Another Vosotros Question
I know there have been lots of questions about vosotros outside of Spain but I still don't understand. I am a beginner so please bear with me because I might make mistakes in my question.
If you were to say "You speak Spanish" using the informal form, you would say "Tú hablas español" or maybe just "Hablas español."
If you want to say the same thing but with you being plural, whould you say "Habáis español" (the vosotros form but leaving off vosotros) or "Ellos hablan español" or "Ustedes hablan español" or just "Hablan español" (in which case it seems like you might not know who you are talking about?
It you use "Ustedes hablan español" then it seems like you are switching from informal to formal.
Thanks.
5 Answers
or just "Hablan español" (in which case it seems like you might not know who you are talking about?
You´re right. It is very common to use 3rd person plural to depersonalize the subject of a sentence, but this is not passive voice because "they" is the subject. Passive voice in this case would be "Se habla español" (Spanish is spoken).
"Ustedes" is used in places where "vosotros" is used. "Vosotros" is familiar "you " plural and "ustedes" is formal "you" plural.
Where "vosotros" is not used, "ustedes" is used for both familiar and formal.
You'll be understood whether you use "ustedes" or "vosotros." I use "vosotros" with both my Spaniard friends and my Latin American friends. With the exception of a few good-natured jokes from a particular friend, no one even bats an eye.
As for the issue about leaving in the pronoun, sometimes including the pronoun can be helpful, but after you've established it, you don't have to repeat it all the time. A lot of the time, context clues in a conversation just clear it all up. 
Happy Spanish-ing!
To pick up on your comment, Zacx, it is true that "usted" is always "formal". Everywhere you go in the Spanish speaking world, there is a separation between the formal and informal in the singular case. This is the difference between "tú" and "usted".
In the plural case, this distinction is usually only drawn in parts of Spain, using "vosotros" vs "ustedes". In most Spanish speaking areas, the plural distinction is not made, and "ustedes" is used for both formal and informal situations, as "you" is used in English.
It you use "Ustedes hablan español" then it seems like you are switching from informal to formal.
Not quite. "Ustedes" means "You all" in Latin America and it's used for both formal and informal situations.
You would say to your friends, "¿Ustedes van al cine?" Are you guys going to the movies?
The correct usage of these words can be confusing to both native speakers and those new to the language. Becoming acquainted with a few rules is the key to mastering these two pronouns. Thanks. Regards,
