Contigo is ok ?

Question

If I am speaking to a small group of people, is it ok to say "contigo" instead of "con ustedes" ?

Gracias

Please fill out your profile so that we may better help you . Bienvenido al foro , buena suerte amiga - ray76, Jan 23, 2015

Answer 1

Politicians use contigo so that it appears that they are talking to each person individually. At least I have seen it used on billboards and slogans. I don't tend to go to places where I hear them speak live. Life is too short for that.

I have a recurring nightmare of waking up beside one of them telling me how much he cares about me personally... - Faldaesque, Jan 22, 2015

Even though "contigo" singular and "con ustedes" is the logical answer, I like this explanation of the "politicians" view. - joche, Jan 23, 2015

-contiued- Some politicians are nefarious but the use of "contigo" to them is to make a connection with their audience in a personal way. Think about it, all good speakers create a one on one environment to make there point. - joche, Jan 23, 2015

Answer 2

Contigo refers to only one individual, being derived from tú, the singular form of you.

If you mean 'with you' (plural), then you say 'con ustedes' or 'con vosotros'.

In English the cognate of Spanish 'tú' is 'thou' (e.g. The Lord's Prayer), and the cognate of 'contigo' is 'with thee', i.e. only one person.

:) - ian-hill, Jan 22, 2015

Answer 3

I was referring to the common etymology of Spanish 'tú' & English 'thou' to help illustrate their singular nature (French 'tu', German 'du' etc).

Most (but my no means all) folk no longer use 'thou' on a day-to-day basis. That said, 'thou', 'thee', 'thy' and 'thine' are still commonly used in certain contexts, e.g. in some church prayers & in some old plays, particularly in Shakespeare, e.g. 'O Romeo, Romeo ! Wherefore art thou Romeo?'.

When at school I had to use 'thou' every day in prayers at morning assembly, for example (& then later in the English classroom if we were studying 'the Bard').

Moreover, I understand 'thou' is retained in the everyday speech of some folk, particularly older folk, in certain regions, e.g. Yorkshire and Lancashire. On the Scottish Island of Shetland, 'du' is still used, & speakers switch between 'du' & 'you', depending on context: Sheltand use of 'du'

"du" is informal singular "you" in Danish - the formal "de" is rarely used these days. - ian-hill, Jan 22, 2015

Aye, the Shetland 'du' is a throwback to when Shetland was Norse & they spoke (spak) a Scandinavian language... - Faldaesque, Jan 22, 2015

Answer 4

In English the cognate of Spanish 'tú' is 'thou' (e.g. The Lord's Prayer), and the cognate of 'contigo' is 'with thee', i.e. only one person.

Are you referring to thou and thee from a historical aspect? Because nobody uses those forms anymore. Tú is "you" contigo is "with you".

Well, remember, Falda is a Scot. They talk funny over there. ;-) - Winkfish, Jan 22, 2015

Flobididob... ;-) - Faldaesque, Jan 22, 2015