Voseo is the use of the second person singular pronoun vos in several dialects of Spanish, instead of the pronoun tú which is often considered the standard. The use of vos is common in Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, and several other places in Latin America.
Voseo sometimes changes the conjugation of the verb as well. In these cases the verb in the second person singular becomes similar to the form used with vosotros in Spain, with a shift in stress, which in turn implies further change in the root for some verbs.
The pronoun vos is usually informal, like tú in other dialects, and contrasts with the formal usted, but appropriate usage varies by dialect. While vos may be considered uneducated or in some dialects, it is standard in others. Voseo was long considered a reprehensible practice by prescriptionist grammarians (with the idea that only Castilian Spanish is good Spanish), but it is now regarded simply as a local variant.
In the 16th century Spanish of Cervantes (Renaissance), vos was used as a respectful second person singular pronoun (like today's usted).
See also
