Hi Me gusta..!

You question is very well formulated and with lots of context, so it should be!!

Your question in Spanish was almost correct , too.

Mi pregunta es, ¿si hay es un nombre en una frase, se usa el singular cortés?

What do you consider "singular cortés"'?

I dont quite get why you don't get the conjugation correct, as you apparently understand pretty well.

Guillermo is third person singular, so is Ernestito, so it MUST take the third person of the verb.

If I misunderstood, let's see what you don't understand exactly.

I think that you make a mistake in considering these questions ("because the question is being asked... "). They are statements so, as Heidita says, you should use the third person sing, which coincides with the "usted" ("cortés") form.

You also say that if in a sentence, a "person is called by name..." Note that nobody is called here.

The fact that you call a person by name or otherwise does not determine whether you have to use "tú" or "usted".

Finally, this is a personal preference: I don't like that people should mix languages, I prefer incorrect Spanish or incorrect English (which other users can correct) rather than mixing words from both languages. But that's only my preference.

Carlos Cayetano

¡Buenos Días Hedita!

Gracias,

My understanding in using tú is for informal use, people you know, and people younger than the speaker.

My understanding in using usted, is in a more polite, formal manner-a professor, older person, someone you don't know very well.

My assumption was that in those sentences, the speaker knew the people they were talking about on an informal , level. My brother Guillermo, and Ernestito.

So, based on that fact, I used the tú form of the verbs, however, looking back now, I see how they could have used the polite form of the verb. If I broke it down, (as I do to help me learn which form to use) Guillermo and Ernestitio could be "he" which would then use the polite form.

I appreciate your help! I also sincerely appreciate your correcting my question grammar too..I see how I am still thinking of all the words in English, whereas in Spanish, I don't need all of them, and also, I need to keep an eye on my word order in español también.

Megustacaballos

¡Hola Carlos!

Con todo respeto, este es un lugar de aprendiendo. Hay haré (will be') errores y confusión. Sin embargo, con la paciencia ayudar de otros, podemos todos aprendemos juntos.

With all due respect, this is a place of learning. There will be mistakes and confusion. However, with the patience and help of others, we can all learn together.

Si uso las palabras yo se, luego hay reforzado. Con palabras nuevas, está necesito para mí a mira ella arriba, y esto puedo tomar mucho tiempo para mí a escribir qué quiero decir.

If I use words I know, then they are reinforced. With new words, it is necessary for me to look them up, and this can take a lot of time for me to write what I want to say.

Por ejemplo, este párrafo tomado (took') sobre treinta minutos a escribir. Está es buena practica, sin embargo, a veces no tengo tiempo hacer este.

For example, this paragraph took about 30 minutes to write. This is good practice, however, sometimes I don't have time to do this.

Yo estoy deacuerdo, esa si usted no entiende, luego escribir en inglés también para que su pregunta es claro.

I agree, that if you don't understand, then write in English also so that the question is clear.

Gracias nuevamente,
Thanks again,

Megustacaballos

another way you can thin about it is as follows:

tú and usted are second person pronouns. This means they are substitutes for the person you are talking to not the person you are talking about.
In your example'"Mi hermano Guillermo lee las tiras cómicas los domingos" the statement talks about Guillermo, ie you are not talking to him. THat is why it is lee.

if you were talking to him,
then you might have said:
Guillermo, Usted lee las tiras ...
or if you know him well
Guillermo, tú lees las tiras ...

the use of the formal Usted or the informal tú varies a lot from country to country, and sometimes from region to region.
I have heard children, even when quite old, addressing their father as Usted (Ud) instead of tú.
In some cultures you are not supposed to use the tú until given permission by the person.
If you want to play it safe you use the Ud with anybody you just meet until told otherwise.
However if the people are young (up to 30) they would never use the Ud among themselves, too formal.

to make things more complex you have a slang in Argentina, called voseo, which is even more familiar than the tú.
so instead of 'tú lees' they (we) say "vos leés''.
This last bit was just for fun and general information. it is actually incorrect Spanish although used throughout Argentina.

OK. I just don't like the use of two languages in the same sentence. But if you then translate it into English, then it's fine.

... You don't have to tell me "with all due respect", we are all friends here, aren't we?

Saludos

Hi Ricardo!

All the information you give about "tú" and "usted" is quite all right, especially that piece of advice about using "usted" until told otherwise.

