¿Tú o usted?
If you are addressing a parent or grandparent, what is the most common form to use: Tú or Ud.? I always thought that you could be informal with family members even though they may be older than you...is that generally okay?
3 Answers
It really depends on the family. In many, it's perfectly fine to use "tu," with parents and grandparents.
My family doesn't speak Spanish but we speak Gujarati, a language with a tú/usted distinction. Here's just my two cents on the matter:
I call my mother "tú" and my father "usted". I do this because it's the way they're always talked to me since I was a kid. My mother always used "tú" forms with me and my dad used "usted".
That in mind, there are families where the kids call the parents "usted" and the parents call the kids "tú". And there are families where the reverse happens. Each family is different, so it's something you'd have to decide as a family. If your family doesn't speak Spanish, it's probably not something you'd have to worry about with your own family.
If they do speak Spanish or you are joining a family that does speak Spanish, just ask them. It might vary from person to person.
I think you always use "Usted" with someone older than you, whether they're related to you or not - "Tú" is fine for younger family members.
