How and When to Use the Formal “You” USTED in Spanish | Beginner Spanish Guide
Beginners Spanish Podcast - Spanglish Friends
08/01/25
•17m
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Confused about when to say tú vs usted in Spanish?
In this beginner-friendly episode, we’ll help you understand how and when to use the formal you in Spanish — so you can sound polite and natural when meeting new people.
🎙️ In this episode, you’ll learn:
✅ The difference between tú and usted
✅ When to use usted depending on the person, place, and country
✅ How to say formal phrases like: • ¿Cómo está usted? • ¿De dónde es usted? • ¿Qué hace hoy?
✅ A short Spanish conversation using only usted
✅ Tips on how native speakers use usted differently across Latin America and Spain
Val (native Spanish teacher from Venezuela) and Em (Spanish learner from Australia) guide you through all the social and cultural context behind usted — with examples, pronunciation, and a recap of 3 key takeaways to remember.
🎉 Spanglish Friend Shout-Out of the Week
This week’s shoutout goes to Michelle from Episode 17 — gracias for completing the episode challenge and sharing your answer on Instagram!
✏️ Challenge of the Week
In the comments or on Instagram, write a formal question using usted. Example: ¿De dónde es usted?
💛 Don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with your fellow Spanish learners!
Instagram & TikTok → @spanglish_friends
📧 Contact: spanglishfriendspodcast@gmail.com
📚 1-on-1 Spanish lessons with Val: spanishlessonsbyval@gmail.com
🎶 Music by @scotairdmusic
Episodio Anterior
Ready to test your Spanish skills? In this special milestone episode, Val puts Em to the test with 5 Spanish questions based on everything we’ve covered so far — from greetings, numbers and months, to verbs, directions and seasons.
🎙️ In this episode, you’ll:
✅ Practice real listening with 5 beginner-level Spanish questions
✅ Hear Em’s responses using what we’ve learned in the last 20 episodes
✅ Get a full English breakdown after each question to help you understand
✅ Review vocabulary, grammar and listening — all in one fun quiz-style episode!
Whether you’ve been with us from Episode 1 or just getting started, this episode is the perfect way to test yourself and reinforce your Spanish foundations — with guidance from Val (native Spanish teacher from Venezuela) and Em (English-speaking learner from Australia).
🎉 Spanglish Friend Shout-Out of the Week
This week’s shoutout goes to Michelle, who commented on Episode 17 where we asked, “¿En qué mes es tu cumpleaños?” She replied perfectly with: “Mi cumpleaños es en febrero.” ¡Muy bien, Michelle! 🙌
✏️ Challenge of the Week
We’d love to hear from you! 👉 What’s your favourite thing you’ve learned through the Spanglish Friends podcast so far? 👉 Or, what would you love for us to teach you in a future episode?
Comment on this episode or DM us on Instagram @spanglish_friends — we’re planning upcoming episodes now and would love your ideas!
💛 Don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with your fellow Spanish learners!
📲 Instagram & TikTok → @spanglish_friends
📧 Contact: spanglishfriendspodcast@gmail.com
📚 1-on-1 Spanish lessons with Val: spanishlessonsbyval@gmail.com
🎶 Music by @scotairdmusic
Siguiente Episodio
How to Say what WE do in Spanish | Beginners Guide to Verb Conjugations
August 8, 2025
•18m
Keep building your Spanish skills with Episode 21 of Spanglish Friends, where we continue mastering regular verb conjugations in the present tense.
This episode covers how to conjugate verbs with nosotros, vosotros, ellos/ellas, and ustedes — so you can confidently say “we speak,” “you all live,” and “they sing.” Perfect for beginners looking to expand their conversation abilities.
Head to episode 18 to listen to PART 1.
🎙️ In this episode, you’ll:
✅ Learn the endings for regular -AR, -ER, and -IR verbs with nosotros, vosotros, ellos, and ustedes
✅ Hear a fun mini conversation using these conjugations in context
✅ Get a detailed line-by-line breakdown to help you understand and practice
✅ Gain confidence to create thousands of new sentences in Spanish
✏️ Challenge of the Week
What’s your favourite new verb conjugation you’ve learned? Comment below! For example, nosotros cantamos todos los miercoles - we sing every Wednesday!
👉 What topics do you want us to cover next? Comment or DM us on Instagram @spanglish_friends — your ideas might be featured!
💛 Don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with your fellow Spanish learners!
📲 Instagram & TikTok → @spanglish_friends
📧 Contact: spanglishfriendspodcast@gmail.com
📚 1-on-1 Spanish lessons with Val: spanishlessonsbyval@gmail.com
🎶 Music by @scotairdmusic
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