I've lived in a lot of Spanish regions. In Andalucía (the South) my friends used to call me "usted", almost never "tú". They would also say "ustedes"... with the verb in the 2nd person plural!!! that is, "ustedes creéis" (don't learn that). Anyway, there are many other ways of using "tú" / "usted" all around the world.

In Spain, some decades ago, we used to call our parents and teachers "usted", but the youngest generations have lost all that (together with the respect due to their elders...)

Anyway, many people may start a conversation using "usted" and then the other person may say "tutéame, por favor", that is "start calling me tú". The equivalent situation in English would be telling someone to address you by your Christian name.

Finally, what I can't agree with is what you say next, that the Argentinian standard is slang or that it is incorrect Spanish. One cannot say that millions of Argentinians and people from other countries such as Uruguay, part of Bolivia and so on speak incorrect Spanish!

Correct me if I'm wrong

Saludos

¡Claro que sí, amigos!

It is better if I write in Spanish, then put my English version, is better while I am learning...

Hi, I am not surprised people used "usted" in the south, but don't take that as a "polite form", it is simply their custom. they sometimes even say. Vosotros ustedes son....

In other parts of the country though, Usted IS the polite form, but almost never applied . In Madrid, tu is used universally, even with elderly people. I don't agree with this at all, but it is the custom, and really, nobody wants to be impolite.

Voseo is an accepted form of speech. Check this on the DRAE

*vosear.

1. tr. Dar a alguien el tratamiento de vos.*
   you even get the correct conjugation of this verb.

Hay haré (will be')
- Habra = there will be
Con palabras nuevas
- remember the 'las'
está necesito para mí a mira ella arriba
- es necesario para mi mirarlas (relating to las palabras)
y esto puedo
- puede
para mí a escribir qué quiero decir
- para mi escribir loque quiero decir
Por ejemplo, este párrafo tomado (took')
- it would be tomo, or tomaba, if indeed tomar is the right verb here

Just a few corrections i thnk i spotted , for assistance

¡Gracias Elguapo!

Corrections noted :o)

Megustacaballos

Well as an Argentine myself I always thought of our custom of using vos as a departure from strict Spanish, ie slang. this in part is because in Argentine schools it is not taught as a conjugation of any verb. Only "tú" and " usted" were taught and teachers would tell you "vos" was slang.
(historically it is simply a shortened version of "vosotros" with a slighty different verb conjugation to that of "vosotros" to account for the singular.

But if the DREA has accepted it, who am I to say otherwise.

Tomar is the correct verb in this instance as it also means ocupar. you could have written "me ha tomado"

In Spanish the tu form is used only when you are speaking directly to another person. A sentence describing two other people speaking to each other is always the third person form even though they familiar with each other. Whenever you hear tu or usted in speech you know that someone is looking at another eyeball to eyeball and addressing them. The also holds for vos in Argentina. When one person is directly addressing more than one person, you hear ustedes or vosotros (in Spain). So, when you are talking to a friend directly you use tu, or with a stranger or respected person (this is subject to regional variation) use usted. When you are describing two other people doing something use the third person, which by the way is the same verb form as usted, but you wouldn't use the usted pronown then.

tu hablas I'm telling you that you are speaking. (you know that tu as a pronoun needs an accent)
usted habla ditto except formal
vos hablas ditto Arg. (last a need accent)
Freddy habla mucho con jose (even though they're pals)
tu eres mi amigo
usted es mi amigo
vos sos mi amigo

note- you usually leave the pronoun out unless you want to be emphatic. Also I don't know how to put accent marks in on this computer. I think that the vos hablas needs one on the last a .

note- commands are always directed to another person or persons. So, they are always either tu, usted, vos, ustedes, or vosotros. Except now that I think of it, we can command ourselves as in vamanos. Maybe a Spanish grammar teacher can write in and correct me on that or anything else I've said here. Thanks and sorry about the no accent marks.

¡Muchas Gracias Bob!

Hay es mucho a aprendar. Hago estudiendo por siete meses ahora.

There is so much to learn. I have been (') studyingfor 7 months now. I too, find I can read and understand quite a bit, but the speaking of it is coming along slowly.

Soy de California, Newcastle, pero ahora, vivo en Nueva Jersey. Mi familia viven (they live') en Placer County.

¡Gracias otra vez!

Somewhere on this site there is an explanation of how to get the accents on the letters...I'll try to search out the link.