Formal or informal Spanish
Today one of my students asked this question.
“I have a question re: conjugating -ar verbs. You
teach that tú is followed by a verb ending in-a,
but other courses and books state the verb ends in
-as. This is confusing to me. What is it? So far
you seem to be the only I one I have found teaching
-a.”
Actually, I teach that usted is following by the verb form ending in a. Tú is the informal form. There is an explanation on when to use each form at
http://www.spanish-is-easy.com/spanish_conversation.html
I don’t recommend using the tú form when you first meet someone. This is particularly important in many parts of Latin America. If the person is older than you, it could be interpreted as being disrespectful.
On the same page are three audio lessons from my Shortcut to Informal Spanish Conversations.
http://www.spanish-is-easy.com/spanish_conversation.html
for advanced students, especially those spending time in Spain, this is an excellent resource.
http://www.notesinspanish.com/2006/08/29/notes-in-spanish-podcast-advanced-36-usted-y-las-propinas-plus-transcript/
This is only for advanced students as the hosts Ben Curtis and Marina Diez speak almost entirely in Spanish as they discussion of the uses of usted vs tú.
I found it very informative, especially Marina’s insight into the variations in the use of usted.
I believe this team are creating some intermediate lessons. It will be interesting to see what they come up with.