I'm an English speaker learning Spanish. I'm taking lessons with a Spanish instructor and a Spanish tutor online. When addressing them, should I use the formal or informal forms? I want to be respectful, but I would also like to be friendly. I'm middle aged, if that matters.
Thanks for any advice.
Jesse
Hi, Jesse!
From my experience, it really depends on the country the teacher is from. I believe that, in most Spanish-speaking countries, the informal form is fully acceptable given the circumstances. I know there are a few countries where the formal form is the default and the informal form is used less, but for students, the informal form should be acceptable unless the teacher specifically requests the formal form. Hope this helps!
What Mr. Zhang said.
In Chile, you use "tú" with everyone you're not friends with, but in Ecuador, we normally use "usted" with people who are not our friends, unless we're talking to a child. However, some people feel old when addressed as "usted", so yeah, it's complicated.
