What is the difference between "tu" and "usted" in Spanish?

When speaking in Spanish, there are two way of saying "you" when you are talking to a single person - "tú " and "usted". The difference between these two is that the first, "tú ", is used when talking informally to someone you know well, whereas the other, "usted", is used in formal settings with new people, in business settings, or talking to older people who you do not know very well. "Usted" shows more respect, so you would use it to address your friend's parents - especially the first time you meet them! But if you were making friends with someone your own age, you would use "tú " as you would be less formal and you would be equals.

When you use both of these terms, you need to remember that they take different forms of the verb. The "tú " form takes the second person, the form which comes second in the verb table and normally ends in "s", but the "Usted" takes the third person, the same form of the verb as you would use for "él" and "ella" and the one which comes third in your verb table.

When you come to write down these words, don't forget the accent on the "u" in "tú ". The accent changes it from "tu" which means "your" to "tú " meaning "you". When you write "Usted" you can either write down the whole word, or you can shorten it to "Ud.".