Argentine Voseo Conjugation: Present Tense and Commands

Argentine voseo conjugation

What is the Argentine Voseo?

In Argentina, the regional standard for the informal singular 'you' is 'vos', which is used instead of 'tú'. 'Vos' is universally understood across the country, though other regions of Latin America may have their own variations of voseo.

It is important to remember that 'vos' is singular. For the plural 'you', Argentines use 'ustedes', completely bypassing 'vosotros' which is primarily used in Spain.

Using 'vos' changes how verbs are conjugated, specifically in the present tense and the imperative mood. In many cases, it simplifies conjugation by locking the stress onto the final syllable. For example, 'you can' is 'tú puedes' elsewhere, but with voseo, it becomes 'vos podés'. 'You have' shifts from 'tienes' to 'tenés'. Let's break down exactly how to form these conjugations.

Present Tense Voseo Conjugation

To form the present indicative for 'vos', replace the final '-r' of the infinitive with an '-s' and add an accent mark over the last vowel. For '-ar' verbs, the ending is '-ás' (hablás). For '-er' verbs, it becomes '-és' (comés). For '-ir' verbs, you use '-ís' (escribís).

Because the stress is locked on the final syllable, verbs that normally have a stem change with 'tú' (like 'duermes' or 'vuelves') keep their original stem with 'vos' (dormís, volvés). However, this predictability is specific to the present indicative.

There are a few important exceptions in the present tense: 'ser' (to be) becomes 'sos' and 'ir' (to go) becomes 'vas'. The verb 'haber' becomes 'has', which is used as an auxiliary verb to form compound tenses, not for possession (which uses 'tener'). 'Estar' becomes 'estás', retaining its accent mark.

Argentine Vos Examples

Review these practical sentences splitting the voseo into present tense, affirmative commands, and pronoun usage.

Study Themes

Focus on these core concepts to build your understanding of Argentine Spanish.

Affirmative Commands with Vos

Affirmative commands with 'vos' are formed by dropping the final '-r' from the infinitive and adding an accent mark to the remaining final vowel. 'Hablar' becomes 'hablá', 'comer' becomes 'comé', and 'pedir' becomes 'pedí'. The verb 'ir' is replaced by 'andar' (andá), and 'ser' becomes 'sé'.

When you attach pronouns to affirmative commands, the pronunciation stress of the command is retained. However, the written accent mark follows overall Spanish spelling rules, meaning it may be dropped if the new word naturally falls under standard stress patterns (e.g., 'decí' plus 'me' becomes 'decime'). Negative commands use the present subjunctive.

Self-test: How would you say 'you speak' (present) and 'speak!' (command) using the verb 'hablar' with vos? Solution: The present form is 'vos hablás' and the affirmative command is 'hablá'.

Explore more Spanish grammar guides:

Spanish Subject Pronouns Guide / Mastering Tú Commands / Spanish Prepositional Pronouns / Spanish Verb Flashcards App

Using Pronouns with Vos

1. While 'vos' acts as the subject pronoun, the direct and indirect object pronoun 'te' remains exactly the same. 'I hear you' is still 'te escucho'.
2. Possessive adjectives like 'tu' (your) and possessive pronouns like 'tuyo' (yours) also remain unchanged.
3. However, the prepositional pronoun changes to match the subject. Instead of 'contigo' or 'para ti', you must use 'con vos' and 'para vos'. For example, if you want to say 'I want to go with you', you would say 'Quiero ir con vos'.

Primary Sources

This grammar guide references standard rules accepted by major linguistic institutions.

• RAE DPD: Voseo - Official linguistic guidelines on standard Argentine usage, including present indicative endings and command structures.
• RAE DPD: Vos - Describes the use of vos as a pronoun of address and its related prepositional pronouns.
• MarcoELE Academic Review - Comprehensive analysis of voseo grammar rules, morphology, and regional variations.

**Argentine Voseo: Present and Commands**

Vos hablás español muy bien. - You speak Spanish very well.
¿De dónde sos vos? - Where are you from?
Vos tenés mucho tiempo libre. - You have a lot of free time.
¿A qué hora salís del trabajo? - What time do you leave work?
Vos siempre pedís la misma comida. - You always order the same food.
¿Adónde vas tan temprano? - Where are you going so early?
¡Vení para acá ahora mismo! - Come over here right now!
Andá a la tienda a comprar pan. - Go to the store to buy bread.
Haceme un favor y llamá a tu hermano. - Do me a favor and call your brother.
Comé toda tu verdura, por favor. - Eat all your vegetables, please.
Poné las llaves sobre la mesa. - Put the keys on the table.
Sentate acá con nosotros. - Sit down here with us.
Tengo un regalo muy especial para vos. - I have a very special gift for you.
Me gusta ir al cine con vos. - I like going to the movies with you.
Te llamé ayer pero no contestaste. - I called you yesterday but you didn't answer.
¿Este libro es tuyo o mío? - Is this book yours or mine?
Me encanta tu nueva casa. - I love your new house.
A vos te importa mucho el fútbol. - Football matters a lot to you.