vostede

Meaning

you

Pronounced as (IPA)

/bosˈteðɪ/

Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish: vuesasted

Cognate with Catalan: vostè

Cognate with Portuguese: você

Cognate with Spanish: usted

In summary

Attested since 1671 (bosastede). Borrowed and adapted from Spanish vuesasted or some similar variant, from the addressing form vuestra merced (“your grace”). The expected result from the inherited equivalent vossa mercee would be *vocé, but it seems to never have developed, the usual form being vós until Spanish borrowings started replacing it. Compare Catalan vostè, Portuguese você, Spanish usted.

Sentences

Xa sei que a vostede iso non lle preocupa.

I know you don't care about that.

Vostede falaba de impostos .

You were talking about taxes.

Mire vostede os datos que levamos .

Take a look at the data we have.

A miña profesión , ¿ sabe vostede ?, desgasta moito .

My career, you know, wears off a lot.

Por que non lle di vostede , dunha vez , que está prometida? —

Why don't you tell her, at one time, that she is engaged?

E , nese caso , dígame vostede , ¿desconfían tamén dos socialistas de Madrid ?

And, in that case, you tell me, do you also distrust the socialists of Madrid?