,
Guanacaste province, the
San José metropolitan area and near the Nicaraguan border and in advertising signage.
Usted is the primary form in other areas and with strangers.
Tuteo is rarely used, but when it is used in speech by a Costa Rican, it is commonly considered fake and effeminate. •
El Salvador – three-tiered system is used to indicate the degree of respect or familiarity:
usted,
tú,
vos.
Usted expresses distance and respect;
tú corresponds to an intermediate level of familiarity, but not deep trust;
vos is the pronoun of maximum familiarity and solidarity and also lack of respect.
Countries where voseo is extensive, but not predominant In South America: •
Bolivia – in the Lowlands of Eastern Bolivia—with
mestizo,
Criollo and
German descendants majority—(
Santa Cruz,
Beni,
Pando,
Tarija and the Lowlands of
La Paz)
voseo is used universally; while in the
Highlands of Western Bolivia—with
indigenous peoples majority—(highlands of
La Paz,
Oruro,
Potosí,
Chuquisaca and
Cochabamba)
tú is predominant, but there is still a strong use of
voseo, especially in verb forms. •
Chile – verbal
voseo and pronominal
tú is used in informal situations, whereas pronominal
voseo is reserved only for very intimate situations or to offend someone. In every other situation and in writing, the normal
tú or
usted pronouns are used.
Countries where voseo occurs in some areas In the following countries,
voseo is used only in certain areas: •
Colombia – in the following departments: • In the west (along the Pacific coast): •
Chocó •
Valle del Cauca •
Cauca •
Nariño • In the center – primarily the
Paisa region (
Antioquia,
Risaralda,
Quindío, and
Caldas Departments). • In the (north)east: •
Norte de Santander –
Ocaña region •
La Guajira •
Cesar •
Cuba – in
Camagüey Province, often used alongside
tú. •
Ecuador – in the Sierra, the center, and
Esmeraldas. •
Mexico – widely used in the countryside of the state of
Chiapas by indigenous populations and becoming rare among the same groups in the state of
Tabasco. •
Panama – in the west along the border with Costa Rica. •
Peru – in some areas in both the Northern and Southern ends of the country. •
Puerto Rico – At the eastern end of the island in
Fajardo. • The
Philippines – among
Chavacano speakers in
Mindanao and
Luzon, but otherwise absent in standard Spanish. •
Spain – in
La Gomera island, in The Canaries, often used alongside
tú. • The
United States – Found among speakers with origins in countries where
voseo is predominant—for instance, among
Honduran Americans. In other circumstances,
tú is used by default. •
Venezuela – in the northwest (primarily in
Zulia State).
Countries where voseo is virtually absent In the following countries,
voseo has disappeared completely among the native population: •
Dominican Republic • Peninsular
Spain ==Attitudes==