Greetings & Formality

tú vs usted — a distinction English no longer makes

Modern English uses 'you' for everyone, so English speakers have to consciously build a habit many other languages get for free. Use usted with elders, strangers, officials, and in professional settings; use tú with close friends, family, children, and (usually) fellow students. One extra wrinkle: usted takes the same verb form as él/ella ('he/she'), so grammatically you're addressing someone formally as if speaking about a third person — English 'you' never shifts the verb this way, so this takes deliberate practice.