Do you still use Ud. or Uds. in speech or writing?

Question

I was always taught to include Ud. or Uds. to make clear the difference between he and they forms, but I've been reading books lately that seem to drop it. Is it still common to use Ud. and Uds. in speech and writing?

Answer 1

Of course it is common. When we want to give formality to the situation we use usted instead of tú. It's a sign of respect to the person you are addressing. Maybe it's not used as much as in the past, and especially among the younger generations, but it's not lost at all