How do you say "they"

Question

Okay hi. I have been speaking Spanish since I was a little kid. I'm in High school now and I have a Spanish class. Yesterday my teacher told us that they= ellos, ellas, and ustedes.

I know for sure ellos and ellas means they, but I have never in my life heard anyone say ustedes to mean they.

I asked my teacher about it today, and he said it's the formal way to say it. I still have my doubts.

So I guess my real question is if anyone can confirm this.

Answer 1

"Ustedes" is actually a way of saying "you all." It's kind of like how "tú" is "you" with people that you know or with whom you're familiar and "usted" is "you" but for formal instances, such as with bosses, teachers, and people whom you don't know very well. Even though "usted" means "you," it's still conjugated like "él/ella," but it doesn't mean "he/she."

Basically, "ustedes" is conjugated like "ellos/ellas," but it doesn't mean "they." Rather, it's a formal way of saying "you all."

¡Espero haberte ayudado!

Answer 2

No, ustedes is never "they".

• They is and will always be Ellos/Ellas
• Ustedes = You all. (However, this is not considered standard English) In English it is confusing because you normally say "you" Referring to "you guys", "you all" I.E. A teacher can ask the students, "I need you to complete all the math problems on page 13" He/she is talking to the whole class, not just one person. Click here for details

Answer 3

Although Ustedes is translated into English as You (plural) in Spain it is only used, like Josh has said, for when you speaking formally to people to whom you want to show respect.

This is because Ustedes is a shortened form of Vuestras Mercedes which means Your Graces. This is why when conjugating verbs you use the third person forms for Ustedes, the same as for Ellos and Ellas. So, although Ustedes translates as You, it behaves like They.

Perhaps this is what your teacher meant.

We do the same in English if we are speaking deferentially to someone -

"Has Sir chosen what he would like from the menu?" when really what is meant is "Have you chosen what you would like from the menu?"

I like that you gave the teacher the benefit of the doubt. There could have been a miscommunication. in there somewhere. - rheit, Sep 12, 2012

Answer 4

I agree with Josh. "usted" is the formal way to say "you", and the plural means "you all", or the plural "you".

Answer 5

Yes you teacher is correct,,ustedes=they...