usted
pronounBeginnerHigh frequency
What does “usted” mean in English?
you
you (formal singular subject pronoun)
Example sentences
¿Cómo está usted?
How are you?
¿Quiere usted café?
Would you like coffee?
How to use it
Usted means formal singular 'you'. It is polite and uses third-person singular verb forms: usted vive, usted quiere.
Common mistake
Usted means 'you', but the verb behaves like he/she: usted vive, not usted vives.
Topics
Related Beginner words
Reference
This entry’s teaching guidance follows A New Reference Grammar of Modern Spanish (Butt, Benjamin & Moreira Rodríguez, Routledge), 8.