I bought this book for learning spanish last week and made a few grammar notes from the internet. While the online pdf for grammar says that the translation for "speak" in second person (you) speech is "hablas" e.g. tu hablas, the paperback book says "habla usted ingles?" for "do you speak english?" What's the drill here? Is it habla or hablas for second person speech? -SM
Hi, there is two verb versions for 2nd person, one formal and one informal. So to a friend you would use the informal hablas ingles, to a stranger or someone you wanted to show respect to you use formal habla ingles. The same goes for 2nd person pural. I'm guessing the paper back book you have is giving you holiday phrases, so if you stopped someone in the street you would use the formal version. The Usted version of a verb also doubles up to mean he or she too, so 3rd person. Hablo = I speak Hablas = you speak-informal Habla = you speak formal/he or she speaks and that applies to the pural version too. comprendiste???
habla can also be a command. "Habla castellano!" So if your telling your dog to speak Spanish its "habla castellano!" but if you're asking a senior citizen if they speak Spanish its "habla usted castellano?" but if you're asking a 10 year old if they speak Spanish its "hablas castellano?"
Exactly, "hablas" is the so called informal tense and "habla" is the formal. You use informal with family, friends and talking to children and formal with strangers and "authority figures".
