Usted vs Tú to express anger or displeasure
This is more of an observation than a question.
Two people were speaking to eachother using the tú form. One insulted the other and the other responded using the usted form instead of the tú form. This reminded me of something I read in a book: “-¿Usted está loco? -mami le pregunta. Nos habla de usted siempre que está enojada con nosotros.”
So, I did a little research. It seems that people will often switch from tú to usted to express anger or displeasure. This is especially common when correcting children, but can also be seen for example when one taxi driver shouts at another or when a husband and wife argue.
It is probably more common in some countries than others. Has anyone else seen this? Feel free to share your own experiences.
1 Answer
Maybe it's sorta like when a parent is mad with their child and they say something like, "What do you think you're doing mister?"
