PolyLingo
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Politeness & formality (sound respectful fast)

Formality is one of the fastest ways to sound natural in many languages.

What matters most

Tú (informal) vs usted (formal) varies by region.

  • When in doubt, choose the more polite form.
  • Memorize one polite question pattern and reuse it everywhere.
¿Cómo estás?
How are you? (tú)
¿Cómo está usted?
How are you? (usted)
Vivo aquí.
I live here. (subject ‘I’ omitted)
¿Hablas inglés?
Do you speak English? (informal)

Mini challenge

Say your ‘Do you speak…?’ sentence in the polite form, then in the casual form (if your language has both).

Mini‑quiz

Mini-quiz
1/8 • Score: 0
Which sentence matches “How are you? (tú)”?