, they would understand it in Peru, because very many works of Spanish literature come from Spain, including the Holy Bible.

The 1960 edition of the Reina Valera version of the Bible is used by practically all the Spanish-speaking world, and it uses the vosotros form.

As to your original question, it is my understanding that the Spanish conquest of America occurred prior to the widespread use of the vosotros form in all of Spain. So the reason that they don't use the vosotros form in South America is that the Spanish conquerors of South America didn't use it either!

The vosotros form came into use in Spain later- but by that time they were already speaking Spanish in South America.

Answer 2

In my Spanish I class last year my professor explained that all languages are fluid and subject to change according to popular useage. In the Americas and in parts of Spain people simply stopped using vosotros and used Uds. instead--to the extent that many schools in the Americas have substituted Uds. for vosotros.

In my present Spanish II class my professor was raised by a Spanish father and a Mexican mother, so my prof. comes prepared to teach vosotros, but bends to the current practice of the school (which in this case is to not use vosotros).

I do believe though that it doesn't hurt to glance at the basic vosotros conjugations for regular verbs so it doesn't totally confuse you when you hear it used.

Cheers,

Frank

Answer 3

When I went to elementary school, I learned the vosotros conjugation. We use the singular part of this conjugation. "vos" Vos querés, vos decís, que pensás, que comés, etc. Some countries that I know use this are. Chile, Colombia, Argentina, Uruguay, Peraguar, Nicaragua and Costa Rica, as far as I know. The plural "vosotros" I believe is used only in parts of Spain. As Goyo said, the Reina Valera 1960 edition's Bible uses this line of Spanish. That is the version I use and it is very clear to me. The use of Vos/vosotros is very personal. I only use it to relate to my siblings and very close friends.

Answer 4

The dissemination of the various forms of address (especially as they pertain to the use of usted, vos, tú and vosotros) is intimately connected with various social and historical factors.

The question of mutual intelligibility might be addressed by considering the following analogy. Despite the fact that the "grammatically correct" form of the second person plural pronoun is "you' in American English, depending on the region, you still might come across several variants including y'all, yous, yous guys, you all, etc.

In the area of Texas where I live for example, it would not be at all odd to hear an expression such as, "What are y'all doing." On the other hand, if someone were to say something like, "What are yous guys doing," it might mark their speech as somewhat foreign sounding. Nevertheless, they would be understood. To be sure, just because someone from South Texas does not speak in this particular manner, they would still recognize the message despite the variation in form.

In Spanish, the situation is very similar on many accounts, not to mention the fact that there is a rich tradition of literature and influence that, historically, has extended across the Atlantic ocean (and probably in both directions). Moreover, it is this shared cultural influence which makes each of these respective forms a little less alien, even to those who do not regularly participate in their usage.

Answer 5

Yes, in other countries they would understand but it's just better not to use it to blend in. Actually just recently the catholic church said that the latin countries do not have to use vosotros in mass anymore.